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Name and position: Teng Li, principal viola, the Paul Hindemith Principal Viola Chair
First season as a member: 2024–25
Hometown: Nanjing, China
Education: Central Conservatory, Beijing, China; Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
What works or concerts are you most looking forward to this season, and why?
I’m very much looking forward to playing Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle with Esa-Pekka Salonen (Feb. 6-8). I love Bartók’s music, but have not yet had the chance to play this piece. I’m very excited to explore the many different characters and musical colors in this opera. I have worked with Esa-Pekka many times in Los Angeles. He knows Bartók’s music so wonderfully well, and I’m sure he will inspire us all! I can’t wait for our interpretation.
What is one of your favorite holiday traditions?
My family likes to hang out together in the kitchen and make great food while singing. During past holiday seasons, we often made cookies and shared them with our friends. As my daughter is growing older, I’m sure we will have a few more challenging cooking projects this year.
Currently I’m reading/watching/listening to:
I just started reading Pierre Boulez: Organised Delirium (Boydell & Brewer, 2024) by Caroline Potter. I never had a chance to work with Maestro Boulez, and I wanted to learn about his artistry and way of thinking.
What is your favorite music to perform, and why?
There are so many different styles and composers I love to perform, but usually I focus on the pieces we are playing at the time. We dive into these pieces, and as we invest the time to discover our roles in the music, we do our best to bring out the most beautiful colors that can make these stories come to life. To do that, we have to really believe and live in the music that we are playing. I think my favorite music changes depending on the pieces we are playing each week. We are very fortunate that the orchestra is programmed to perform so much wonderful music this season.
What is your most memorable CSO performance or experience?
My most memorable experience at the CSO was the European tour with Maestro Muti in January 2024. It was especially meaningful to play in the Musikverein in Vienna. I grew up watching the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s concert at the Musikverein on Chinese television channels. Maestro Muti was in quite a few of those broadcasts. During the concert, looking up at Maestro Muti, I had a very emotional moment — my dream had come true.
