Anna Betka, piano
Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago, 55 E. Wacker Drive
Originally from Guangdong, China, now New York based pianist Huan Li relishes in the endless exploration of music, alone and with others. Hailed for her “stunning pianism [and] mesmerizing execution [that] lit up the stage” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), Huan has been heard in Austria, China, France, Switzerland, and the United States as both soloist and chamber musician. Notable venues include Alice Tully Hall, Jordan Hall, Kneisel Hall, The National Grand Theater of China, and Solitär at Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg. She has been featured on WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase and National Public Radio’s From the Top multiple times, and has performed as soloist with members of the Juilliard Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Salzburg Chamber Soloists. She is a laureate of a number of competitions, including the 2018 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition at The Juilliard School, and the 1st Zhuhai International Mozart Competition.
Huan is constantly widening horizons and exploring new repertoire and has participated in various festivals and projects including ChamberFest and PianoScope where she performed Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major with Juilliard Orchestra members while leading from the keyboard. Collaborating with pianist Adria Ye, Huan explored the unique timbre and possibilities of two pianos through Messiaen’s towering Visions de l’amen and George Crumb’s Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III). The exploration continued as they performed Steve Reich’s Six Pianos with four more fellow pianists. At Kneisel Hall Young Artist Chamber Music Program, Huan studied and performed Tania León’s Ethos for piano and string quartet. Captivated by the language, she added León’s Rituál to her repertoire months later.
Huan received both the Bachelor and Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Hung-Kuan Chen and Robert McDonald, and continued her study at New England Conservatory with Alexander Korsantia.
The concerts are generously sponsored by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council and by individual donors.