Praised for his “phenomenal musical expression” (James Ehnes), award-winning violinist Zifan Ivan Li is a dynamic international performer. He graduated from Brandon University with Distinction and is now pursuing a Master of Music in Performance and Literature on full scholarship under the tutelage of Erika Raum at Western University. He has performed in Canada, the United States, Japan and China with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and New Orford String Quartet. He is a trophy winner at the Brandon Festival of the Arts 2019. Ivan has served as a violin instructor at the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music since 2019. He is a substitute violinist at the Regina Symphony Orchestra and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. He serves as the concertmaster of Chorus Hamilton. During his studies, he serves as a Teaching Assistant in both his undergraduate and graduate studies.

Born and raised in Dalian, China, Ivan began his life-long passion for the violin at the age of four, under the tutelage of his father, a guest concertmaster and pedagogue. At the age of 16, Ivan continued his study of the violin in Japan for three years to further his training and performed several recitals in Ibaraki. He has performed in Canada, Japan and China with internationally renowned orchestras, including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, the Ishioka Community Chamber Orchestra, and the Scotia Festival of Music Orchestra.

Currently, Ivan is pursuing his graduate studies on scholarship at Western University. He was also awarded scholarships during his undergraduate studies at Brandon University in Manitoba. Ivan gratefully acknowledges the mentorship of Kerry DuWors during his years of musical training at Brandon University. Ivan also performed and has masterclasses with many world-renown musicians such as James Ehnes, Kerson Leong, Airi Yoshioka, Duo 526, New Orford String Quartet, John Novacek, Andrew Armstrong, Sharon Wei, Tom Wiebe, Scott St. John and Philippe Djokic.

He is a recent trophy winner at the Brandon Festival of the Arts, where he competed at the provincial level for multiple years. Along with being a passionate performer, he is an experienced teacher. Ivan has served as a violin instructor at the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music in Canada and China. His students have been admitted to prestigious music schools such as the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Shenyang Conservatory of Music.

Ivan has always been an avid member and leader of a number of chamber music ensembles and orchestras. He is a substitute violinist at the Regina Symphony Orchestra and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. He has served as principal of the Brandon University Orchestra and performed with them on tour across the Westman/Parkland region. His trio's performance advanced to the final provincial competition in Manitoba. The Penderecki String Quartet praised his performance of the Brahms Violin Sonata. “... beautiful musical expression and wonderful collaboration between the violin and piano...” The Kun shoulder rest company has featured Ivan’s performances on their official social media.

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Ivan performs on a copy of '1714 Da Vinci' Stradivari made in 2022 by Canadian luthier Mark Schnurr and a bow made in 2022 by Canadian bow maker Emmanuel Bégin. He also uses a violin made by Jeff Phillips. 

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