A musician of extraordinary sensitivity, Avery Li is a pianist with a considerably unorthodox background. Having been largely self-taught prior to his admission into the University of Utah’s piano program, Avery’s passion for late-romantic music carried him to success as a selected soloist for the Skyline Philharmonic Orchestra performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. In his first year, Avery presented Frederic Chopin’s Four Ballades in recital, sang with the University of Utah’s Chamber and Acapella Choirs at the Utah Symphony under the direction of Dr. Barlow Bradford, and performed in Salt Lake City’s Tabernacle Hall at Temple Square. Under the tutelage of the esteemed Dr. Vedrana Subotic, Avery has been a selected finalist in the University of Utah School of Music’s Concerto Competition, the Liszt Festival Competition, and a recipient of the second prize in the University of Utah’s SummerArts Piano Competition. In the upcoming 2023-2024 season, Avery will be performing a recital program of Chopin’s monumental Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58, as well as Liszt’s Benediction of God in Solitude, S. 171. Avery is particularly eager to perform the Rachamninov Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, first movement, as a soloist with the Salt Lake Symphony.

Avery takes enormous pride in his students. Although he teaches a wide range of beginner fundamentals to late-intermediate and early-advanced students, Avery specializes in young-adult to adult students who are either returning to the instrument out of a desire to rediscover an old hobby or as new students who are looking to incorporate the joys of music into their busy lives.

Having scraped together a rudimentary music education prior to his college training, Avery understands the value of a student’s passion for music as a motivational vehicle for their success. Over the course of eight years, Avery has taught essential musical concepts to over 100 students of varying ages and skill levels. From the basics in note-reading and technique to the complexities of stylistic interpretations of the classical canon, Avery attributes his pedagogical philosophy to one maxim: the practice serves the passion. Whether the student expresses a desire to dissect their favorite pop songs so they can learn to write their own or if they’d like to enrich their understanding of the staples of classical music, Avery is a firm believer in meeting the student where they’re at to work towards mutually established goals.