You Xi Xi You

You Xi is a pianist and a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing, China. Founder of the International Chamber Music Festival of the CCOM, she has also served as its Artistic Director since its inception in 2008.

New York Concert Review commenting on her performance at her recital at Carnegie Concert Hall (Weil Recital Hall) said "A supremely gifted pianist, overwhelmingly generous with her musicianship, Xi You is a purveyor of delights who clearly respects her audience with whom she communes in total sincerity.” New York’s Sing Tao Daily described her music: "A combination of various styles, her performance is perfection. Her future has unlimited promise.” The International Journal of Pennsylvania commented “She made the earnest effort to remain true to Beethoven while bringing her original voice to the music.” Zurich’s “The Courier” summed up her performance by saying “Ms. You Xi perfectly handled the Chopin piece with ease and grace and the Beethoven Sonata with a combination of genuine pattern and passion. Her music is played with love and soul.”

Born in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, You Xi studied at the Primary and Middle Schools attached to CCOM and was a student of Professor Chen Bigang. With outstanding achievements in the Middle School, she was admitted to the Department of Piano of the CCOM without entrence audition and became a student of Professor Li Qifang. Afterwards, she went abroad for further studies. First, she attended the Zurich Conservatory and then the Manhattan School of Music in the U.S. on scholarships awarded her for outstanding work. She was awarded a Master of Music, a Doctorate Degree and Performance Diploma with honors. During her studies abroad, she worked with internationally famous pianists and teachers, such as Homero Francesch, Solomon Mikowsky, Nina Svetlanova, and Robert McDonald.

Maestro Alexis Weissenberg invited her to perform at his Festival in Luzerne, Switzerland and conferred the “Special Prize” on her. Afterwards she benefited from having private lessons with him. In 2012, the year of Weissenberg’s death, You Xi accompanied a CCTV crew to Switzerland to be an adviser on a documentary about his life.

You Xi has left her footprint in China, Switzerland, Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany. She has performed recitals and played with ensembles at the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York, the Merkin Concert Hall in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Phoenix Hall, Lancaster Opera House in Pennsylvania, Zurich's Tonhalle, Zurich City Hall, Saint Pierre Cathedral, Baroque Hall, London’s St. James's Cathedral, Turin Music Hall, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing Concert Hall, Zhong Shan Music Hall, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Wuhan Qintai Grand Theatre, Tianjin Concert Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall, Harbin Music Hall, Daqing Opera House, Qingdao Music Hall, Nanjing Art Theatre, and the Hong Kong City Hall. She has performed with the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Arco String Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Military Band of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, China Youth Symphony Orchestra, Kunming Symphony Orchestra, and Hungary's "Auer" String Quartet many times. She is often invited to lecture at universities in the U.S., Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Luxem-bourg, South Korea, and China.

You Xi has won a number of international and national prizes, including First Prize at Kiwanis Music Competition in Switzerland and Top Prize at “International Artists” in New York. She also has the honor of having held two recitals at Carnegie Music Hall in New York. She has won Teacher Awards more than 20 times in important competitions held in China: For example, the "Excellent Teacher Award" and "Gardener Award" in the "Small Golden Bell" competition, "Pearl River-Kayserburg" competition, "Shenzhen Piano Open Competition", and "Golden Sunflower Cup" competition; "Henry Fok National Excellent Teachers Award" conferred by the Ministry of Culture of China in 2008; "The Talent of New Century Award" conferred by the Ministry of Education in 2010; "Outstanding Contribution Award" conferred by CCOM at the 70th anniversary of CCOM in November 2010; Second Prize of the "Culture Creativity Competition in Beijing" jointly held by the Haidian District Government and Institute for Cultural Industries of Beijing University in 2012. In the same year, she was named a "Top Ten Young Pianists" by the Music Channel of the CCTV. And in 2015, she was honored the Outstanding Award for "Four Groups Arts" Special Contribution in the publicity and culture circles of Beijing.

Since she has been teaching at CCOM, You Xi has dedicated herself to cultivating a new generation of piano talents in China. Her students often win prizes in famous national and overseas piano competitions

You Xi has also been devoting herself to performing world contemporary music and to promoting new works by Chinese composers. The main works she has performed in recent years include: the world premiere performance of Colombian composer Arturo Cuellar's "Fantasia in F for Piano and String Orchestra" in London; premiere performance of Xu Zhitong's piano concerto "The Island" working with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the CCOM at the Beijing Modern Music Festival; world premiere performance of the piano trio "The Colorful Sutra Banner" by Ye Xiaogang in Beijing. She also gave the premiere performance of masterpieces composed by many famous Chinese contemporary composers at the 2007 Beijing Modern Music Festival, including “Qing Bei Xu” by Xiang Min, “The Rhythm of Word” by Xu Zhitong and “China Paintings” by Wang Feinan. In 2009, she premiered “Piano Trio Op.59” by Ye Xiaogang and made a recording of it in China. In 2012, she gave the world premiere performance of "For Piano, Clarinet and Symphony Orchestra" by American composer James DeMars at the Chamber Music Festival of the CCOM, accompanied by the Military Band of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

You Xi was often invited to attend music festivals such as the International Piano Festival of Alexis Weissenberg in Switzerland, the Beijing Contemporary Music Festival, the International Music Festival in Salzburg, Austria, and the International Music Festival in Vianden in Luxembourg.

You Xi’s highly regarded publications include audio, video and textbooks. Among them are the album “The Sound, Poetry, and Paintings of Chamber Music---You Xi and her friends”, "The Pick of Chamber Music Festival of CCOM" published by Beijing Global Audio-Visual Publishing House; the practical piano textbook "Best Collection of Piano Works of South America" edited by You Xi and published by the Central Conservatory of Music Press, as well as the DVD+CD album "Voive of You Xi---Les Affinites" published by China Record Corporation.

You Xi has been interviewed by such media as Beijing Youth Daily, Young Musician, Poland Radio, Music Channel of CCTV, New York Chinese Radio, Piano Journal and People's Music.