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About Jacky Ho-Yin Li

Jacky Ho-Yin Li is an accomplished horn player who has garnered numerous prestigious awards throughout his career. He won First Prize in Boston University’s Concerto Competition in 2020 and, as the grand prize winner, was invited to perform Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 with the Boston Pops Orchestra under Maestro Keith Lockhart. While the performance was canceled due to the pandemic, he performed the concerto with the BU Symphony Orchestra under Maestro James Burton as part of the university’s winner showcase.

In 2021, he received Second Prize—the highest award given—at the Busan Maru International Music Festival Concerto Competition. He was selected as a finalist in the Frances Walton Competition in both 2022 and 2023. Most recently, in 2025, he was awarded Second Prize in Category II of the Susan Slaughter Solo Competition at the International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC).

Jacky earned both his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Horn from Boston University under Professor Eric Ruske, supported by the CFA scholarship. During his studies, he served as a teaching assistant for the BU Wind, Brass, and Percussion Department and studied privately with Rachel Childers.

In November 2024, Jacky was invited to perform a recital and lead a master class for the Horn Studio at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The following month, he performed as a soloist with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra at the renowned Mechanics Hall.

He has performed with esteemed conductors such as Bramwell Tovey, Marin Alsop, Ken-David Masur, Roger Kalia, and Benjamin Zander, in renowned venues including Boston Symphony Hall. Jacky has collaborated with orchestras such as Symphony New Hampshire, New Bedford Symphony, Portland Symphony, and Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

In auditions, Jacky has been a runner-up for Principal Horn positions with the Evansville Philharmonic, Reading Symphony, and Symphony New Hampshire, and a finalist for roles with the Orlando Philharmonic, Allentown Symphony, Bangor Symphony, Portland Symphony, and Vista Philharmonic. He also advanced to the live round of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Associate Principal Horn audition in 2024.

Before relocating to the U.S., Jacky performed with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra under Long Yu, and freelanced extensively in Asia with ensembles including the Macao Orchestra, Hong Kong Wind Kamerata, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, and Opera Hong Kong. He has appeared under conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Trevor Pinnock, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and alongside soloists including Yuja Wang and Hélène Grimaud. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts under Joe Kirtley, supported by scholarships from the HKSAR Government and the Jackie Chan Foundation. As a member of the Asian Youth Orchestra from 2010 to 2012, he toured internationally throughout Asia.

Jacky is also a dedicated educator. He currently serves as Horn Faculty at the University of Rhode Island, the Winchester Community Music School, and the Instrumental and Vocal Extension Program at Wellesley Public Schools.