‘What can one say about interpretations that reach perfection, both technically and artistically!’ exclaims Pionteks of Bayreuth, admiring Yundi Xu’s ‘perfect control of sound and rhythm, along with her meticulous colors and phrasing.’ This was in 2021, when the young Chinese pianist performed Miroirs by Maurice Ravel at the Steingraeber Kammermusiksaal in Bayreuth. Accepted into the Conservatoire de Paris at only fourteen and into the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin for Artist Diploma at twenty-one, Yundi Xu already has an impressive career. With her tenacity and sensitivity fueling international aspirations, she has become an accomplished soloist and seasoned chamber musician, who has collaborated with leading orchestras, venues, and festivals worldwide—from the Konzerthausorchester at Berlin’s Konzerthaus, to the Tanglewood Music Center and Aspen Music Festival.
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Critics and audiences alike praise her fusion of impeccable mastery with a ‘refreshing sensitivity’ (Radio China International) that allows her to brilliantly embody Romantic, Modern, and Contemporary repertoires. Her ability to put ‘technique always at the service of music’ (Musiq3) has earned her invitations to prominent international festivals, such as the Belt and Road International Music Festival (China, 2024), Young Euro Classic (Germany, 2020), Aspen Music Festival (USA, 2018, supported by the Polonsky Foundation), Moscow welcomes friends international Festival (Russia, 2017), Les Journées Ravel (France, 2015), and Les Nuits d'été de Mâcon (France, 2012). Strengthening her place in Contemporary music, Yundi Xu has premiered works globally, such as pieces by Andrew Hamilton and Nathan Shields at Tanglewood (USA, 2019). Her determination to perform on the world stage since she was fourteen creates ‘an impression of her both working hard and yet being at ease’ (Daily Info Oxford). Balancing ‘intensity’ and ‘refinement,’ ‘whether playing Satie, Debussy, or Ravel, she always infuses their works with distinctive, well-balanced pedaling’ (Der Tagesspiegel).
Her orchestral collaborations have included the Konzerthausorchester under Leonard Elschenbroich (2023), the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra, and the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra (2024), along with the Lanzhou Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Namur Chamber Orchestra, Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Filarmonica Pugliese. Working with distinguished conductors like Chen Xieyang, Yang Yang, Zhang Yi, Fuad Ibrahimov, Ayrton Desimpelaere, Li Biao, and Giovanni Minafra, her career has brought her to iconic stages, such as the Konzerthaus in Berlin, Salle Gaveau, Petit Palais, and La Seine Musicale in Paris, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, Hangzhou Theatre, Shenzhen Concert Hall, the Van Cliburn Concert Hall in Fort Worth, and the Eslite Hall and National Concert Hall in Taipei. Her recordings of works by Chopin and Ravel have been featured on radio stations including Musiq’3 (Belgium), Deutschlandradio, RBB Kultur, and Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln (Germany).
This maturity owes much to her rare precocity. Introduced to piano at three under her musician grandfather’s guidance, Yundi Xu won her first competition—MIDO—at just four. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees in piano and chamber music, followed by a master’s at nineteen, from the Conservatoire de Paris, then a Master of Arts from London’s Royal Academy of Music, and the prestigious Konzertexamen from Berlin’s Hanns Eisler Academy. Further honing her craft, she has attended renowned masterclasses at the Internationale Konzertarbeitswochen in Goslar (Germany, 2024), the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove (UK, 2021), the Gijón International Piano Festival (Spain, 2025), and as a member of the Ravel cohort at the Philippe Jaroussky Academy (France, 2020), working with distinguished professors including Jacques Rouvier, Ari Vardi, Boris Slutsky, Stephen Hough, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Stephen Kovacevich, Paul Lewis, Dang Thai Son, Kirill Gerstein, Imogen Cooper, Meng-Chieh Liu, Robert McDonald, among others.She was also a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School (supported by the Polonsky Foundation) and Tanglewood, and took part in PianoTexas, Adamant, and SICPP (USA).
An award-winner at multiple international competitions, Yundi Xu claimed 1st prize at the 12th Chopin International Piano Competition ‘For Young Pianists’ (Poland, 2013), the Special Prize from the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation at the Olga Kern Competition (USA, 2016), 1st prize at the Festival Internacional Piano Málaga Competition (Spain, 2022), 2nd prize at the Oeiras International Piano Competition (Portugal, 2022), as well as 3rd prize and the Press Award at the Colafemmina International Piano Competition (Italy, 2022). She is a quarter-finalist of the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition (Switzerland, 2025).
A rising figure on international stages, Yundi Xu is acclaimed for ‘the intelligence of her phrasing’ (Musiq3), her technical command, and her refined ability to convey complex emotions.
02.10.2025 - 6:30 PM | Société Marseillaise des Amis de Chopin, MARSEILLE | 11.01.2026 - 7:30 PM | Hangzhou Grand Theater, HANGZHOU