geli li

With a deep enthusiasm for new music, an intense curiosity about the world of sound, and a rich multicultural background, Geli Li (b. 1992) is a Chinese-born American composer whose work bridges Eastern and Western musical traditions through a distinct personal idiom and contemporary musical vocabulary. She started her musical training at the piano at age five and began professional music composition and theory studies at twelve, later expanding her education through conservatories and universities in China, Germany, and the United States. Over the past two decades, her musical journey has taken her across Asia, Europe, and North America.

​She received a rigorous and academically grounded education at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg under Elmar Lampson and at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with Wenchen Qin and Weiya Hao. Li holds a doctoral degree in Music Composition with a concentration in Electronic Music from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied with Januibe Tejera and Yevgeniy Sharlat. Her artistic development has also been enriched by influential mentorships, including Augusta Read Thomas, Francesca Verunelli, and Chen Qigang.

Li’s music has been performed across three continents by more than thirty ensembles and orchestras, including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Talea Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, Klangforum Wien, Copland House Ensemble, andPlay, Ensemble United Instruments of Lucilin, Hanatsu Miroir, Chamber Orchestra Jahrhundert-XX-Österreich, NOMAD Tokyo, Berlin Zafraan Ensemble, 4Sonora String Quartet, Switch~Ensemble, SoundMap Ensemble, Balance Campaign Ensemble, Tacet(i) Ensemble, Chartreuse Trio, Fear No Music Ensemble, Hub New Music, Beijing Modern Ensemble, Oregon Symphony Orchestra, China Broadcast Orchestra, Beijing Chinese Orchestra, and the Central Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. She has received more than forty-five international awards and honors, with her work featured at over thirty major festivals worldwide.

​Since 2024, Li has served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Macalester College, where she teaches courses in music composition, theory, and new music.