Heidi Li is a Hong Kong–born jazz vocalist, film composer and educator whose work bridges cultures through music. Based in Florence, Italy, she combines her Asian roots with European training to create projects that connect musical traditions across continents.

Raised in a family deeply connected to Yuequ (Cantonese opera), Heidi began performing at a young age and won a televised Yuequ singing competition in Hong Kong at 11. This early foundation continues to inform her artistic voice today.

After living in Canada, the UK, and France, she settled in Italy, where she developed her practice in jazz and improvisation. She graduated from Siena Jazz University with full marks (110/110), focusing her research on integrating elements of Cantonese opera into jazz composition and performance.

She is the founder and artistic leader of Yut Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to exploring the intersection between jazz and Cantonese opera through original compositions and improvisation, creating a unique dialogue between Eastern and Western musical languages.

Her recent work includes Anime in Viaggio (Journey of Mind), an original intercultural production developed in collaboration with the School of Chinese Opera of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. As composer and music director, she created and arranged music for a cross-cultural ensemble combining Cantonese opera and jazz, with the participation of Yut Quartet, following an extended period of artistic development and residency, including workshops at the School of Chinese Opera and the School of Music.

Alongside her artistic work, Heidi is active in international cultural exchange. She has initiated projects bringing the School of Chinese Opera of HKAPA to perform Cantonese opera on Italian stages, and continues to develop initiatives connecting artists and audiences between Hong Kong and Europe.

In parallel, Heidi works as a film composer. She composed the score for the Nepali film A Road to A Village by Nabin Subba, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023. Her score blends Western and indigenous musical elements, including the theme song “Aa-Langne,” highlighting the Rai culture of Nepal.

Her earlier work includes the EP Third Culture Kid (2016), featuring original compositions in multiple languages, and the album Heidi Sings Italian Dialects (2022), supported by the Italian Cultural Institute Hong Kong & Macau.

Drawing on a multicultural background, Heidi brings a strong cross-cultural perspective to her work as both artist and educator. Through performance, composition, and collaboration, she continues to explore new forms of dialogue between musical traditions.