James Li

Violinist

Royal College of Music | Mozarteum University

About

James Li, also known as Zi Jun Li, is a Hong Kong-born violinist based in the United Kingdom, active as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. From September 2026, he will undertake the Artist Diploma in Performance at the Royal College of Music, London, following a Master of Arts in Violin Performance with Distinction and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Violin Performance with First-Class Honours from Mozarteum University Salzburg, Austria.Recent honours include the Absolute First Prize and Special Prizes at the International Competition Music Academy FORTE in Belgium, First Prize at the International Competition Giovani Musicisti – Città di Treviso, and Second Prize at the Concorso Internazionale Musicale “Città di Cervignano” in Italy. He has performed as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician across Europe, Asia and North America.James’s principal conservatoire teachers include Adrian Levine, Wonji Kim-Ozim and Pierre Amoyal. His earlier musical development was guided by Wing Shun Lee, Kiann Chow and Vivian Leung, whose teaching laid an important foundation for his later studies.James performs on a violin made by Enrico Marchetti in Turin in 1902.

Media

J. S. Bach — Partita No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006

James Li, violin

Select a movement

(() => { const container = document.getElementById('jl-bach-recording'); if ( !container || container.dataset.initialised === 'yes' ) { return; } container.dataset.initialised = 'yes'; const audio = container.querySelector('.jl-bach-audio'); const movementButtons = container.querySelectorAll('.jl-movement'); const completeButton = container.querySelector('.jl-complete-button'); const completeLabel = container.querySelector('.jl-complete-label'); let playbackMode = null; let selectedEnd = null; let activeMovement = null; let actionNumber = 0; function wait(milliseconds) { return new Promise(resolve => { window.setTimeout(resolve, milliseconds); }); } function pauseOtherRecordings() { document.querySelectorAll('audio').forEach(item => { if ( item !== audio && !item.paused ) { item.pause(); } }); } function anotherRecordingIsPlaying() { return Array.from( document.querySelectorAll('audio') ).some(item => { return ( item !== audio && !item.paused ); }); } function waitForMetadata() { if ( audio.readyState >= 1 && Number.isFinite(audio.duration) ) { return Promise.resolve(); } return new Promise((resolve, reject) => { const loaded = () => { cleanup(); resolve(); }; const failed = () => { cleanup(); reject( audio.error || new Error( 'The Bach recording could not be loaded.' ) ); }; const cleanup = () => { audio.removeEventListener( 'loadedmetadata', loaded ); audio.removeEventListener( 'error', failed ); }; audio.addEventListener( 'loadedmetadata', loaded, { once: true } ); audio.addEventListener( 'error', failed, { once: true } ); audio.load(); }); } async function seekTo(timeInSeconds) { await waitForMetadata(); const maximumTime = Number.isFinite(audio.duration) ? Math.max(0, audio.duration - 0.1) : timeInSeconds; const targetTime = Math.max( 0, Math.min( timeInSeconds, maximumTime ) ); if ( Math.abs( audio.currentTime - targetTime ) < 0.05 ) { return; } await new Promise((resolve, reject) => { let timeout; const seekCompleted = () => { cleanup(); resolve(); }; const seekFailed = () => { cleanup(); reject( audio.error || new Error( 'The recording could not be positioned.' ) ); }; const cleanup = () => { window.clearTimeout(timeout); audio.removeEventListener( 'seeked', seekCompleted ); audio.removeEventListener( 'error', seekFailed ); }; audio.addEventListener( 'seeked', seekCompleted, { once: true } ); audio.addEventListener( 'error', seekFailed, { once: true } ); try { audio.currentTime = targetTime; } catch (error) { cleanup(); reject(error); return; } timeout = window.setTimeout(() => { cleanup(); resolve(); }, 1800); }); } function clearMovementSelection() { movementButtons.forEach(button => { button.classList.remove('is-active'); }); activeMovement = null; } function showCompletePlay() { completeLabel.textContent = 'Listen to complete recording'; completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Play complete Bach Partita' ); completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); } function showCompletePause() { completeLabel.textContent = 'Pause complete recording'; completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Pause complete Bach Partita' ); completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'true' ); } movementButtons.forEach(button => { button.addEventListener( 'click', async () => { const start = Number(button.dataset.start); const end = Number(button.dataset.end); const delay = Number(button.dataset.delay || 0); /* * Clicking the currently selected movement * pauses or resumes it. */ if ( playbackMode === 'movement' && activeMovement === button ) { if (audio.paused) { pauseOtherRecordings(); try { await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Bach playback failed:', error ); } } else { audio.pause(); } return; } actionNumber += 1; const thisAction = actionNumber; audio.pause(); pauseOtherRecordings(); clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = 'movement'; selectedEnd = end; activeMovement = button; button.classList.add('is-active'); showCompletePlay(); try { await seekTo(start); /* * Preludio requires a small artificial pause, * since the MP3 begins very close to its first note. */ if (delay > 0) { await wait(delay); } if ( thisAction !== actionNumber || anotherRecordingIsPlaying() ) { return; } await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Bach movement playback failed:', error ); clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = null; selectedEnd = null; } } ); }); completeButton.addEventListener( 'click', async () => { if (playbackMode === 'complete') { if (audio.paused) { pauseOtherRecordings(); try { await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Bach playback failed:', error ); } } else { audio.pause(); } return; } actionNumber += 1; const thisAction = actionNumber; audio.pause(); pauseOtherRecordings(); clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = 'complete'; selectedEnd = null; try { await seekTo(0); /* * Adds a gentle pause before the opening * of the complete recording. */ await wait(900); if ( thisAction !== actionNumber || anotherRecordingIsPlaying() ) { return; } await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Complete Bach playback failed:', error ); playbackMode = null; showCompletePlay(); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'playing', () => { if (playbackMode === 'complete') { showCompletePause(); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'pause', () => { if ( playbackMode === 'complete' && !audio.ended ) { showCompletePlay(); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'timeupdate', () => { if ( playbackMode === 'movement' && selectedEnd !== null && audio.currentTime >= selectedEnd - 0.15 ) { actionNumber += 1; audio.pause(); clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = null; selectedEnd = null; } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'ended', () => { actionNumber += 1; clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = null; selectedEnd = null; showCompletePlay(); } ); })();

