Biography
Mikita Li (李子澜), widely recognized in the music industry as the youngest piano concerto composer, born on May 28, 2014, in San Diego, USA.
Musical Beginnings:
- Mikita began learning piano at age 5.
- At 6, she performed as a soloist in two theme songs for the Netflix film Peahi.
- At 7, her performance of Chopin's etudes garnered significant attention, leading a professor from the Juilliard School's piano department to recommend her for a preparatory piano program. Ultimately, Mikita chose to focus on composition rather than piano performance, launching her official composition career that same year.
- At 8, she began participating in international piano competitions and released her first original piano single series titled Lost in Space.
- At 9, she started entering composition competitions and shifted her focus to composing piano concertos (3-string and 4-string concertos).
- By age 10, she had begun hosting her own original music concerts and received invitations to perform her originals at prominent venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Lollapalooza music festival in Berlin, and the Salzburg Mozart Music Academy festival (Vienna’s Golden Hall).
Piano Competition Awards:
- 2024 Pacific Star International Piano Competition, Silver Medal.
- 2024 The GOCCA International Piano Competition, Gold Medal.
- 2024 The Royal International Piano Competition, Special Prize.
Composition Competition Awards:
- 2023 3rd Japan ISAC Popular Composition Competition, Special Prize.
- 2024 Japan Ise-Shima International Composition Competition, Excellence Award.
- 2024 American AIMA International Composition Competition, Gold Medal.
- 2024 The GOCCA International Composition Competition, Silver Medal.
Original Works:
Mikita Li has performed her original piece Star Chaser at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in San Diego, one of the top ten concert halls in the world, receiving rave reviews. In February 2025, she will be invited to attend an awards ceremony as a composer and perform.
In January 2024, she performed her original piano solo Lost in Space at the renowned Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Mikita focuses on her compositions, excelling in creating piano solo pieces, string trios, string quartets, and other chamber works. Her music is grand but child-hearted, with dynamic transitions and a divine joyfulness. Mikita is currently learning Guzheng (traditional Chinese string instrument), hoping one day to showcase different cultural arts and styles through her concerto composing.
Mikita is acknowledged in the music community as the youngest composer of piano concertos (the other notable figure is German musical prodigy Alma Deutscher, who composed her first piano concerto at 12 and performed at Carnegie Hall at 13).
On December 8, 2024, she will be invited to perform three of her piano concerto works at Carnegie Hall in New York, setting a record as the first musician to be invited for five consecutive years.
In April 2025, she will hold a personal concert at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Barbar Osher Hall, featuring vocal works, string pieces, and piano compositions.
In June 2025, Mikita will be invited to participate in the Lollapalooza music festival in Berlin, performing her symphonic works with a German orchestra.
As the youngest composer, she will attend the Salzburg Mozart Music Academy festival in July 2026, where she will perform her piano concerto (4-string) piece Summer of Mozart’s Childhood in Vienna’s Golden Hall.
Mikita loves music, composition, piano, and life itself. Her favorite composers are Mozart and Joe Hisaishi, and she hopes music will bring joy to herself and others. Mikita firmly believes she is a child of both China and America, and she aims to bring Chinese music, myths, and arts to Broadway, blending her music with other beautiful forms.