Teng Li wearing her Atelier Rosemarie Umetsu gown on October 24, 2013 for the Esprit Orchestra performance. Photo credit: Sydney Chun.

For a soloist, Esprit couldn’t have done better than Li. Her rich tone brought a much-needed warmth to this piece. Her second-movement furioso opening was astonishing in its intensity. And in Li’s hands, the daunting chords in the cadenza at the start of the third movement were no impediment to the soaring grande ligne of the passage.” -Colin Eatock, full review here

Ms Li became our stalwart leader through this musical journey, marked by the composer’s deployment of the sounds from the extreme ends of the musical spectrum, accentuated by the absence of violins, the instruments that typically form the core sound of an orchestral piece. Overall it has a hypnotic effect as the piece eerily and insistently seeps into one’s metabolism. It’s no wonder Teng Li, lead violist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, has become a favourite guest of the Esprit Orchestra.” -Michael Johnson, ConcertoNet.com full review here

Teng Li showed once again why she is constantly appearing as a soloist in addition to her duties as principal viola of the TSO. Her performance was captivating, particularly the last movement, which was a slow, desolate journey through a bleak landscape…The orchestra was in top form, as was Teng Li, and the programme was well thought out. Here’s to a new season.” -Paolo Griffin, NewMusicToronto full review here

Teng-Li executes the demands on her technique and extended techniques with remarkable clarity across the entire range of her instrument.” -Stanley Fefferman, OpusOneReview full review here