Praised by the World Journal, Minneapolis for her “mature technique and a full range of emotions in her playing that leads the orchestra,” Kai-Li Cheng performs as a recitalist, chamber and orchestral musician, and concerto soloist across the United States, Austria, Taiwan, and Japan. She is a prizewinner of numerous competitions and was featured on Minnesota Public Radio, performing Violin Sonata No. 9 ‘Kreutzer’ in an interview with Rita Dove about her book Sonata Mulattica.
Cheng is regularly invited to appear as a concerto soloist with orchestras and has performed with Century College in Minnesota on multiple occasions, including a memorable performance of Double Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043 with her nine-year-old daughter, Claire. In addition to the standard repertoire, she enjoys premiering works by living composers and performing chamber music with her family.
An active chamber musician, Cheng founded the Siqueiros String Quartet and is a member of the Resonance Quartet, which collaborates with artists such as violinist Ariana Kim and will soon work with flutist Iva Ugrčić. Individually, Cheng has worked with internationally recognized musicians including Joseph Silverstein, Pamela Frank, Arnold Steinhardt, Fred Sherry, Gunther Schuller, and Sally O’Reilly.
In addition to her performing career, Cheng is frequently invited to serve as an adjudicator for Minnesota’s Thursday Musical competitions. She is also the founder and director of the NorCal Symphony Orchestra and CalMusic Institute, where she is dedicated to making high-level music education accessible to the community. Through innovative programming, she aims to bring professional-level music making to young musicians while integrating diverse learning approaches, including Dalcroze Eurhythmics and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, to enrich musical understanding and creativity. Through teaching, community engagement, and concert programming, she inspires musicians of all ages while maintaining a distinguished private studio. Her students consistently win top prizes in competitions and are recognized for their artistry and musical maturity.
SF Camerata 