Leading Chinese-Australian cellist, Li-Wei Qin was born in Shanghai and moved to Australia at the age of 13. He won scholarships to study with Ralph Kirshbaum in Manchester and with David Takeno in London. In 2002, he received the Young Australian of the Year Award, also winning the Silver Medal at the 11th Tchaikovsky International Competition / First Prize in New York’s prestigious 2001 Naumburg Competition.
Twice a soloist at the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall, Li-Wei enjoys successful artistic collaborations with many of the world’s great orchestras including all the BBC symphony orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, NDR-Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, La Verdi Orchestra Milan, ORH Vienna Radio Orchestra , Prague Symphony, Osaka Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony and Melbourne Symphony among many others.
He has collaborated with leading conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Andrew Davis, Marek Janowski, Jaap Van Zweden, Gianandrea Noseda and the late Lord Menuhin. Li-Wei has also appeared with chamber orchestras such as the Kremerata Baltika, the Munich, the Manchester, the Zurich and the Australian Chamber Orchestras.
In recital and chamber music, Li-Wei is a regular guest at the Wigmore Hall and for the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. He has also performed at the Rheinghau, the City of London, the Schleswig-Holstein and the Mecklenburg Festivals.
Li-Wei’s recordings include the complete Beethoven Sonatas, Works of Rachmaninov with pianist Albert Tiu, Dvořàk Concerto with Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Elgar/Walton concertos with the London Philharmonic.
He teaches at the YST Conservatory, Singapore, is guest professor at Shanghai and Central Conservatory of Music, and visiting professor, chamber music, at the Royal Northern College of Music.