The Singaporean pianist and educator wants to make classical music relevant to her generation
In the What Matters To Me series, a Generation T honouree describes what they do, why they do it, and why it matters.
As a toddler, Li Churen would pound her tiny fists on the keys of her family’s Yamaha Clavinova piano at home. Sensing her potential, her parents enrolled her in piano classes, leading Li to later hone her skills by taking part in international competitions and music festivals.
At age 16, she was offered the rare opportunity to read music at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, where she graduated three years later in 2015 as the youngest in her cohort. Since then, Li has lived, studied and performed in Europe as a concert pianist.
Here, she describes her musical journey and how she wants to make classical music relevant to her generation.
See also: What Matters To Me: Actor Dion Wiyoko on the challenges he faced making his way to the top
I find playing music deeply enjoyable. I relish the sensation of being one with my instrument and feeling the energy that courses through my body when I perform.
Music gives us the vocabulary to express the messiness and incomparable beauty of what it means to be human. From the sublime and the mundane, to the reverent and the cheeky. There's a misconception that classical music is boring and sure, it takes a little bit more effort to understand it than say, an Ed Sheeran song. But when you dig deep and get underneath the surface of the sounds, the rewards are numerous and fascinating.