Xiao Liu

As one of the most well-known young violinists in China today, was recruited as a violin professor at the age of 24, by Central Conservatory of Music, China’s top music academy. He has ever since then become known as the youngest violin educationalist in the school. In 2008, in the great influential First CCTV Violin TV Competition, he won the gold award without doubt, becoming well-known and popular among Chinese audience, then he was listed among the most active violinists with the profile of big stars in the country.

As early as in 1999, when he was only 17 years old, he won the champion of the First "MIDO" International Violin Competition, and made a fine figure in the international arena. Later in the same year, he consecutively won the grand prize in other three competitions, and received the honors of Sumner Redstone prize, National Outstanding Music Achievement Award, and so on. He was the favorite student of the internationally renowned violinist Midori  and Professor Lin Yaoji . He was awarded a Master degree in Central Conservatory of Music, and furthered his learning in the well-known Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and the Thornton School of Music in the University of Southern California. 

As a soloist, he has been active on concert platforms all round the world. He has went on visits to various countries in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa including France, Canada, Switzerland, Spain, Colombia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Singapore. In China, he also goes through most cities and regions to hold recitals and master-classes, and wherever he goes, he is always widely welcomed.

The symphony orchestras he has worked with cover a number of internationally renowned orchestras as well as most of the outstanding orchestras from domestic provinces and cities, including  Lahti Symphony Orchestra，Colombia National Symphony Orchestra, Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra and Beijing Symphony Orchestra, etc.. Many distinguished conductors have maintained long-term cooperation with him, which include Okko Kamu，Irwin Hoffman, Alejandro Posada, Steve Davis, Zhu Hui, Tan Lihua, Zhang Guoyong, Hu Yongyan, Fan Tao， Zhang Yi, and so on.

By virtue of his distinctive interpretive ability in modern musical works, his performance has received attention and favor from many internationally well-known contemporary composers in recent years. Master composers such as Du Mingxin, Xiaogang Ye, Tan Dun, Chen Yi, and Huang Anlun all have had close co-operation with him, and they even hand over their new works to Liu for debut and promotion at home and abroad. 

In 2006, he performed in the Palais des Nations, United Nations European Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland, for thousands of audience including ambassadors from more than 190 countries, which caused a sensation and was highly valued by Mr. Sha Zukang, UN Under-Secretary-General.

At the 30th Anniversary Celebration Festival of the famous Japanese Chaconne Violin Company, he was invited to use a number of valuable Stradivarius violins to successfully hold his solo concerts and was awarded the right to use Guarneri del Gesù violin.

French State TV once recorded a documentary feature film of Liu’s visiting performance in France and broadcast it to the whole country. Colombian State TV had shown live his performance to the nation. The well-known interview program Love Music of Beijing TV had interviewed him to introduce his artistic career.

During his visit to China, the well-known violinist Gidon Kremer listened to his performance and said: “Your outstanding performance not only delights and surprises me, but also wins the love of  the audience, which  I can tell from their thunderous applause!”

Another well-known violinist Pinchas Zukerman also calls Liu the “Mr.Paganini”.

The Japanese media comments that “such an outstanding young man with great ambition should be a shining example for the Japanese youth to follow”.

His violin is made by Joseph Gagliano in 1774,Napoli,Italy.