Kevin X. Li — Composer

Watch + Listen

Video still: orchestra on stage performing Pale Fire

Pale Fire Fanfare for Orchestra

Commissioned by the Seven Hills Symphony, Cincinnati, OH
Conducted by the composer

Everything I Never Told You for cello and piano

2025 American Prize in Chamber Music (Charles Ives Award), 3rd Place
2025 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, Semi-Finalist

Solace for piano trio

2024 Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition, Finalist (1 of 5)

Video still: Margie’s Christmas Eve film score clip

Margie’s Christmas Eve original film score

2021 Florence Film Award: Best Original Score, Tuscany, Italy
2021 Finalist of Best Soundtrack: Oniors Film Awards, New York, NY

A Simple Song for violin and piano

Now available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all major streaming platforms

The Making of A Simple Song

Behind the Scene + Music Analysis

News

Poster for the Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition Recital at CCM

Competition | Jan. 14, 2026

Kevin was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition, becoming one of five composers worldwide chosen for the final round. His work, Solace, was performed by the Grammy Award–nominated Lincoln Trio on January 14, 2026, at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Kevin X. Li on stage with fellow musicians at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw

UC News | Jun. 12, 2026

The University of Cincinnati featured composer and Fulbright grantee Kevin X. Li and his String Quartet No. 2, “Tales from Warsaw.” Written during his Fulbright residency at the Chopin University of Music in Poland, the work explores Warsaw’s history, culture, and resilience. The article highlights the quartet’s performances at the Chopin University of Music and Polish Radio, celebrating the Fulbright Program’s 80th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Read the full article

Fulbright Commission | Sep. 15, 2025

Kevin has been awarded a Fulbright grant to research and compose a new string quartet for its premiere at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland.

Learn about String Quartet No.2 “Tales from Warsaw”

UC News | Jan. 30, 2024

Kevin Li was interviewed about winning First Prize in the American Prize National Composition Competition, discussing the inspiration and creative process behind the award-winning work, The Ghost That Haunts Us.

Read the full article

Works

Orchestral

Renew for Orchestra

2024 · 6 MINUTES · 3(PIC).3(EH).3.3(CBSN) / 4331 / TIMP+3 PERC / HP / STR

Excerpted from the symphonic suite Blossom, Renew opens with an upbeat fanfare heralding rejuvenation, gives way to an introspective section where themes from the previous movements intertwine, and closes in a lively, dance-like celebration influenced by funk and tango — an embodiment of rebirth and the cyclical nature of life.

Recording: the Brno Philharmonic conducted by Mikel Toms, on Ablaze Records’ Orchestral Masters Vol. 12.

Renew for Orchestra — Brno Philharmonic · Mikel Toms

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

Pale Fire — Fanfare for Orchestra

2022 · 2 MINUTES · 3(PIC).2.2.2 / 4231 / TIMP+2 / STR

Commissioned by the Seven Hills Symphony, Cincinnati, OH, and premiered by the orchestra under the composer on November 13, 2022, at Walnut Hills High School Auditorium; also performed by the CCM Concert Orchestra, conducted by the composer, on November 22, 2022.

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

Everything I Never Told You — for cello & string orchestra

2022 · 6 MINUTES · SOLO CELLO, STRING ORCHESTRA

A one-movement version of the cello-and-piano work inspired by Celeste Ng’s novel of the same name — slow and reflective, in modified sonata form, shaped by minimalist style and modal harmony. Also available for cello & piano.

Recording: Josh Kim, cello, with Stephan Fillare and the CCM Philharmonia.

Everything I Never Told You — Josh Kim, cello · CCM Philharmonia

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

2025 American Prize in Chamber Music (Charles Ives Award), 3rd Place · 2025 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, Semi-Finalist

Blossom for Orchestra

2024 · 18 MINUTES · THREE MOVEMENTS · 3(PIC).3(EH).3.3(CBSN) / 4331 / TIMP+3 PERC / HP / STR

A symphonic suite tracing the life of a flower. Release captures the vibrant energy of the bloom, its two contrasting motives set in mirror form; Reminisce reflects on withering and age as the motives settle into a heartbeat-like resonance; and the finale, Renew, celebrates rebirth and new beginnings.

Blossom for Orchestra — III. Renew · Brno Philharmonic, Mikel Toms

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

The Island of Life — Fanfare for Orchestra

2023 · 3 MINUTES · 3(PIC).3(EH).3(BCL).3(CBSN) / 6331 / TIMP+2 PERC / HP / STR

Commissioned by the Seven Hills Symphony and premiered by the orchestra on March 19, 2023, for a concert celebrating the 150th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s birth, as a companion piece to his Isle of the Dead. Taking up Arnold Böcklin’s later, utopian “Island of Life” painting, it answers Rachmaninoff’s somber A minor with a resolution in A major — affirming renewal, warmth, and life.

