Full Version Bio Cecilia Li

Cecilia Li was born in Taipei , Taiwan in 1957. At the age of 8 she started to study piano at the Kwang-Jen High School. It was the first experimental music class ever held in Taiwan , the teachers were Prof. Iman Wu and Prof. Robert Scholz. During this time, she won the first price at Taipei Music Contest. At the age of 14, Cecilia Li continued her studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Mozarteum Salzburg, in Prof. Kurt Neumüller's concert class.

As early as 1973, Cecilia Li won prizes in solo and chamber music at the “Österreichs Jugend musiziert”. She was soloist in the opening concert of the international summer academy in Salzburg. In 1978 she graduated with distinction and honours from the Mozarteum and received the achievement award of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research.

Cecilia Li then played together with various Austrian ensembles such as Hagen Quartett, Heidi Litschauer (solo cellist of the Camerata Academia Salzburg and full professor at Salzburg 's Mozarteum University), Vincent Stadlmaier (Schubert Trio) and Monika Kammerlander (solo violinist of the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg). Also she took courses and coaching lessons with Tatjana Nikolaijewa, Norman Shetler, Meira Farkas and Sandor Végh.

Cecilia Li performed amongst others at solo/chamber music concerts at Taipei Opera Music Recital Hall, at the chamber music festival in Salzburg, at the residence concerts, “Jeunesse Austria” and Palais Coburg Vienna. A very successful performance took place at Nikosia Theatre Cyprus where she played in presence of 400 high standing persons, among them the Cypriote president, the Austrian ambassador and several ministers.

Besides her solo piano work, she established herself as a distinguished teacher and music advisor. Concerts, TV and radio recordings have been realized nationally (ORF) and internationally (TV Taiwan, NHK Japan). She also taught a master class at the University of Fu-Jen in Taipei in 1985.

In 1988, Cecilia Li founded Tanz Atelier Wien together with her husband, dancer and choreographer Sebastian Prantl. In this research centre for contemporary dance and music she is in charge of music concepts and plays leading parts in productions and projects of various kinds and various places such as Secession, Wiener Konzerthaus, Odeon, Universitätskirche, Academy of Sciences in Vienna and festivals e.g. Wien Modern, styriarte, Beijing Art Festival (China), Festival Autunno Danza (Sardinia), India Dance Festival (India).

In 2004, Cecilia Li founded her own CD label shiuling records. Her aim is to publish recordings of the compositions she is playing uncut in order to preserve the musical flow without intervention. So every gap is part of the musical concept.