Jiauri Li has music inside of her. She uses practice, repetition and hard work to extract that music and share it with others.

Jiauri is a native of China, an international student and a 17-year-old junior at Lancaster Mennonite School (LMS). She came to Lancaster to uncover and fully understand her musical talents.

"Music is a big part of my life," said Jiauri. "It's part of my spirit. It's like a shelter to me. Playing music makes me feel secure and safe."

Recently, Jiauri, a pianist, earned top honors at the Hershey Symphony's annual Young Artist Competition, contested at Lebanon Valley College in Annville. Designed for young artists with superior musical abilities, the Young Artist Competition is open to any student in grades seven through 11 enrolled in schools in Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, York, Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry and Franklin counties.

Jiauri was the only Lancaster County artist of the eight who advanced to the finals of the competition.

"The whole process went pretty well," said Jiauri. "I really enjoyed it. I didn't expect to win. My goal was simply to express my music to the audience. It was a long time since I had competed with other musicians on stage."

As part of Jiauri's winning performance, she played an 18-minute first movement of Beethoven's fourth concerto. Jiauri has been invited to perform the same piece of music with the Hershey Symphony Orchestra at some point during its 2026-27 season.

"We need to memorize all the pieces we play," said Jiauri. "I think there are some things I still need to work on. When I play piano, I always sing along with my performance in my head. I don't think I really have that much talent, but I think I do have some.

"When I'm performing, I think I play for both the audience and myself," continued Jiauri. "I definitely hope the audience likes my music, but I also like to do it for myself."

As part of Lancaster Mennonite's Advanced Music program, Jiauri works with Millersville University professor and pianist Dr. Xun Pan. Typically, she practices about five or six hours each day.

"Music is not an interest," said Jiauri. "It's different from my interests. It's kind of like working. Half of my life is spent working on music. It's a big part of my life. I think if you keep working hard, you'll find yourself improving and getting better every day."

"Mostly, I play other people's music," she added, "but I do know how to compose a little bit."

Jiauri came to Lancaster and LMS in the fall of 2024. She found out about LMS during her participation in the Lancaster International Piano Festival, where she was introduced to Dr. Pan.

Jiauri is a native of Beijing. Her first language is Mandarin Chinese.

"Generally, Lancaster is more calm," said Jiauri. "Beijing is a big city; it's crowded and noisy. I think I've gotten used to (Lancaster) and the school. But I miss my home every day."

Jiauri resides with 25 other students in a dormitory on the LMS campus. The vast majority of those are international students, including six others from China.

"I've learned how to interact with different people with different backgrounds," said Jiauri. "I got to know a lot of different cultures."

Jiauri's father plays the violin, but both of her parents possess backgrounds in music. Jiauri began playing the piano when she was 5 years old.

"It became the only instrument in my life," said Jiauri.

Now is the time when Jiauri is starting to form plans for a future beyond her LMS experience. She has another year of high school to complete, and she is beginning to think about the colleges she may visit and attend.

"Right now, my plans are to just go to college and continue studying piano," said Jiauri. "I don't really have any goals for my future life, but I'm sure it will be surrounded by music."

Sounds like a life filled with joy.