Xu Zhong

Conductor

As one of the most internationally renowned Chinese pianists and conductors in the world, Xu Zhong is currently the Principal Director of Fondazione Arena di Verona, the General Director of Shanghai Opera House, the Chief Conductor of Suzhou Symphony Orchestra and Dean of Soochow University School of Music, Artistic Director of Sound of Jiangnan Music Festival by Jiangsu Grand Theatre, Artistic Director of Fujian Song and Dance Theatre. Between 2012 and 2015, he was the Artistic Director and the Chief Conductor of Teatro Massimo Bellini. Between 2013 and 2019, he was the Music Director and the Chief Conductor of Israel Haifa Symphony Orchestra.

He graduated from Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, under the direction of the famous French pianist Dominique Merlet. As a conductor, he learned from Professor Xiaotong Huang and Maestro Piero Rattalino.

Over the years Xu Zhong has actively worked with many prestigious orchestras, including Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Erfurt Theatre Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, etc. His talent in conducting, in particular, has been acknowledged in the leading opera houses in Europe and worldwide — Teatro alla Scala, Teatro La Fenice, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Arena di Verona, Liceu Grand Theatre, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Opéra de Paris, Royal Opera House, Oper Leipzig, San Francisco Opera House, Sydney Opera House, etc.

His repertoire includes Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana, La Traviata, IL Trovatore, Aida, La Bohème, Tosca, Suor Angelica, La Cenerentola, Le Nozze di Figaro, Der fliegende Holländer, Die Fledermaus, Das Land des Lächelns, Elektra, Carmen, La voix humaine, Orphee aux enfers, Aleko and etc.

In 2010, Xu Zhong was awarded the Chevalier de L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, France, for his contributions in classic music and cultural exchange. In 2018, XU Zhong was promoted as the Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.