Geli Li

Geli Li is a Chinese-born American resident composer whose music bridges Eastern and Western cultures through her own musical vocabulary. With two decades of professional experience in music composition, she has dedicated herself to the new music realm, embracing both acoustic and electronic media and instruments from both Eastern and Western traditions.

She has collaborated with over 30 ensembles and orchestras, including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Talea Ensemble, Klangforum Wien, Hanatsu Miroir, Chamber Orchestra-Jahrhundert-XX-Österreich, NOMAD Tokyo, Berlin Zafraan Ensemble, 4Sonora String Quartet, [Switch~Ensemble], Balance Campaign Ensemble, Tace t(i) Ensemble, Chartreuse Trio, Fear No Music Ensemble, Altius Quartet, Beijing Modern Ensemble, Oregon Symphony Orchestra, China Broadcast Orchestra, Beijing Chinese Orchestra, Central Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, China Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Macao Chinese Orchestra. Furthermore, she has worked with many individuals, such as Brad Lubman, James Baker, Peter Burwik, Manuel Nauri, Anthony Millet, Laura Cocks, Jay Campbell, and more.

Li’s compositions have been performed across North America, Asia, and Europe at numerous events and festivals, such as ManiFeste IRCAM, Talea 15th Anniversary Celebration, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Midwest Graduate Music Consortium Conference, Thailand New Music and Arts Symposium, Symposium of Contemporary Music Research (Taiwan), UNK New Music Series and Festival, Florida State University New Music Festival, Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, Intimacy of Creativity Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival Composer Symposium, Das China Festival der Hochschüler für Musik und Theater, and many others.

Li has served as composer-in-residence at the DeGaetano Composition Institute (2024), Rodamúsic Composers Residency (2024), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2017), and CHEN Qigang Music Academy (2016).

Li’s academic journey has spanned Asia, Europe, and North America, reflecting her global perspective on music and her commitment to musical innovation and cross-cultural dialogue. She holds a doctoral degree in Music Composition from the University of Texas at Austin, where she received the Academic Excellence Fellowship, the Professional Development Award, and the Kent Kennan Endowed Graduate Fellowship. Li studied Music Composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg from 2014 to 2015 as part of her master’s degree. She also spent eight years at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, where she completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Composition and Music Theory with top-tier honors. Li’s musical education has been enriched by mentorship from Augusta Read Thomas, Januibe Tejera, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Elmar Lampson, Qin Wenchen, Hao Weiya, and many others.

Li is also enthusiastic about teaching. She has previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin, where she instructed courses in Music Composition, Music Theory, and Aural Skills. Starting in August 2024, she joined Macalester College as a Visiting Assistant Professor, where she teaches a diverse range of courses in music composition, music theory, and new music.