Jacky Ho-Yin Li is an accomplished horn player who has garnered numerous prestigious awards throughout his career. His talent was recognized when he won the Concerto Competition at Boston University in 2020 and the First Prize in the Boston University Soloists’ Competition, allowing him to perform Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 with the Boston Pops Orchestra under Maestro Keith Lockhart in May 2020. In 2021, he received the Second Prize, the highest award given, at the Busan Maru International Music Festival Concerto Competition, and the Grand Prize at the Concours de Musique Québéc. Jacky was also one of only twelve finalists in the 2022 and 2023 Frances Walton Competition hosted by the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle.
He graduated from Boston University with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Horn under Professor Eric Ruske, supported by the CFA scholarship. Jacky served as a teaching assistant for the BU Wind Brass Percussion Department and studied privately with Rachel Childers.
Jacky has performed with esteemed conductors such as Bramwell Tovey, Marin Alsop, Ken-David Masur, and Benjamin Zander, in renowned concert halls including Boston Symphony Hall. He has collaborated with various orchestras, including 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 in the Evansville Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony, and Symphony New Hampshire, and a finalist for roles in the Orlando Philharmonic, Allentown Symphony, Bangor Symphony, Portland Symphony, and Vista Philharmonic.
Before his doctoral studies, Jacky joined the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra under Long Yu. He has performed under conductors like Christoph Eschenbach, Trevor Pinnock, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and alongside soloists such as Yuja Wang and Hélène Grimaud.
Jacky’s dedication to music has earned him scholarships from the HKSAR and Jackie Chan Foundation. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts under Joe Kirtley. As a member of the Asian Youth Orchestra, he performed internationally from 2010 to 2012. As a freelance horn player, Jacky has performed with professional orchestras such as the Macao Orchestra, Hong Kong Wind Kamerata, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, City Chamber Orchestra Hong Kong, and Opera Hong Kong.
Jacky has also contributed to music education as the French Horn Faculty at Winchester Community Music School and as the French Horn Faculty for the Instrumental and Vocal Extension Program at Wellesley Public Schools.