Pianist | Interdisciplinary Artist | Educator
Shalun Li is a Chinese pianist, curator, and emerging interdisciplinary artist based in the United States. As the founder of the Mt. Far Ensemble, he has become known for creating imaginative bridges between Eastern tradition and Western innovation through sound, image, and text.
Born in Jingzhou, China, and classically trained in both Shanghai and Boston, Shalun combines the discipline of Western pianism with the spirit of Chinese aesthetics. His performances and multimedia works explore poetic resonance, ritual space, and transcultural storytelling.
🎶 A Journey Between East and West
In 2021, Shalun founded the Mt. Far Ensemble, bringing together musicians across Asia, Europe, and North America. The ensemble fuses elements of Chinese traditional music, Western classical, Avant-garde, and jazz influences, developing a sound that is at once ancient and contemporary.
Their 2024 China tour was met with critical acclaim. Global Times praised the ensemble for “deconstructing the spirit of Chinese poetry through waves of sound,” calling it “a transcultural artistic feast across time and space.”
🎹 A Life in Music
Shalun’s relationship with the piano began at an early age. He was admitted to the Middle School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music at age 14, where he studied with Professor Zhou Ting. In 2015, he moved to the U.S. to continue his studies at the New England Conservatory, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees on full scholarship. He studied with renowned pianist Meng-Chieh Liu, a direct pedagogical descendant of Beethoven, and served as a teaching assistant in the piano department.
Shalun has won numerous international competitions, including:
First Prize, American Music Open Competition
First-Class Honor, TOYAMA Asian Piano Competition
Third Prize, Japan Chopin Piano Competition
Second Prize, Japan Piano Open Competition
New England Conservatory Honors Piano Award & Honors Trio Award
In 2022, he appeared as a soloist with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra and the American Asian Symphony, receiving praise for his nuanced musical interpretation and technical finesse.
🖼 Art Beyond Sound
As a curator and interdisciplinary artist, Shalun has created numerous multimedia concert projects that weave music, visual arts, and text into immersive performances. These include:
Enso Resonance (2023): a project inspired by Zen philosophy, exploring sound and silence through multi-arts performance
Classics of Mountains and Seas (2024): an award-winning original work supported by the Chinese Performing Arts Foundation and the Asian Young Artists Fund
Chinese Antient Poetry Concert (2024-2025): a poetic instrumental concert tracing the inner world of ancient Chinese poets in exile, fusing traditional texts with contemporary ensemble music across Eastern and Western styles
Silence and Light: Beethoven’s Poetic Journey (2025): an nine-hour Beethoven sonata marathon interwoven with Chinese and Western poetry, creating a minimalist ritual experience that explores solitude, resilience, and transcendence
His curatorial work has received awards such as:
Entrepreneur Musicianship Spark Award – New England Conservatory (2024)
Entrepreneur Musicianship Grant – New England Conservatory (2025)
🎹A Dedicated Educator
In addition to his artistic practice, Shalun is passionate about nurturing young musicians. He currently teaches piano to beginner and intermediate students, and is known for his thoughtful, student-centered approach. Drawing on his rigorous classical training and cross-cultural insights, he guides students in building a solid foundation while keeping music joyful and expressive.