A highly accomplished cellist from China, Bo Li is actively performing on stages around the world. His diversified career spans solo performances, chamber music, orchestral playing, and teaching. His concerto appearance with the Baltimore Symphony received high acclaim from critics and audiences. In the Washington D.C. area, he is frequently invited to perform at various embassies and has often been a guest of Chinese ambassadors to the U.S., performing at various international events they hosted.

Among his numerous awards, Bo Li was a laureate at the 9th Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow and a recipient of the "Outstanding Achievement Award" from the Chinese Cultural Department. He also won top prizes at the National Cello Competition in China, the Presser Scholar Award by the Presser Foundation, the Laurence Lesser Presidential Award at the New England Conservatory of Music, and concerto competitions at both the New England Conservatory and Illinois State University. Additionally, he received fellowships with the Aspen Music Festival and the Montgomery Symphony.

Praised as an “eloquent soloist” by the Baltimore Sun, Bo Li has performed extensively throughout the United States and internationally, including at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall in Boston, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, and Symphony Hall in Shanghai. He has soloed with orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Wuhan Philharmonic, Southern Illinois Symphony, Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, South Arkansas Symphony, Riverside Symphonia in New Jersey, Columbia Orchestra in Maryland, Acadiana Symphony in Louisiana, Brentwood Symphony in Missouri, Montgomery Symphony in Alabama, Peoria Symphony in Illinois and the New England Conservatory Symphony. His captivating solo performances have been broadcast on NPR nationwide, and his interviews with CCTV in China have reached audiences across the Far East. Bo Li has several recordings to his name, including a solo CD released by Tian-Tian in Beijing and chamber music CDs by Hugo in Hong Kong and Meyer Media in the US.

As an active chamber musician, he has performed numerous concerts in the U.S., Europe, Far East, and South America, collaborating with many of the world’s leading musicians. His Atlantic String Quartet has received rave reviews for its performances at various concert series and festivals. A passionate educator, Bo Li has also accumulated extensive teaching experience over the years and trained many award-winning students. He has taught at the National Youth Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, the American String Teacher Association String Festival, International Music Festival in Bogota, Colombia, International Cello Institute in Minnesota,

Boston Music Education Collaborative, University of Delaware, Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, Loyola College, and Peabody Conservatory Preparatory. He has given master classes at many institutions in the US such as Pennsylvania State University, Louisiana State University, Southern Illinois University, Illinois State University. In 2015, he co-founded the Master Players Festival, a multicultural summer festival at the University of Delaware. Together with his colleagues, they made it one of the fastest-growing international music festivals. He is currently a distinguished visiting professor at Wuhan Conservatory of Music and has given masterclasses at many conservatories in China.

In 2000, Bo Li joined the Baltimore Symphony and has performed at major venues worldwide, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Paris Theatre des Champs-Elysees, London Royal Albert Hall, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Dublin National Concert Hall, Madrid Auditorio Nacional de Musica, Parma Auditorium Niccolo Paganini, Hague Dr. Anton Philipszaal, and Tokyo Suntory Hall. Bo Li was a principal cellist with the New York String Orchestra under Jaime Laredo and has been a frequent guest principal with many ensembles such as the Singapore Symphony and Illinois Symphony. He also performed with other major US orchestras in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Atlanta.

Bo Li was born into a musical family and was introduced to music by his parents. He began studying the cello with his mother at the age of eight. In 1982, he was admitted to the Wuhan Conservatory of Music Middle School. In 1985, he won second place in the National Cello Competition and received the Chinese Composition Performance Award. In 1988, he entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to study under Professor Yingrong Lin. In 1990, he made his concerto debut with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to critical acclaim. That same year, he was selected by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to represent China in the 9th Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, where he received high praise from the judges, including Ko Iwasaki. With Mr. Iwasaki's sponsorship, Bo Li went to Illinois State University in 1991 on a full scholarship. In 1995, he received another full scholarship to attend the prestigious New England Conservatory for his master's degree, studying with Laurence Lesser and Colin Carr. He also studied with Zara Nelsova at the Aspen Music Festival and participated in many of the world's most renowned master classes.

In addition to performing and teaching, Bo Li is passionate about connecting with a broader and more diverse audience. He serves as the AAPI Program Advisor and the Artistic Advisor for the Lunar New Year Concert at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO). In 2023, he initiated and led the highly successful inaugural Lunar New Year Concert at the BSO, filling Meyerhoff Symphony Hall with an enthusiastic audience, including many newcomers. This success was repeated in 2024, establishing the concert as a staple among BSO programs. The concert is set to debut at the Music Center at Strathmore in 2025. Throughout this journey, he reached out to various communities, leading efforts to develop new donors and successfully securing the first group of Asian donors in the BSO’s history.