“It’s important to find a balance – physically and mentally,” explains LiLa, “especially when everyday life is so hectic.” To help with this, the young cellist is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to be in touch with nature.
The antidote: Innerview with LiLa
“Music and nature are so similar – I find that fascinating and wonderful,” reveals LiLa. “They don’t pass judgement, they’re just there,” she continues. This is also why the young Chinese musician sees nature as a particularly important way to achieve balance: “Musicians often have such chaotic everyday lives, and the intense concentration and need to give your all out on the stage can be addictive. Nature is the best antidote to this.”
For LiLa, the diverse, contrasting and emotional world of music mirrors the close intertwining of life and death in nature – from enchanting beauty and joy to deep inner voids. “Music is a frenzy of feelings,” she reflects, “and everyone finds a different way in.”
The musician has many interests; alongside nature, she looks for grounding and inspiration in books. Her favourite authors include the renowned literary figures Hermann Hesse and Leo Tolstoy. “It’s so inspiring to read how these authors also write about music or composers,” she delights.
Getting lost in the music
Born in China, LiLa began playing piano at the tender age of four, before switching to the cello three years later. As a teenager, she attended the prestigious Juilliard School in New York as a pre-college student and soon began to pick up notable awards. The fact that she is now travelling the world as a sought-after musical prodigy is something even she can’t quite believe: “It’s completely surreal to think that my cello has already taken me all over the world.”
As a musician, it’s her goal to make people feel connected through music: “Music can give everyone a little comfort; it helps us realise that we’re not alone in the world.” Her wish is to create space for music to move people. A beautiful and humble understanding of her role. “That’s why it’s so great to have special places like the Elbphilharmonie,” she explains, “places where people can come together to get lost in the music.”
The youngest winner of the Tchaikovsky International competition for Young Musicians, LiLa has given concerts on many international stages including the Verbier Festival, Schloss Elmau, Tsinandali Festival, Zürich Tonhalle, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and the Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts. She has worked with orchestras such as Orchestra Roma Sinfonietta, Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Royal Philharmonic, and played at Elbphilharmonie in April 2024.