The Li Yundi Piano Concert, themed as “Quality, Grace”, will be held on the evening of December 19 at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre, located on Zhijiang East Road in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

Li Yundi

The concert, a tribute to the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth, is a hot ticket among music fans and the elite..

“The concert tickets are rare and romantic gifts to distinguished guests,” said a real estate manager surnamed Jiang, who was booking tickets on behalf of his company.

Twenty lucky people will be invited by the concert’s organizer to enjoy the performance in the orchestra pit in an effort to help Hangzhou citizens get in touch with the piano prince firsthand. They will also get Li’s autograph.

Audience members will have the opportunity to enter the International Chopin Piano Competition, sponsored by Beijing Bank, as long as they have won awards in provincial competitions before or their piano proficiency is over 5 scales in China. Those interested can call 0571—87355009 for more information.

Li previously performed on the Hangzhou Grand Theatre stage in December 2007, when thousands of piano fans came to witness his amazing talent.

Called "extravagantly gifted and highly accomplished" by the Los Angeles Times, Li, born in 1982 in Chongqing, first gained worldwide attention after winning first prize at the 2000 Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. He was the first Chinese to be awarded first prize.

Li has also received other top awards at various competitions. He won the Children’s Piano Competition in Beijing in 1994. In 1995, he was awarded first place at the Stravinsky International Youth Competition. In 1998, he won the 1998 Missouri Southern International Piano Competition (Junior Division). The following year, he took third prize at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Utrecht, and was a major winner at the China International Piano Competition. He also won first place at the Gina Bachauer Young Artists International Piano Competition.

In October 2000, at the urging of the Chinese Culture Ministry, Li participated in the 14th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. At 18 years of age, he was the youngest winner—and the first Chinese—in the competition’s history. Li was given a Polonaise award by the Chopin Society for his performance at the competition.

Soon after, Li sought out pianist Arie Vardi as an instructor and left his parents’ home to study at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater school in Hannover, Germany.

Li made his United States debut at Carnegie Hall in June 2003 as part of the Steinway 150th Anniversary Gala Concert. Career highlights between 2003 and 2004 include appearances with the Cincinnati Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Malaysian Philharmonic.

The gifted pianist continues to gain fans around the world for his brilliance and individuality and his Chopin style of piano playing.

By Xie Fang