Qian Li, violin

Born in China, Qian picked up the violin for the first time at the age of seven. After five years with her first teacher, Mr. Keqiang Li, she was admitted to the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, where she studied with Sonia Jelinkova and Johanne Arel. She was awarded numerous prizes at local and national competitions such as the Valleyfield Classival and the Canadian Music Competition, both as a soloist and with chamber ensembles. She further completed a Double DEC in Music and Health Science at Marianopolis College under the tutelage of McGill violin professor Denise Lupien, graduating as a Marianopolis Scholar and receiving the Gerald Wheeler Prize for excellence in music and academics. Qian is an avid orchestral and chamber musician; she has played with numerous orchestras in Canada and performed as concertmaster with the Orford Academy Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.
In addition to music, Qian has a boundless curiosity for a variety of disciplines, including the arts, science and history. After CEGEP, she pursued degrees in pharmacy practice, obtaining a Doctor of Pharmacy and a Master in Advanced Pharmacotherapy at the Université de Montréal. She is passionate about the medical field for the scientific challenges, the learning opportunities and the fact that plateaus are never reached – skills and knowledge can constantly be honed to improve patient care. Qian currently works full-time as a Clinical Pharmacist at the McGill University Health Centre and is co-chair of its Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. She has been a member of I Medici di McGill since 2016. Outside of music, Qian enjoys reading, travelling and theatre.

Qian Li - soloist in Mendelssohn's violin concerto at the concert to raise awareness for Parkinson's Disease and other Movement Disorders, February 16, 2020.

Qian is grateful for TSO Concertmaster Jonathan Crow’s guidance for this concert.