Er-Hsuan Li

Applied Piano Lessons, Keyboarding Musicianship, Ear Training

Praised by the New York Concert Review as having “played with astonishing maturity and flair,” Dr. Er-Hsuan Li is a highly accomplished pianist. A native of Taiwan, Li has performed across Europe, Asia, and the United States on the stages of renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall, Harris Theater in Chicago, Mozarteum in Salzburg, and the Taiwan National Concert Hall. He attained a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of Colorado Boulder, a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He currently serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University.

In recent years, Li has taught a number of masterclasses, including at Montana State University, and at the Festival de Perfeccionamiento Pianístico in Xalapa, Mexico, for three years. Li’s current and past appointments include responsibilities of teaching applied lessons and keyboard musicianship courses to music majors and non-music majors, ear training courses, as well as working as a collaborative pianist in all capacities, including vocal and instrumental studio pianist, symphonic band pianist, contemporary music ensemble keyboardist, and pianist for opera and musical productions.

He is an esteemed saxophone accompaniment specialist, who has performed in multiple faculty and guest recitals, including Montana State University, Tennessee State University, Austin Peay State University, and tours to Oklahoma and Texas. He has also presented and performed at the biennial conference of North American Saxophone Alliance at the University of Southern Mississippi and at Oklahoma State University.

In recognition of Li’s remarkable artistic contributions, he has received several national scholarship awards. These prizes have led to the creation of the NOSTOS album with saxophonist Lucas Hopkins, a concerto concert performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and the world premiere of John Clay Allen’s concerto, The Stone Harp. He is also a prize winner in various competitions in the United States and Taiwan, including the Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Performance Competition and the Rondo Forma Competition.

Li specializes in contemporary music and has premiered numerous new works as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and ensemble keyboardist. His most notable experiences include working on Boulez’s Douze Notations with Pierre-Laurent Aimard, performing Steve Reich’s City Life, Tehillim, and Clapping Music, alongside Reich himself, and working with Chinese Canadian composer Alexina Louie on her well-known work – Scenes from a Jade Terrace. Li currently has recordings on Spotify and Apple Music showcasing works by Carter Pann, Aris Antoniades, Joseph Bozich, Nelson Walker, Jordan Holloway, and Brian Lambert. The album NOSTOS was released under Soundset Recordings label in 2024.

As a researcher and scholar, Li has authored articles and recorded Jacqueline Hairston’s “Great Day” Ode and Philippa Duke Schuyler’s Rumpelstiltsken. With his research, he has delivered “Designing the Sensory Friendly Recital,” and “Hidden Voices: Exploring Piano Works by Black Women Composers in the Helen Walker-Hill Collection,” at MTNA national conferences. A seasoned lecturer, Li has given a variety of insightful presentations on “Approaching New Music with Confidence,” “How to work with a pianist,” “Voice of Taiwan: Ma, Shui-Long,” “Strategies for Performing Pierre Boulez’s Douze Notations,” “Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ Violin Sonatas,” and “A Decade in the US: Stories of Studying Abroad.”

This season, Li’s professional engagements has brought him to Xalapa, Mexico, as faculty for the Séptimo Festival de Perfeccionamiento Pianístico for the third consecutive year, served as a competition staff collaborative pianist for the International Horn Competition of America, presented a lecture at the annual conference of Colorado State Music Teachers Association at Colorado State University Pueblo, and will present “Pierre Boulez in 100: Exploring his First Published Piano Piece, 12 Notations” at the College Music Society Conferences and the NCKP Conference, as well as professionally record John Clay Allen’s Piano Concerto, The Stone Harp, with the Boulder Symphony under the baton of maestro Devin Hughes.