The world of music is nothing new for Ian Li, the rising 12th grade senior looking to attend college next fall. Despite the growing stress of the admissions process, he still manages to find time to practice his violin 90 minutes a day.
Li began playing the violin when he was four and a half using a make-shift violin comprised of cardboard and paper. While unconventional, it ignited his passion and desire for this creative world.
When he was five, he got his hands on a real version of the instrument.
Li’s teacher had his many students “go to senior homes and some museums in New London” in order to play pieces and music for the residents.
These experiences helped to foster a sense of togetherness in music for Li: “There was just so much community—being part of the same group.”
Last school year, Li won the Hamden Symphony Orchestra Young Musicians Concerto Competition for his age group. The goal of the program is to give a chance to young musicians to perform solo works with an accompanied volunteer orchestra.
Li spent three rehearsals with the group putting together the Glazunov violin concerto, stating the most difficult part was “timing and staying with the orchestra.” He then continued, saying that he sometimes had to “compromise with the conductor,” alluding to their different musical interpretations of the piece.
The day of the performance, nerves were a given. Despite this, Li was prepared. He knew he had put in the time and effort weeks prior, practicing for hours on end in the practice room.
Then it was time.
His mind set, he walked out to the front of the orchestra, looking into the audience. His family, private teacher, and even some students and friends from Waterford High School had come to support him.
He hoisted up his violin, gave a nod to the conductor, and made music. His fingers—flawless agility. His octaves—perfectly in tune. His musicality—impeccable. The notes floated above the heads of the audience, his family, his teacher, his friends.
As he finished the last note, it echoed across the concert hall, leaving a shocked silence as to what had just been witnessed and heard. A moment later, applause erupted.
Molly Bartlett, a 12 grader at Waterford High School and Li’s neighbor, was in the audience for his performance, having ridden up on the bus with some of her classmates in the high school’s chamber and string orchestras to support him.
Bartlett said, “The way he is humble about everything stands out to me. Even though he is aware that he is an incredible player, he doesn’t hold [that] over anyone.”
Li’s accomplishments do not stop there.
Last February, after an intense audition process for the Connecticut All-State Violin Competition, he received a perfect score, securing him concert master of the orchestra. His leadership, attention to detail, and willingness to compromise with the conductor made him perfect for the role.
In terms of future accomplishments, Li is looking to join his prospective college’s orchestra, hoping he will still be able to find a place to grow and refine his skills past high school.
Despite the uncertainties he faces, he knows he can always count on coming back to the world of music—the place he grew up in. The place that allowed him to play a wonderful rendition of the Glazunov concerto. The place that has brought him, and continues to bring, so much joy.
