From top left, clockwise: Hongxi Li; two photos from her performance; meeting with Chen Yi; and Li preparing for her performance.
By Sarah Shoff, The Presser Foundation Summer 2026 Intern
Invited annually, graduate schools of music present the Presser Graduate Music Award to an outstanding graduate music student whom they select. The award program is designed to encourage and support in a special way the advanced education and career of truly exceptional graduate music students who have the potential to make a distinguished contribution to the field of music. The award is a cash stipend of up to $10,000, which is made available to a graduate student designated by the institution.
Dr. Hongxi Li, an accomplished international performer with a doctorate in piano performance, received the Award in 2024-25 from the University of Miami. Her award project focused on staging an inventive piano recital with video, audio, and lighting spectacle, featuring the works of Chinese American composer Chen Yi.
Background
As a Chinese pianist navigating between Korean and Chinese cultural identities in America, Li felt drawn to music that lives at the intersection of different worlds. Her project, which grew from that personal connection, included a recital dedicated entirely to nine piano works by Chen Yi, a Chinese American composer whose music weaves together Chinese folk traditions and Western classical forms. Rather than a conventional concert, Li sought to create something that felt alive and accessible to audiences beyond the usual classical music crowd.
The recital incorporated Steinway Spirio|r piano technology, video projection, stage lighting, and interactive audience participation. Alongside the performance, a documentary capturing the full artistic journey is currently in production. This project has been Li’s way of asking not only what a classical piano recital can look and feel like today, but who it can be for.
Project Activities
The recital took place on April 9, 2026 at Newman Recital Hall, Frost School of Music, at the University of Miami. The concert opened with an introductory video, segueing directly into the live performance. Throughout the performance, video projection brought additional layers to the music: program-related visuals, archival folk tune recordings, behind-the-scenes and blooper footage, and interview clips with Chen Yi. Prior to the performance, Li had traveled to Kansas City to interview Yi in person, and selected clips from that conversation were used to introduce certain pieces. The concert culminated in the piece China West Suite for two pianos: one part prerecorded on the Spirio|r with synchronized video, and the other performed live on stage – allowing Li to duet with herself in real time.
At the close of the evening, audiences completed a short survey via QR code, and the responses were telling: the majority said that if more classical concerts incorporated immersive elements like those they experienced that night, they would attend more frequently.
Following the recital, Li returned to Kansas City once more to record Chen Yi’s post-concert reflections, which are featured in the documentary. The final cut is available on Li’s YouTube channel.
Personal Impact
Li shared that the project has been one of the most meaningful experiences of her musical education and career.
“Through it, I have grown not only as a pianist, but as the creator and organizer of a larger artistic vision – shaping ideas, coordinating many moving parts, and learning what it takes to bring something ambitious to life. Deeply exploring Chen Yi’s music also gave me a new relationship with my own cultural and musical heritage, one I had not fully engaged with in this way before. More than anything, this award has encouraged me to think more boldly about who I am as an artist, and what kind of work I want to make. It has shown me that my voice extends well beyond the piano, into spaces where music, culture, and human connection meet.”
Biography
Chinese pianist Dr. Hongxi Li is a versatile concert artist, solo and collaborative performer, educator and passionate art lover who has been recognized for her “rock-solid technique and strong interpretive instincts,” who is “highly gifted” and “is clearly a talent to watch” (South Florida Classical Review).
Hailing from a cross-cultural background with influences from both Korea and China, Li’s diverse roots have provided her a profound and distinctive insight into music’s many cultures. She has premiered new works, collaborated with world-renowned artists, and her performances have brought her to China, South Korea, Japan, and the United States.
Li began her musical studies at age 4, preparing her for the preparatory division for gifted children at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing for middle and high school students. In 2020, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory, earning a coveted spot on the Dean’s list after having studied with Meng-Chieh Liu and Gabriel Chodos. Her dedication and talent led her to receive the President’s Scholarship for further studies at Mannes School of Music at The New School, where she earned her master’s degree under the tutelage of the Grammy-nominated pianist Eteri Andjaparidze. Li has since earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music under the tutelage of Naoko Takao.