Li Biao
“Unparalleled glory” Kronenzeitung (Austria)
“Indescribable shocks moved the audience into tears” Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)
“Unimaginable Techniques” Budapest Daily (Hungary)
“A Percussion Music, Touched You into Tears” Classic Music Magazine (Germany)
Li Biao, one of the few outstanding solo percussionists in the recent international music stage, win the world acclaim as an exceptional solo percussionist in the contemporary era by virtue of his extraordinary musicality of the percussion instruments as well as his unique demeanor.
Born in Nanking, China, Li Biao began his musical studies at five years old. In 1982 he entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing to study percussion. In 1988, he was selected by the Chinese government as the first percussionist to study in Moscow at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Learning from V. Sniegerew, Li Biao graduated with a master degree of first honor. After winning the DAAD scholarship, Li continued his music education at the Munich Conservatory of Music in Germany and graduated with a Master Diploma. He ever attained rewards in many international prestigious competitions during his pupillage, such as the first Debrecen Percussion Competition, he became the first Chinese, who won the international percussion competition.
As a talented soloist, Li is competent in performing an extensive range of musical work. Li Biao gave a great number of solo recitals during various music festivals, cooperated with renowned orchestras and chamber ensembles including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphoniker, the Verona Opera, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the MengPei Column's Opera, the Franz List Chamber Orchestra, the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bulgarian National Symphony Orchestra, the China National Symphony Orchestra, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and many others around the world, working with leading conductors such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Christoph Eschenbach, Lawrence Foster, Jonathan Nott, just to name a few. Li has performed his percussion pieces in more than 70 countries.
Performing percussion concerto repeatedly at “Pay Attention to Classical Music” - the most influential European classical music opinion program, recorded his percussion albums with renowned labels such as EMI and Teldec. He is the professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing from 2003 and Hochschule für Musik “Hanns-Eisler” in Berlin 2006. He is the first Asian percussionist who was offered the title of professor of the prestigious music institute in the world.
In 2008, Li Biao and his percussion group were invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and 2009. Li Biao led his percussion group to hold a series of concerts in 12 cities in China. From April to May 2009, Li Biao delivered 22 concerts on a trans-era tour of eight European countries.
In 2008，Li Biao received the "National Spirit Achiever Award" from Mercedes-Benz, AMG and City Magazine. He is awarded the “Men of Taste and Success 2009” by Men's Bazaar in 2009.
From 2010, Li Biao was invited as Music Director of the Mercedes-Benz International Music Festival and the International Percussion Festival at the China National Centre for the Performance Arts.
In 2012, highlights of Li Biao’s performances including tours with the China NCPA Orchestra in Europe and the 2012 London Olympic Games Concert, collaborating with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, tours in Europe and Asia with the Li Biao Percussion Group, performances at the Mercedes-Benz International Music Festival and the International Percussion Festival at the China National Centre for the Performance Arts.
From May to June of 2014, Li Biao percussion group made debut tour to South America. The group has performed three weeks throughout the most prestige’s venue in South America such as, Teatro Solis (Montevideo, Uruguay), Teatro Municipal De Santiago (Santiago, Chile), Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro (Rio, Brazil), Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Sociedade de Cultura Artística (São Paulo, Brazil) and Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo (Bogota, Columbia). The tour was a huge success and at the end of end of tour, the presenters have invited the group back for a 2016 tour. Due to the successful debut in South America, Li Biao percussion group has also received the invitation to tour Mexico in 2015. Li Biao percussion group will continue tour in China in July 2014. At the end of 2014, Li Biao will also perform as soloist with Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
Back