N. Paganini — Caprice No. 24 in A minor, Op. 1

James Li, violin

(() => { const container = document.getElementById('jl-paganini-recording'); if ( !container || container.dataset.initialised === 'yes' ) { return; } container.dataset.initialised = 'yes'; const audio = container.querySelector('.jl-paganini-audio'); const button = container.querySelector('.jl-listen-button'); const label = container.querySelector('.jl-button-label'); function pauseOtherRecordings() { document.querySelectorAll('audio').forEach(item => { if ( item !== audio && !item.paused ) { item.pause(); } }); } button.addEventListener( 'click', async () => { if (!audio.paused) { audio.pause(); return; } pauseOtherRecordings(); label.textContent = 'Loading recording…'; try { await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Paganini playback failed:', error ); label.textContent = 'Playback unavailable'; } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'playing', () => { label.textContent = 'Pause recording'; button.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Pause Paganini Caprice No. 24' ); button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'true' ); } ); audio.addEventListener( 'pause', () => { if (!audio.ended) { label.textContent = 'Listen to recording'; button.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Play Paganini Caprice No. 24' ); button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'ended', () => { audio.currentTime = 0; label.textContent = 'Listen to recording'; button.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Play Paganini Caprice No. 24' ); button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); } ); })();

J. S. Bach — Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: III. Andante

James Li, violin

(() => { const container = document.getElementById( 'jl-bach-andante-recording' ); if ( !container || container.dataset.initialised === 'yes' ) { return; } container.dataset.initialised = 'yes'; const audio = container.querySelector( '.jl-bach-andante-audio' ); const button = container.querySelector( '.jl-listen-button' ); const label = container.querySelector( '.jl-button-label' ); function pauseOtherRecordings() { document .querySelectorAll('audio') .forEach(otherAudio => { if ( otherAudio !== audio && !otherAudio.paused ) { otherAudio.pause(); } }); } function showPlayState() { label.textContent = 'Listen to recording'; button.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Play Bach Andante' ); button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); } function showPauseState() { label.textContent = 'Pause recording'; button.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Pause Bach Andante' ); button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'true' ); } button.addEventListener( 'click', async () => { if (!audio.paused) { audio.pause(); return; } pauseOtherRecordings(); label.textContent = 'Loading recording…'; try { await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Bach Andante playback failed:', error ); label.textContent = 'Playback unavailable'; button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'playing', showPauseState ); audio.addEventListener( 'pause', () => { if (!audio.ended) { showPlayState(); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'ended', () => { audio.currentTime = 0; showPlayState(); } ); })();

