Born in Taoyuan, Sylvia Szu-Chi Li, graduated from Ximen Elementary School, Chung-Hsing Junior High School and National Wu-Ling Senior High School in Taoyuan. Sylvia began her viola lessons with Mr. Yun-Ching Chen, and then proceeded to study with Prof. Kuo-Pao Huang. She studied under the renounced violist, Prof. Jui-Se Yang, in the Music Department of the National Taiwan Normal University.

From 2001 to 2003, she won the scholarship to study in the University of Michigan for her M.A. degrees on viola performance with Yizhak Schotten. Upon her return from the States in 2003, Sylvia was soon engaged as a viola player in Taiwan Philharmonic. Not only as a professional orchestra player, Sylvia Li also keeps a busy career as a soloist and chamber musician. She is well experienced and active in orchestral playing whether in Taiwan or in the United States, and toured with the Asian Youth Orchestra around Europe in 1998. Being pretty driven, she participate regularly in many master classes and competitions, and was awarded several times: in 2000, she won the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (NTSO) Viola Concerto Competition and won the 2nd place in the 2005 NTSO Chamber Music Competition, where the first prize was not awarded. In addition to performing, she is also committed to music education and teaches a number of music programs and school string orchestras.