Rainice Lai is a versatile percussionist active in both the classical and contemporary music scene across the U.S, Asia and Europe. She has served as a guest percussionist with professional ensembles such as Philharmonia Orchestra London, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Macau Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and New World Symphony. She is also a in-demand musician in the New England area with regional orchestras such as Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Brockton Symphony, Phoenix Orchestra and Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra.

 

Rainice is a passionate advocate for contemporary music. As an active chamber musician, Rainice has appeared in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Prelude Series, Boston’s leading contemporary ensemble ‘Callithumpian Consort’, the Summer Institute of Contemporary Performance Practice; she appeared on the Dutch National Classical Music TV Channel, Podium Witteman, with the Fuse Ensemble Netherland. Rainice has personally worked closely with, and premiered the work of, such world-prominent living composers as Sofia Gubaidulina, Helmut Lachenmann, Tan Dun, and Liza Lim. Rainice was invited to work at Spoleto Festival Orchestra USA for three consecutive years where she performed in numerous operas and chamber concerts; she was a featured soloist in the festival's Music In Time series in 2018.

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Rainice was born and raised in Hong Kong. At the age of 16 she was accepted to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts as a percussion performance student where she studied with former Principal Timpani of London Philharmonic Orchestra, Alan Cumberland. She is a top prize-winner of Tomlee Young Musician of the Year Concerto Group 2009. That same year she won the audition to YouTube Symphony Orchestra (organized by Google) and was invited to perform in Carnegie Hall New York. Rainice moved to the United States at 18 to pursue a Bachelor's degree in percussion performance at the Boston Conservatory studying with renowned percussionist, Sam Solomon, and marimbist, Nancy Zeltsman. She later gained a Masters of Music in percussion performance at Temple University studying with the Principal Percussionist, Chris Deviney, and former assistant principal percussion, Alan Abel, from the Philadelphia Orchestra. Rainice went on pursuing post-graduate performance degrees at New England Conservatory under the guidance of the Assistant Principal Timpani, Dan Bauch from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Rainice was awarded the Avedis Zildjian Percussion Scholarship during her studies. She's currently pursuing Doctoral of Musical Arts at Boston University under Tim Genis, principal timpani of Boston Symphony Occhestra.