Mingdu Li

Doctoral Student

Mingdu Li is a doctoral composer currently pursuing a PhD at the Royal College of Music, under the supervision of Professor Kenneth Hesketh and Professor William Mival with support from the RCM Studentship and the Mendelssohn Scholarship Foundation. She holds an MMus and BMus (Hons) in Composition from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she studied with Dr. Oliver Iredale Searle and Tom David Wilson, and a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics from University College London.

Recently, Mingdu has concentrated her musical aesthetic on interpreting the 'silent' languages and concepts of maths and quantum physics into 'audible' compositions. Her music not only delves into the notion of humanity's insignificance in relation to our Creator, but also captures the human journey from existential confusion to ultimate questions about cosmic origins and destiny. She believes this unique approach can serve as a conduit between scientific exploration and spiritual longing. It invites the audience to grasp the complexities and wonders of the universe while inspiring them to reflect on their inner selves.

Mingdu Li's orchestral piece Entropy was awarded the 2022/23 Walter and Dinah Wolfe Memorial Prize. This piece premiered at Glasgow's City Halls, performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Martyn Brabbins, and was subsequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3. She is also the recipient of the 2023 Musicians’ Company Silver Medal. For the 2024/25 season, she has been named a Britten Pears Young Artist, under the supervision of Colin Matthews OBE and Mark-Anthony Turnage CBE. Additionally, she is participating in the 2024/25 ABRSM Composer Mentoring Program, focusing on composing within broader educational contexts.

The Edinburgh Music Review has described her music as having "...a compelling ever-present pulse, conveying the sense of inexorability," while Bachtrack Music Review characterized her compositions as exuding "…a sense of an uncontrollable beast of pure energy... a confident work."

Faculties / departments: Research