Praised for his “phenomenal musical expression” (James Ehnes), award-winning violinist, Ivan Zifan Li, is a dynamic international performer. Born and raised in Dalian, China, Ivan began his lifelong passion for the violin at the age of five under the tutelage of his father, a guest concertmaster and pedagogue. He continued his studies in Japan for three years at the age of 16, performing several recitals in Ibaraki.

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Ivan graduated with Distinction from Brandon University. During his years of musical training at Brandon University, Ivan received invaluable mentorship from Kerry DuWors, for which he is deeply grateful. Ivan has also completed a Master of Music in Performance on a full scholarship under the tutelage of the wonderful Erika Raum at Western University. During his studies, he served as a Teaching Assistant in both his undergraduate and graduate studies. He has performed in Canada, the United States, Japan, and China with internationally renowned orchestras, including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Scotia Festival of Music Orchestra and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada.

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Ivan has also shared the stage with world-renowned musicians such as James Ehnes, Kerson Leong, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Airi Yoshioka, Duo 526, New Orford String Quartet, John Novacek, Andrew Armstrong, Jonathan Crow, Sharon Wei, Tom Wiebe, Scott St. Johan, and Philippe Djokic. He has been accepted to prestigious music festivals, including the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the PRISMA Festival, the Duo 526 Sonata Seminar at Indiana University, and the Scotia Festival of Music.

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Ivan is an avid member and leader of numerous chamber music ensembles and orchestras. He has served as principal of the Brandon University Orchestra and performed with them on tour. He also toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the final concert at Koerner Hall was recorded by CBC Music. He is a founding member of the Aurora Piano Quintet, and his chamber music performance advanced to the final provincial competition in Manitoba. Ivan is a co-founder of the Golden Ears Chamberfest in Vancouver, where he performs and teaches every summer. He serves as the concertmaster of Chorus Hamilton and he is a substitute violinist at the Regina Symphony Orchestra, as well as an extra section violinist at the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. He is a recent trophy winner at the Brandon Festival of the Arts, where he competed at the provincial level for multiple years.

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Alongside his passionate performances, Ivan is an experienced teacher. He has served as a violin instructor at the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music in Canada and China since 2019. 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's teaching philosophy is to tailor his instruction to his students' needs and explore their potential. He is a passionate violin educator, dedicated to helping each student develop their full strengths and benefit from them. He advocates active listening, emphasizing theory to support practice. One of the recent highlights in Ivan's teaching career is that his students have achieved notable success, winning several competitions, including first place in the Preliminary Strings category at the 2023 Provincial Music & Arts Festival of Manitoba.

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The Penderecki String Quartet praised his performance of the Brahms Violin Sonata, noting, “... 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 violin made by Jeff Phillips in 2015, as well as a copy of the '1714 Da Vinci' Stradivari made in 2022 by Canadian luthier Mark Schnurr, and uses a bow made in 2022 by Canadian bow maker Emmanuel Bégin.

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