The Island of Life — Seven Hills Symphony

Symphony No.1 “Only Breath”

2020 · 27 MINUTES · THREE MOVEMENTS · 3(PIC).3(EH).3(BCL).3(CBSN) / 4331 / TIMP+3 / HP / PNO / STR / SOPRANO SOLO

Written in the shadow of 2020 and centered on Rumi’s poem “Only Breath,” the symphony journeys from darkness (I. Darkness Falls) to a discovery of our common humanity (II. Only Breath, for soprano and orchestra), and finally to celebration (III. Rejoice! Humans!). It was premiered on March 30, 2021. The video shows the symphony in the composer’s arrangement for two pianos and soprano.

Symphony No.1: III. Rejoice! Humans! (Excerpt)

Symphony No.1: II. Only Breath (Excerpt)

Chamber | Solo

String Quartet No.2 “Tales from Warsaw”

2025 · 17 MINUTES · 2 VIOLINS, VIOLA, CELLO · THREE MOVEMENTS

Composed during Kevin’s Fulbright residency at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, the quartet portrays the spirit of the city in three movements: Targowisko (marketplace), Transcend (Church of St. Francis), and The Tower (Palace of Culture and Science). It premiered on March 20, 2026, at the Chopin University of Music and was presented at Polish Radio.

A Simple Song — for violin & piano

2025 · 7 MINUTES · VIOLIN, PIANO

Four connected sections — The Song, a reflective cadenza, The Dance (an off-balance gesture in asymmetrical meter that settles into a waltz), and a transformed recap — trace a journey through lyricism, reflection, and transformation.

Now available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all major streaming platforms. See also The Making of A Simple Song — behind the scenes, with music analysis.

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

Sara Teasdale Songs

2024 · 10 MINUTES · SOPRANO, PIANO

Settings of poems by Sara Teasdale (1884–1933), commissioned by Glow Music. Premiered by Meg Booker, soprano, and Noah Jacobsen, piano, at Arco, Cincinnati, OH, in April 2024.

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

Everything I Never Told You — for cello & piano

2022/24 · 10 MINUTES · CELLO, PIANO

Inspired by Celeste Ng’s novel of the same name, with a cover graphic by the composer’s sister, Julie Li. Premiered by Matthew Lei, cello, and Suan Choi, piano, at the Cohen Family Studio Theatre, Cincinnati, on April 9, 2024. Also available for cello & string orchestra.

2025 American Prize in Chamber Music (Charles Ives Award), 3rd Place · 2025 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, Semi-Finalist

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

Solace — for piano trio

2022 · 10 MINUTES · VIOLIN, CELLO, PIANO

Performed by Yunjung Lee, Dong Yeol Hong, and Kyung Hoon Kim at Indiana State University on March 5, 2024, and by the Grammy Award–nominated Lincoln Trio at the Zemlinsky Prize Finalist Concert at CCM on January 15, 2026.

2024 Alexander Zemlinsky Prize for Composition, Finalist (1 of 5)

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

The Ghost That Haunts Us

2020 · 12 MINUTES · CLARINET, VIOLIN, CELLO, PIANO

Written about Covid-19 arriving during the Lunar New Year, the work weaves in the Spring Festival Overture motive by Huanzhi Li. Premiered by Tianqi Xia, clarinet, Zhe Deng, violin, Josh Kim, cello, and Mingli Liu, piano, at Werner Recital Hall, CCM, on March 30, 2021.

2023 The American Prize in Chamber Music, First Prize

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

String Quartet No.1 “Blossom”

2024 · 18 MINUTES · STRING QUARTET · THREE MOVEMENTS

Premiered by the Mivos Quartet in Vienna on July 4, 2023. The quartet traces the life of a flower in three movements: Release captures the vibrant energy of the bloom in mirror form, with two contrasting motives symbolizing the symmetry within a flower; Reminisce reflects on withering and age as the motives settle into a heartbeat-like resonance; and Renew opens with an upbeat fanfare of rejuvenation and closes in a lively, dance-like celebration influenced by funk and tango. Its three movements share their program with the orchestral suite Blossom.

Blossom I. Release (Excerpt)

Blossom II. Reminisce (Excerpt)

Blossom III. Renew (Excerpt)

I was alone again in this unique darkness

2021 · 6 MINUTES · SOLO CELLO

Commissioned by Josh Kim and premiered by him at the College-Conservatory of Music on March 30, 2021; Yijia Fang also performed the work at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre, China, on August 9, 2023. The piece reflects the psychological struggles and hardships of the March 2020 shutdown.

2023 American Prize in Chamber Music, National Semi-Finalist

VIEW SCORE (PDF)

The Last Fenghuang

2018 · 5 MINUTES · SOLO FLUTE

“In the ancient mountains, one fenghuang, alone, calling out for her fellow creatures but only answered by her own echo…” The fenghuang — the Chinese phoenix that reigns over all other birds — stands in Chinese mythology for high virtue and grace. Premiered on November 9, 2019.

