Prof. XU Zhong
Dean, School of Music, Suzhou University

XU Zhong is currently president of Shanghai Opera House, Chief Conductor of Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, Dean of Soochow University School of Music, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of Fuzhou Haixia Symphony Orchestra, Principal Director of Fondazione Arena di Verona, International Chair of Opera of Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, External Expert Observer of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, Independent Non-Executive Director of NetEase Cloud Music. Between 2012 and 2015, he was Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of Teatro Massimo Bellini. Between 2013 and 2019, he was Music Director and Chief Conductor of Israel Haifa Symphony Orchestra. 

XU Zhong received the rigorous formal piano music education at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He won numerous prestigious international competitions including Maria Canals, Hamamatsu, Santander Paloma O’Shea, Tokyo and Tchaikovsky. These awards have established XU Zhong’s status as a pianist in the international music world.  

As conductor, over the years, XU Zhong has been actively worked with many prestigious orchestras, including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Real Orquesta Sinfonica De Sevilla, Melbourne 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, New York Metropolitan Opera House, San Francisco Opera House, Sydney Opera House, etc.  

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