About Weigang Li
Born into a family of well-known musicians in Shanghai, Weigang Li began studying the violin with his parents when he was 5 and went on to attend the Shanghai Conservatory Middle School at age 14. Three years later, in 1981, he was selected to go to study for one year at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music through the first cultural exchange program between the sister cities of Shanghai and San Francisco. In 1985, upon graduating from the Shanghai Conservatory, Weigang Li left China to continue his studies at Northern Illinois University and later studied and taught at The Juilliard School. Besides his parents, other important teachers have included Shmuel Ashkenasi, Tan Shu-Chen, Robert Mann and Isadore Tinkleman.
Mr. Li was featured in the 1980 Oscar winning documentary film From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. He made his solo debut at 17 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and has appeared as soloist with the Shanghai Symphony, China Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony and Asian Youth Orchestra.
Weigang Li is a founding member and first violinist of the world-renowned Shanghai Quartet since 1983. Now in its 38th season, the Shanghai Quartet has performed nearly 3,000 concerts in 35 countries and recorded over 30 albums, including a highly acclaimed 7-disc set of complete Beethoven string quartets.
Weigang Li is currently a violin professor at The Tianjin Juilliard School, an Artist-in-Residence at Montclair State University in New Jersey and also a violin professor at Bard College Conservatory of Music. He also holds the title of guest concertmaster of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and guest professor at both the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.