Lingyu Li also known as Mindy Li was a long time member of China’s Guzheng Musician Association. Since she was 4 years old, Mindy has shown extreme interest in the traditional Chinese instrument — “Guzheng”. She was very fortunate to be the student and daughter of a musician and Guzheng Professor Shuping Zhao who was the student of Yuzhai Zhao----the most famous and renowned Guzheng Master in China. Her mother was instrumental and influential in Mindy’s musical career development. Under her mother’s guidance and instruction, Mindy received the highest quality musical education starting from a very young age.
Since youth, Mindy was naturally gifted in this captivating instrument. She began competing in several national competitions at a young age. In 1995, she was accepted into the Shandong Teacher’s University School of Music where she continued her training of the Guzheng. Mindy graduated in 1999 with outstanding achievements and academic honors at the top of her academic class. In 2002, Mindy attended Auckland University in New Zealand to pursue a master’s degree in music management. In 2004 she was invited to Singapore as a senior Guzheng instructor using both Chinese and English.
Mindy’s teaching talents have been recognized in China and Singapore. Her teaching methods have been effective as proven by the talent and loyalty of her students. Many of her students have won individual awards and recognition. Several of her students have gone on to attend China’s most prestigious musical colleges. During 2004 in Singapore, two of Mindy’s primary school Guzheng groups won the gold medals in the Singapore National Youth Arts Festival. In Malaysia, her students won the gold medal of the 21st century international music festival competition. In 2004, Mindy was invited to the National University of Singapore to develop a Guzheng grading test and training system for Guzheng students. The Ministry of Education in Singapore awarded and accredited Mindy Li as a professional Guzheng instructor. In 2009, Mindy wrote and published a Guzheng instruction book for beginner to advanced levels. It is currently in its 8th print in China this year. She is currently in development on an English version. In 2014, Mindy finished her degree in Early Childhood education in Bellevue College. This greatly benefits her music teaching abilities for younger children.
In 2013 Mindy opened her Lingyu Guzheng Studio and established the Lingyu Guzheng Ensemble. Lingyu Guzheng Ensemble is a non-profit group. It provides a platform for Guzheng enthusiasts to show their music talent and team collaboration. Mindy’s ongoing goal is to preserve and promote Chinese cultural and musical heritage.