An Evening of Music with Yibin Li and Philippe Muller

Join us for an intimate violin and cello performance in the living room of the Renee & Chaim Gross Foundation.

Join us for an intimate concert featuring violinist Yibin Li and cellist Philippe Muller. The program will include compositions by Beethoven (1770–1827), Gliére (1875–1956), Michael Kosch (b.1959), and Ravel (1975–1937).

Yibin Li is an accomplished violinist and educator. Born in China, she began her musical journey at five under the guidance of her father, violinist Qing Li. Her exceptional talent led her to the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree and was appointed to the violin faculty upon graduation. After six years as a tenured professor at the Shanghai Conservatory, Yibin was accepted into The Juilliard School, earning a Master of Music degree in violin performance, followed by a second Master of Music degree from the Mannes School of Music. Today, she is an educator at both Mannes School of Music and The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division.

Yibin’s performance career spans the globe, with solo appearances alongside prominent orchestras including the Beijing National Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Taipei Symphony, and Syracuse Symphony. She has also served as the first violinist of the Iris String Quartet and the French-American Ensemble. Yibin has participated in numerous international music festivals, including the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Bach Virtuosi Festival, and the Beijing International Music Festival. 

As the Co-Director and an artist of the OneMusic Project (OMP), a non-profit organization, Yibin unites international artists to create innovative concerts that blend literature with chamber music. Her mentors include Lewis Kaplan, Seymour Lipkin, Earl Carlyss, Peiwen Yuan, Xiaolong Liu, and her father, Qing Li.

Philippe Muller is a renowned cellist and cello teacher. Born in Alsace, Philippe studied with André Navarra before succeeding him as professor at the Paris Conservatory. For nearly thirty years, his class at the Paris Conservatory and master classes around the world have attracted cellists to learn the French cello technique.

Philippe has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in places like Carnegie Hall and Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo. He formed a renowned trio with violinist Jean-Jacques Kantorow and pianist Jacques Rouvier. He also became the principal cellist for Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble Intercontemporain performing classical works of the 20th century, notably Schoenberg and the Vienna School. In 1982, Philippe gave the first American performance of Henri Dutilleux’s “Trois Strophes sur le nom de Sacher” at the Victoria Festival in British Columbia.

In the United States, Janos Starker invited him to give master classes in Bloomington, and Harvey Shapiro gave him his finest bow. He taught at the Steans Institute and at the Musicorda summer camp at Mount Holyoke College. 

Philippe is frequently asked to serve on juries of major international competitions such as the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Paulo Competition in Helsinki, and the Rostropovich Competition in Paris. For twenty years, he has participated in the Académie de Musique Française in Kyoto and the Festival du Domaine Forget in Quebec, Canada. He now teaches at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. 

Image courtesy of Yibin Li and Philippe Muller.