Pianist Xiaolu Zang is steadily gaining international recognition as a thoughtful and expressive artist of his generation, praised for his “deepest musical understanding, highest precision and virtuosity, profound inner expressive power, and an almost unbelievable richness of tone color” (ZF Kunststiftung). A First Prize and Audience Prize laureate at the Maria Canals International Music Competition, and Second Prize winner at the Paloma O’ Shea Santander International Piano Competition, Xiaolu has performed at prestigious venues including the Palau de la Música Catalana, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Regentenbau Bad Kissingen, Salle Cortot, and Teatro Municipal de Santiago.

His career has taken him across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa, collaborating with orchestras such as the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Niedersächsisches Staatsorchester Hannover, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, RTVE Symphony Orchestra, ‘Mihail Jora’ Philharmonic Orchestra of Bacau, Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya, and Orquesta Ciudad de Almería. He has worked under esteemed conductors including Pablo González, Michael Thomas, Douglas Bostock, Manel Valdivieso, Hankyeol Yoon, Frank Braley, Valtteri Rauhalammi, Florian Groß, and Ovidiu Balan. As a chamber musician, Xiaolu has performed with the Cuarteto Casals, Castalian String Quartet, and Karol Szymanowski Quartet.

Xiaolu’s repertoire ranges from Bach to contemporary and cross-genre composers such as Kapustin and Gulda. He holds a particular affinity for the German-Austrian Classical and Romantic tradition—from Mozart and Beethoven to Schubert and Schumann—and frequently explores early 20th-century composers like Ravel and Prokofiev. His programming often combines well-loved masterpieces with lesser-known gems, across concerto, solo recital, and chamber music formats.

Highlights of the 2024–25 season include his recital debut at the Palau de la Música Catalana; a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic under José Antonio Molina at the National Theater Eduardo Brito in Santo Domingo; a recital debut at Teatro Municipal de Santiago; and multiple recital tours throughout Spain and Latin America. Upcoming engagements feature collaborations with major Spanish orchestras such as the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, alongside distinguished conductors Gustavo Gimeno, Iván López-Reynoso, Johanna Malangré, and Vasily Petrenko.

Born in Qinhuangdao, China, Xiaolu began piano studies at age four under Yaqing Pan and gave his first recital at ten. He continued his education at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music Middle School with Professor Ye Lin. Currently based in Hannover, Germany, he studies with Prof. Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.

Xiaolu is passionate about all kinds of classical music, especially German-Austrian composers such as Schumann and Schubert, and he also enjoys jazz and jazz-inspired classical repertoire. He regards himself fortunate to be a musician, describing music not just as a career, but as a source of profound meaning and fulfillment: “Music reveals an endless universe of the human mind. When I’m making music, I feel alive.”