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Performances

Recent performance highlights include recitals and chamber appearances in Salzburg, Brussels, Cervignano, Bristol, Cheltenham and Bad Reichenhall. As a soloist, James has performed Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 1. His recital repertoire includes sonatas by Debussy and Brahms, Lutosławski’s Subito and Elgar’s Salut d’Amour, alongside major works for solo violin by Bach, Ysaÿe and Paganini.

Forthcoming

December 2026 · Salzburg
Recital with pianist Patrick Leung · SchlosskircheSpring 2027 · Cheltenham
Recital of French Music · St Philip & St James Church2027 · Romania
Concert appearances · Presented by TYM Festival & CompetitionJune 2027 · London
Recital · Royal College of Music

Past Performances

28 July 2026 · Cervignano
Concert · Teatro Pasolini3 July 2026 · Brussels
Concert · City Hall of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert2 June 2026 · Salzburg
Recital · Stiftung Mozarteum – Wiener Saal13 May 2026 · Salzburg
Recital · Universität Mozarteum Salzburg – Kleines Studio14 November 2025 · Bad Reichenhall
Concert · Konzertsaal des Alten Feuerhauses26 July 2025 · Cheltenham
Recital · St. Philip & St. James Church8 July 2025 · Bristol
Recital · Bristol Cathedral7 June 2025 · North Woodchester
Concert · St. Mary's Church29 March 2025 · Tewkesbury
Concert · Tewkesbury Abbey17 November 2024 · Cheltenham
Concert · The Big Classical8 July 2024 · Cheltenham
Recital · St. Gregory's Church

Teaching

Alongside his performing career, James offers a small number of private violin lessons in Cheltenham for motivated students with previous playing experience. His teaching emphasises secure technique, musical understanding and expressive communication.

Explore Violin Lessons

Contact

For performance enquiries, collaborations and other professional matters, please use the form below.

For private violin lesson enquiries in Cheltenham, please visit the dedicated teaching page.

Lesson Enquiries

Information submitted through this form will only be used to respond to your enquiry.

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C. Debussy — Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, L. 140

