University Philharmonic & Campus Orchestras
2128 Fourth Street South
Minneapolis,
MN
55455
Leon Kobayashi, conductor
Michael Antonio Djabarov, conductor
Ziye Li, piano soloist
This School of Music event is free & open to the public. A livestream will be available (click on the Ted Mann Concert Hall link in the right callout box).
University Philharmonic & Campus Orchestras Program (opens PDF, an accessible version is found below).
Maroon Campus Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, op.58
I. Allegro moderato [18’]
Ziye Li, piano
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Finlandia op.26 [8’]
Gold Campus Orchestra
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Capriccio Italien, op.45 [15']
University Philharmonic Orchestra
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
arranged by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Pictures at an Exhibition [35’]
Promenade
I. Gnomus (The Gnome)
Promenade
II. Il vecchio castello (The Old Castle)
Promenade
III. Tuileries (Children’s Quarrel after Games)
IV. Bydlo (Cattle)
Promenade
V. Ballet of Unhatched Chicks
VI. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle
VII. The Market at Limoges
VIII. Catacombs. Sepulcrum Romanum (Roman Tomb)
Cum mortuis in lingua mortua (With the Dead in a Dead Language)
IX. The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga)
X. The Great Gate of Kyiv
Leon Kobayashi is a Japanese-American conductor and violinist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Minnesota, where he serves as teaching assistant and conducts the University Philharmonic Orchestra, Gold Campus Orchestra, and UMN Opera Theatre. His recent opera engagements include Street Scene, Hänsel und Gretel, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Dream of the Red Chamber. Kobayashi earned a Bachelor’s degree in Violin and Conducting from Vanderbilt University, where he served as Music Director of the Vanderbilt Commodore Orchestra, leading its transformation into a thriving and inclusive orchestra. His primary conducting mentors include Mark Russell Smith, Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi, and Robin Fountain, with additional guidance from Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Andrew Litton, Erin Freeman, Alexander Mickelthwate, and Scott Seaton. Equally active as a violinist, he has performed with the Nashville, Quad City, and Alabama Symphony Orchestras.
Michael Antonio Djabarov is a Mexican-American conductor and double bass player based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He studied at the Peabody Institute at the Johns Hopkins University where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Double Bass Performance and Orchestral Conducting under the tutelage of Ira Gold and Marin Alsop. Michael has worked for several organizations including the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra as an Assistant Conductor and main Conductor for their Concert Orchestra, low strings teacher for the BSO’s OrchKids after school program, and conductor for the Baltimore Children’s Choir in-school program. Additionally, he has had the privilege of teaching a music theory and history course to middle schoolers at Francis Scott Key Middle School in Baltimore, Maryland. Michael currently serves as music director and conductor of the East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ECCE) and is continuing his education at the University of Minnesota as a D.M.A candidate and Teaching Assistant under Mark Russell Smith.
Pianist Ziye Li is a Doctor of Musical Arts student at the University of Minnesota School of Music, where she studies under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Shaw. At the University, she also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. In 2026, she was named the sole recipient of the prestigious $5,000 Voices of Vienna Scholarship from the Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota and was selected as an active student for the International Summer Academy at the Mozarteum University Salzburg in Austria.
Ms. Li earned her MM and BM degrees from the China Conservatory of Music, where she was recommended for admission without entrance exams (ranking first in the Piano Department). During her tenure there, she received the "Top-Tier Scholarship" for consecutive years. Her Master's dissertation was notably selected for the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) Excellent Master's Theses Database.
Ms. Li’s performance history includes the "Romanticism on the Keyboard" solo tour across major conservatories in China, as well as recitals at the Euro Music Festival & Academy in Germany. As a collaborative artist, she has performed at Tsinghua University and serves as a collaborative pianist for the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition. Her competitive achievements include an Honorable Mention at the University of Minnesota Concerto Competition (2025), the Grand Prize at the Liszt Academy Cup International Piano Competition (China Regional), and First Prize at the IPPA Conero International Piano Competition (China Regional). A dedicated educator, she was honored with the "Excellent Teacher Award" at the 20th Xinghai Cup National Piano Competition in 2024.
University Symphony Orchestra, Mon, May 4, 2026 | 7:30 - 9 PM - Ted Mann Concert Hall
Thank you for supporting the University Philharmonic Orchestra!
This concert, and other programming by UMN orchestras, is made possible in part by donations from concert-goers like you.
We kindly invite you to give at z.umn.edu/USOgive
Thank you!
The School of Music, a unit of the College of Liberal Arts, is a leading institution for the education of successful performers, composers, teachers, administrators, and scholars. The School interacts with the larger university and Twin Cities communities through classes, participatory performing opportunities, community engagement activities, and more than 300 public performances each year. The students and faculty of the School are grateful for the continuing interest and support of parents and friends. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. For further information or to apply to the School of Music, visit music.umn.edu or email [email protected]. A complete calendar of events and a digital, mobile-friendly copy of this program is available at z.umn.edu/music-events.
GerShun Avilez, Dean, College of Liberal Art
Patrick Warfield, Director, School of Music
We want to acknowledge that the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is built within the traditional homelands of the Dakota people. It is important to acknowledge the peoples on whose land we live, learn, and work as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with our tribal nations. We also acknowledge that words are not enough. We must ensure that our institution provides support, resources, and programs that increase access to all aspects of higher education for our American Indian students, staff, faculty, and community members.