Falling into music: An autumn piano recital in Redmond

Community concert brings classical piano to Redmond

The L² Piano Duo, founded by Seattle-based pianists Dr. Boya Li and Dr. Xi Lu, will present the Fall Harmony Recital on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, 9041 166th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052. The free community concert will feature performances by the duo and their students and is open to the public, with no tickets or reservations required.

The recital marks the launch of the duo’s community concert series, through which Dr. Li and Dr. Lu plan to bring live performances to churches, senior living communities, and other neighborhood venues across the greater Seattle area. The program includes works by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Kapustin, and others, presented in an intimate neighborhood setting.

Performers and program

The concert will bring together nearly 30 performers, primarily students from the duo’s teaching studios, with Dr. Li and Dr. Lu also taking the stage for a four-hand piano selection. The repertoire spans several stylistic periods and includes pieces rarely heard outside traditional concert halls.

Dr. Boya Li holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Music from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Bachelor of Music from the China Conservatory of Music. She is a first-prize winner of the 2020 Mississippi MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition and the 2019 Denver International Piano Competition, and has served as an adjudicator for the Seattle World Harmonies Music Competition and the Inner Mongolia Youth Arts Festival. In March 2025, she performed in New York in connection with the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Her doctoral research explores Chinese folk elements in contemporary piano repertoire.

Dr. Xi Lu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano from the University of Southern Mississippi. A collaborative pianist and educator based in Seattle, she has performed across the United States and China, including appearances connected with the United Nations and performances at Steinway galleries and concert halls. Her work spans chamber music, opera, musical theater, and vocal and instrumental collaboration, and her students have earned recognition in various competitions. She shared the stage with Dr. Li at the United Nations–affiliated performance in New York in 2025.

Mission and background

Founded in 2026, the Seattle-based L² Piano Duo (“L Squared”) pairs professional artistry with music education and community outreach in the greater Seattle area. The duo regularly invites students from their teaching studios to perform alongside them, aiming to make classical music accessible to audiences who might not attend a traditional concert hall.

“So much extraordinary music is locked inside concert halls, behind ticket prices and formal dress codes,” said Dr. Boya Li. “We started the L² Piano Duo to carry that music out into the community — to the people who might never buy a ticket to a downtown concert hall but deserve to hear a Chopin scherzo up close. When a student performs side by side with us in a neighborhood church, that is the whole point.”

Event details

What: Fall Harmony Recital — L² Piano Duo Community Concert (free, open to the public)
When: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Faith Lutheran Church, 9041 166th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052
Admission: Free; no reservation required
More information: https://lsquaredpianoduo.com | [email protected]

About L² Piano Duo

Founded in 2026 by Seattle-based pianists Dr. Boya Li and Dr. Xi Lu, the L² Piano Duo (“L Squared”) brings live classical music into community spaces across the Seattle area, including churches and senior living communities. The duo pairs professional performance with music education, regularly inviting students from their teaching studios to perform alongside them. Its core mission is to make exceptional music accessible to everyone, especially those who might never attend a traditional concert hall. For more information, visit https://lsquaredpianoduo.com.