James Li, violin | Craig White, piano

Select a movement

(() => { const container = document.getElementById('jl-debussy-recording'); if ( !container || container.dataset.initialised === 'yes' ) { return; } container.dataset.initialised = 'yes'; const audio = container.querySelector('.jl-debussy-audio'); const movementButtons = container.querySelectorAll('.jl-movement'); const completeButton = container.querySelector('.jl-complete-button'); const completeLabel = container.querySelector('.jl-complete-label'); if ( !audio || !completeButton || !completeLabel ) { return; } let playbackMode = null; let selectedEnd = null; let activeMovement = null; let actionNumber = 0; function wait(milliseconds) { return new Promise(resolve => { window.setTimeout(resolve, milliseconds); }); } function pauseOtherRecordings() { document.querySelectorAll('audio').forEach(item => { if ( item !== audio && !item.paused ) { item.pause(); } }); } function anotherRecordingIsPlaying() { return Array.from( document.querySelectorAll('audio') ).some(item => { return ( item !== audio && !item.paused ); }); } function waitForMetadata() { if ( audio.readyState >= 1 && Number.isFinite(audio.duration) ) { return Promise.resolve(); } return new Promise((resolve, reject) => { const loaded = () => { cleanup(); resolve(); }; const failed = () => { cleanup(); reject( audio.error || new Error( 'The Debussy recording could not be loaded.' ) ); }; const cleanup = () => { audio.removeEventListener( 'loadedmetadata', loaded ); audio.removeEventListener( 'error', failed ); }; audio.addEventListener( 'loadedmetadata', loaded, { once: true } ); audio.addEventListener( 'error', failed, { once: true } ); audio.load(); }); } async function seekTo(timeInSeconds) { await waitForMetadata(); const maximumTime = Number.isFinite(audio.duration) ? Math.max(0, audio.duration - 0.1) : timeInSeconds; const targetTime = Math.max( 0, Math.min( timeInSeconds, maximumTime ) ); if ( Math.abs( audio.currentTime - targetTime ) < 0.05 ) { return; } await new Promise((resolve, reject) => { let timeout; const seekCompleted = () => { cleanup(); resolve(); }; const seekFailed = () => { cleanup(); reject( audio.error || new Error( 'The recording could not be positioned.' ) ); }; const cleanup = () => { window.clearTimeout(timeout); audio.removeEventListener( 'seeked', seekCompleted ); audio.removeEventListener( 'error', seekFailed ); }; audio.addEventListener( 'seeked', seekCompleted, { once: true } ); audio.addEventListener( 'error', seekFailed, { once: true } ); try { audio.currentTime = targetTime; } catch (error) { cleanup(); reject(error); return; } timeout = window.setTimeout(() => { cleanup(); resolve(); }, 1800); }); } function clearMovementSelection() { movementButtons.forEach(button => { button.classList.remove('is-active'); button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); }); activeMovement = null; } function showCompletePlay() { completeLabel.textContent = 'Listen to complete recording'; completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Play complete Debussy Sonata' ); completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); } function showCompletePause() { completeLabel.textContent = 'Pause complete recording'; completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Pause complete Debussy Sonata' ); completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'true' ); } movementButtons.forEach(button => { button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); button.addEventListener( 'click', async () => { const start = Number(button.dataset.start); const endValue = button.dataset.end; const end = endValue === '' ? null : Number(endValue); const delay = Number(button.dataset.delay || 0); if ( playbackMode === 'movement' && activeMovement === button ) { if (audio.paused) { pauseOtherRecordings(); try { await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Debussy playback failed:', error ); } } else { audio.pause(); } return; } actionNumber += 1; const thisAction = actionNumber; audio.pause(); pauseOtherRecordings(); clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = 'movement'; selectedEnd = end; activeMovement = button; button.classList.add('is-active'); button.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'true' ); showCompletePlay(); try { await seekTo(start); if (delay > 0) { await wait(delay); } if ( thisAction !== actionNumber || anotherRecordingIsPlaying() ) { return; } await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Debussy movement playback failed:', error ); clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = null; selectedEnd = null; } } ); }); completeButton.addEventListener( 'click', async () => { if (playbackMode === 'complete') { if (audio.paused) { pauseOtherRecordings(); try { await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Debussy playback failed:', error ); } } else { audio.pause(); } return; } actionNumber += 1; const thisAction = actionNumber; audio.pause(); pauseOtherRecordings(); clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = 'complete'; selectedEnd = null; try { await seekTo(0); await wait(900); if ( thisAction !== actionNumber || anotherRecordingIsPlaying() ) { return; } await audio.play(); } catch (error) { console.error( 'Complete Debussy playback failed:', error ); playbackMode = null; showCompletePlay(); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'playing', () => { if (playbackMode === 'complete') { showCompletePause(); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'pause', () => { if ( playbackMode === 'complete' && !audio.ended ) { showCompletePlay(); } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'timeupdate', () => { if ( playbackMode === 'movement' && selectedEnd !== null && audio.currentTime >= selectedEnd - 0.15 ) { actionNumber += 1; audio.pause(); clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = null; selectedEnd = null; } } ); audio.addEventListener( 'ended', () => { actionNumber += 1; clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = null; selectedEnd = null; showCompletePlay(); } ); audio.addEventListener( 'error', () => { actionNumber += 1; clearMovementSelection(); playbackMode = null; selectedEnd = null; completeLabel.textContent = 'Playback unavailable'; completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-label', 'Debussy recording unavailable' ); completeButton.setAttribute( 'aria-pressed', 'false' ); } ); })();