Check Out GuangXin Li’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to GuangXin Li.

Hi GuangXin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I have been into listening to music since I was a child. When I was in senior high, I picked up guitar as my first instrument. I never thought I would want to write music until I was in my junior year of university as an undergraduate, majoring in Drama in 2010. There was an instructor that brought us into the world of musical theater, and this was the turning point to decide to pursue music. Then I was introduced to a film/theater music composer to study composition and orchestration. I lived in a rural village back in Taiwan, so I had to commute back and forth to Taipei twice a month (with 4 hours driving distance one way). Yet, I wasn’t sure what kind of musician I wanted to be even though I loved creating. Then over the years after gaining more “know how” in music production, I started getting chances to score theatrical projects for a couple local theater companies in Taiwan. Through these experiences, I figured out how much I loved working with people and writing music for storytelling media. Since 2013, I’ve scored around twenty projects as of right now, including an upcoming play On The Edge Of Reality, directed by Chia-yin Cheng and Frank Soehnle. By learning with my composition mentor, I shifted more focus on film scoring and found how obsessed I was in dealing with complexities and precise emotions in the art and expertise of film scoring. In 2019, I moved to Chicago to pursue an MFA in Music Composition for the Screen from Columbia College Chicago to further hone my skills in film music composition. I will be moving to LA this summer to begin my next journey with music.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

It’s definitely not a smooth path to get through. I think this is kinda one of the rules in the world for almost all of the people who want to have a career they like. One of the challenges during the first couple of years was the all the uncertainty, especially when it came to how to make music for a living. I even gave it up for a little while and tried to do other jobs that were not related to music. I just felt so wrong about that, and I recalled one of the faculty back in my undergraduate once said, ”does theater need you, or do you need theater?” Then it finally made sense to me when I replaced “theater” with “music.” So I decided I would rather fail while pursuing the career I like than have a job that makes me feel hollow and miserable. Another challenge was how to recognize myself as a real musician and composer. I wasn’t coming from a traditional music background, and that was something that made me feel unconfident at the beginning of my career. So I forced myself to hone skills in composing, orchestrating and music technology. I realized that I could be anything if I keep learning things related to my goals. The last but not the least was making connections. People like to work with someone they know, this is a really important for the career as media composer. I was an introverted person, and still am at certain degree, so it was hard for me to meet people at public events. It took me a while to realize that people are willing to answer and talk when I have questions. Understanding this helped me a lot to not only build my music career but also broaden the curiosity of learning.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I am a composer based out of Chicago best known for my music in theater productions and musicals. I have been working in many styles including jazz, rock, and orchestral. I first began my composition studies in 2009. Coming with the background in drama training, I have a unique perspective on composition related to storytelling. My reputation in Taiwan has led me to write an original orchestral score for the Mandarin musical If There Is a Tomorrow. Recently, I have been invited to compose and produce music for On The Edge Of Reality, a theater project directed by Chia-Yin Cheng and Frank Soehnle, which will premiere at the National Taichung Theater in Taiwan in April 2021.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?

I probably would mention that I have a bachelor’s degree in Drama with experience acting instead of an undergraduate music degree. But now it’s not really a thing I do nowadays because I’ve devoted myself to pursuing what I truly love: music. So I would say that the one thing that is really surprising about myself is that I have had the courage to pursue the dream I love.

Contact Info:

• Email: guang@guangxinli.com
• Website: https://www.guangxinli.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/guangxinlimusic
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-616127680

Image Credits:
Mengshin Li Chueh Lo