Coaching Testimonials
"Siu is an exceptional musician and coach. Over the years we have performed together and she has worked with ensembles I have played in, lending her fantastic ear to matters of colour, balance, and articulation to help achieve the highest quality result. Her input has been invaluable and no doubt more successful because of her work. She has also worked with my students, helping them achieve their very best through her extraordinary knowledge of string repertoire and outstanding collaborative skills. Her insight into harmony, character and phrasing opens students; ears and depends their musical understanding. They leave every session more confident, aware and inspired. Her contribution to their work has been truly invaluable."
- Alex Redington, Head of Strings, Purcell School, Professor of Violin Royal Academy of Music
"Siu was invaluable to our process. Her deep understanding of the English Song repertoire and chamber music helped us find greater nuance, clarity, and colouring both the language and the music. Her thoughtful ear was an enormous asset throughout the rehearsal process, and her guidance was always both precise and deeply musical. There's something incredibly reassuring about having a trusted colleague and friend out in the hall as you prepare for performance, and we have that in spades with Siu."
- Eric Finbarr Carey, tenor (Carnegie Hall's Renée Fleming Song Studio, Britten-Pears Festival)
referencing Vaughan Williams 'On Wenlock Edge' coaching diction, text, and ensemble balance with Eric and his chamber group, Marlboro Music Festival, USA
"I worked with Ms Li in preparation for an upcoming performance of Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto in B Minor. In each session, I was genuinely excited and encouraged by how much progress we were making. And, after just a few of these, Ms Li had utterly transformed my concerto. Her passion and energy – not to mention technical prowess – helped bring out more emotion in my playing. More than just a series of notes on a sheet of paper, the concerto suddenly felt alive to me, and I was able to explore a much fuller range of colours, voices, and ideas. Initially, I had simply hoped to gain a greater familiarity of the interplay between the violin and piano parts. But, after working with Ms Li, I felt that I had achieved so much more, maturing as both a musician and a performer, and gaining a deeper appreciation for music as a whole."
- Emma Harris, Harvard University Class of '27