Prof. XU Zhong
President, Shanghai Opera House
Dean, School of Music, Soochow University

XU Zhong is currently the 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, and 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 the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Israel Haifa Symphony Orchestra.

XU Zhong received a 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 a conductor, over the years, XU Zhong has actively worked with many prestigious orchestras, including the 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 "Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres." He was promoted to "Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" in 2018 by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, France, for his contributions to classical music and cultural exchange.