Aviva Chertok Li
Violinist
BIO
Russian American violinist Aviva Chertok Li is based in Chicago, IL and has performed extensively as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. Aviva joined the Midwest Young Artists (MYA) Conservatory in 2008, and served as an assistant concertmistress of the MYA Symphony Orchestra from 2010-12. As a member of MYA's Meshugene Quartet, Aviva performed on Chicago's WFMT radio program Introductions as well as on NPR's From the Top. During their two years together, the quartet won prizes at many state and national competitions, including 1st place at the Discover National Chamber Competition, 1st place at the 17th Annual Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, and silver medal at the St. Paul International String Quartet Competition.
Performing a Master's Degree final recital, in the Amaryllis Concert Hall. Royal College of Music, London.
As a winner of the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers, Aviva soloed with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. She also won second place at the Birmingham Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. Aviva has participated in many international music festivals, including: the Meadowmount School of Music, Brevard Music Center Summer Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Wintergreen Summer Music Festival. An avid traveler, Aviva has performed in the United States, Canada, England, Israel, and China, as well as in Italy (virtually). While studying in the U.K., Aviva had the opportunity to perform in venues such as the Austrian Cultural Forum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. She also regularly played at St. John’s Smith Square concert hall as assistant concertmistress of the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, Neve Yerushalayim College in Jerusalem, Israel invited Aviva to perform on the Simchas Beis Hashoeivah concert, "A Night to Remember," where more than 1,000 women attended. While there, she also played on a benefit recital for the Israel Cancer Association organized by cellist Emily Camras. In the summer of 2016, Aviva visited China to give a Concert for Children with pianist Shlomo Jiyao Li, in the city of Xi'an. In 2020, Aviva began a collaboration with Chinese Canadian pianist Shirley Wu, with performances taking the duo to Chicago, New York City, and Montreal, Canada. They were guest soloists at the Hello Panda Festival in NYC, the largest Chinese New Year lantern festival in North America, with performances aired in China on television station CCTV-4. When the pandemic began, Aviva and Shirley performed on morale-boosting livestream events "AndraTuttoBene - Festival di Musica" in Italy, and "One World 520" in Canada, publicized by local media in both countries. Aviva's biggest project during the pandemic was singlehandedly organizing 50 violinists from every state in America to bring a special musical tribute to frontline workers (viewable here: "50 Violinists from 50 States.")
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Aviva earned her Master's degree in violin performance in July 2018, from the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky and Michal Cwizewicz. During her studies, from 2016-18, the RCM was ranked the #1 conservatory for performing arts in the U.K. and Europe, and second in the world (QS World University Rankings). Aviva received her Bachelor's of Music in Violin Performance with Honors from the University of Michigan in 2015, where she studied with Andrew Jennings. Her past teachers include Gerardo Ribeiro, and David Yonan, and she has performed in masterclasses for such distinguished musicians as Ruggiero Ricci, Alice Schoenfeld, Almita and Roland Vamos, Alina Ibragimova, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and the Calidore Quartet.
The Meshugene Quartet, by special invitation from the radio program "From the Top", performing at NPR's Annual Gala in Boston.
Aviva lives in the Chicago area, where she played in the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra and was a Regular Member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and currently performs chamber music and solo recitals. She has given concerts in many community spaces, including Arlington Heights Memorial, Sulzer Regional, and Northbrook Public libraries, the Art Center Highland Park, the University of Chicago, and more. A passionate teacher, Aviva also maintains a studio of over 20 students. In 2021, Aviva was awarded the JUF's Tikkun Fellowship grant for writing, directing, and performing in her new show, "Meet Me in a Moment." A fusion of theater and music, Aviva's 'theatrical concert' of Jewish classical music continue showing at community centers around Chicago. Most recently, Aviva had the honor of performing on multiple Violins of Hope, from a world-famous collection of over 70 instruments played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. With seven performances, including a Community Concert Series she organized with violinist Dr. William Herzog in partnership with JCC Chicago, Aviva had the opportunity to bring these violins to life for over 1,000 audience members all around Chicago, from Arlington Heights and Joliet Public Libraries to Chabad of Wilmette and the Illinois Holocaust Museum.