As you approach Flora Li’s 4S Ranch home, one thing is already clear – a talented musician lives inside. What might surprise some people is that the person attacking the piano keys or caressing the violin strings is only 13 years old.
Living with her family – father Qing Yun, mother Ming, and younger brother Edward – in the 4S Ranch community for a little more than one year, Li is headed to Del Norte High School this fall after being promoted from Oak Valley Middle School, and has played violin for five years and piano for six.
Li likes the 4S Ranch community because it is a very friendly and calm environment. “Also,” said Li, “the schools in this area are top-notch.”
She truly enjoyed the warm, welcoming and inclusive environment she found at Oak Valley. “Oak Valley lived up to its motto: Students are at the heart of Oak Valley, and meeting their needs is our first priority,” said Li. She is proud that her middle school was named as a California Distinguished School in 2011 and she loved the school’s music program. She said that the music instructors, Liliani Lazzari and Andy Geib were great teachers and brought out the best of Oak Valley’s musicians; plus, she noted that the orchestra had always gotten the highest ratings at Southern California School Band and Orchestra (SCSBOA) Festivals. Li, who served as the concertmistress for the Oak Valley Advanced Orchestra and the associate concertmistress for the San Diego Youth Symphony’s Sinfoia, also received many personal honors for her performances.
In 2009, Li earned 2nd place in the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) VOCE Competition for the Northern San Diego Junior Solo Strings Division. In the same year, she received an Honorable Mention in the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Honor Auditions Regional Division. In 2010, she received 3rd place in the MTAC VOCE Competition and an honorable mention in the CAPMT Honor Auditions. This year, Li took 2nd place in the MTAC Helen B. Goodlin Scholarship Awards in the Junior Instrumental Division and most recently received the National School Orchestra Award, which is the highest award a school orchestra musician can receive.
Li’s favorite subject other than orchestra is science, including the ability to participate in the yearly Science Olympiad. Another of her hobbies is reading. She started reading when she was two and has loved it ever since. “I can pick up a book and read on for hours,” she said.
Her inspiration is world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman. “He inspires me because of his strong spirit,” Li said. “He contracted polio at age four, and still has to face challenges from the disease today, but that doesn’t stop him from playing his best.”
Li’s own dream is to earn a double major in law and music in college, hoping to become a lawyer while keeping music as a hobby.
For now, Li hopes to bring joy to her community with music. She goes to retirement homes to perform several times a year. She also believes that music is the universal language, and this summer, she will play in the San Diego International Youth Symphony, which features musicians from all around the world converging in San Diego to communicate using one language: Music.