2019 Classic Pure Vienna International Composition Competition, Finalist

Quintet for Flute and Strings

2018 · 7 MINUTES · FLUTE, 2 VIOLINS, VIOLA, CELLO

The composer’s first serious original composition, blending the French Impressionist sound of Fauré, Debussy, and Ravel with the folk melodies of China’s Yunnan region into a euphoric, dream-like fantasy. Recorded and mixed by the composer.

The Red Shoes

2018 · 4 MINUTES · CHAMBER WIND ENSEMBLE

After Hans Christian Andersen’s 1845 fairy tale — the girl whose enchanted red shoes will not let her stop dancing, night and day, until mercy intervenes.

Electronic Music

Interactive System for Conductor

2024 · 3 MINUTES · MAX/MSP · SMARTPHONE GYROSCOPES

Gyroscopes in two mobile phones strapped to the conductor’s wrists translate gesture into data that reshapes the music in real time, layered over a granulized recording of Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture. The left hand — traditionally the hand of phrasing and nuance — controls the grain’s rate and selects which sections of the recording play; sudden accelerations of the right hand trigger unprocessed orchestral hits, marked with red stars in the score.

Film Music

Rescore: Space Cat Hob

2026 · 4 MINUTES · HYBRID SCORING — LARGE ORCHESTRA + SYNTHS

Action and chase music, produced in Logic Pro with the Spitfire Symphony and Hollywood Symphony sample libraries.

Margie’s Christmas Eve — original film score

2020 · ORIGINAL FILM SCORE · 2(PIC).2(EH).2.2(CBSN) / 31 / TIMP+4 / HSCD / STR

Original score for the comedy short directed by Lei Zhao and produced by Yingqiao Ye — one family, two bears, three lunatics.

2021 Florence Film Awards, Best Original Score · 2021 Oniros Film Awards, Finalist for Best Soundtrack

Biography

Chinese-American composer and conductor Dr. Kevin X. Li (b.1997) creates emotionally expressive music that guides listeners through vivid sonic landscapes. His compositions use music as a powerful medium to invite reflection on the complexity of our time and the beauty of life.

Drawing from diverse cultural influences—including Chinese folk idioms, American jazz harmony, Argentine tango rhythms, and European classical forms—Kevin has developed a unique artistic voice that has earned international recognition. His works have received numerous honors, including the Fulbright Grant (2025), First Place in The American Prize in Instrumental Chamber Music (2023), Third Place in the Charles Ives Award in Chamber Music (The American Prize, 2025), the Florence Film Award for Best Original Score (2021), Finalist for Best Soundtrack at the Oniros Film Awards (2021), and Finalist for the Alexander Zemlinsky Prize in Chamber Music (one of five; 2024).

He grew up in an artistic family, surrounded by the captivating sound of classical music. Since an early age, he had devoted himself to learning piano and clarinet, and his hard work was rewarded when he won multiple national and international youth competitions during his teens in China. His musical talent was further recognized at The Beijing Concert Hall, where he held his piano recital in 2015.

As an educator, he served as an Instructor for Film Music at Xavier University and as Visiting Faculty in Music Technology at Miami University, sharing his expertise in composition, film music, and technology with the next generation of musicians. Kevin earned his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Composition with cognates in Orchestral Conducting at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), University of Cincinnati, as well as his Bachelor of Music in Commercial Music Production. He studied with esteemed mentors, including Dr. Douglas Knehans, Dr. Zhou Tian, Dr. Ellen Harrison, and Dr. Aik Khai Pung.

Press Kit

Portrait (Color)●Portrait (B&W)

Bio (150 words / 300 words)

Gallery

Dress rehearsal of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty, dancers on stage with Kevin X. Li conducting — Dress Rehearsal of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty, 2023

Portrait of Kevin X. Li seated with a score

Kevin X. Li with cellist Yijia Fang at the Hangzhou Grand Theater — Chinese premiere of I Was Alone in This Unique Darkness, with cellist Yijia Fang, Hangzhou Grand Theater, 2023

Kevin X. Li in front of the Hangzhou Grand Theater — At the Hangzhou Grand Theater, Hangzhou, China, 2023

Kevin X. Li after a performance with conductors Aik Khai Pung and Jiannan Chen — After the Performance with Conductors Aikhai Pung (center) and Jiannan Chen (left), 2022

Kevin X. Li performing with the CCM Concert Orchestra and CCM Ballet — In Performance with the CCM Concert Orchestra and CCM Ballet — Tchaikovsky, Sleeping Beauty, 2023

Kevin X. Li in performance with the Seven Hills Symphony — In Performance with the Seven Hills Symphony, 2022

Kevin X. Li in rehearsal with the CCM Concert Orchestra — In Rehearsal with the CCM Concert Orchestra, 2022

Piano recital at the Beijing Concert Hall, 2012 — Piano Recital at the Beijing Concert Hall, 2012