Yale School Of Music Dean Says Disgraced Chinese Pianist Li Yundi Was Not Offered Tenured Professor Role, Despite What Rumours Claim
Nope, the 39-year-old does not have a new job following his arrest for hiring a sex worker.
Once hailed as China's ‘Piano Prince’, pianist Li Yundi has had a very painful fall from grace after getting arrested for soliciting a prostitute last week.
News of the arrest shocked fans of the 39-year-old, who has always portrayed himself as being squeaky clean. The piano virtuoso has found himself shunned by the classical music world that once adored him.
Then, over the weekend, this anonymous post on Weibo went viral, claiming that the pianist already has a potential job offer lined up.
The post was written by a netizen claiming to be Yundi’s mum, and has since been shared widely by his fans.
“China’s music scene will no longer exist [to] the world-famous piano prince Li Yundi. The formidable opinions of the public, as well as their moral judgement has sent my son into a living hell. I believe that he will leave his once-beloved home country to seek a means of survival in a foreign country soon,” read the post, before going on to share that America’s Yale School Of Music has offered him a position as a tenured professor.
Of course, the anonymous netizen who made that post did not offer up any further information or proof to back their claims.
However, yesterday (Oct 31), the dean of Yale took to the institution's website to post an official statement denying these rumours.
Many people in the Yale School of Music and beyond have asked my office about an assertion being widely circulated in Chinese social media that pianist Yundi Li has been offered a position on YSM’s faculty. No such faculty appointment has been made, read the short statement from Yale School of Music Dean Robert Blocker.
Yikes.
Since the start of the scandal, Yundi has remained silent on social media, even as the shows he was involved in scramble to wipe all traces of him from their episodes.
Most recently, Yundi was a contestant on Call Me By Fire but he was hastily edited out of all scenes following his arrest.
Yundi’s alma mater, the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, has also taken down all material related to the pianist from their website. According to reports, Yundi was once listed as a distinguished professor there.
Similarly, the China Musicians Association terminated his membership and The China Association of Performing Arts ordered all its members to boycott Yundi.
Photos: Li Yundi/Weibo
