Biography
Born in Shanghai, China, Lishan Xue lives a multi-faceted musical life as a pianist, teacher, writer, director, and project producer.
Following her solo debut at the age of 6 at the Shanghai Concert Hall, she recorded Carl Czerny’s Left Hand Study, Op. 718 when she was thirteen, which was released by Nanjing Audio & Video Music Publishing House. Since then, Xue has performed in prestigious venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City; Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; Benaroya Hall in Seattle; Foellinger Great Hall at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana, Illinois; Simon Bolivar Hall in Venezuela; the Shanghai Concert Hall; Beijing Concert Hall; Gross Saal in Prayner Musik and Drama Konservatorium in Vienna; Konzert Saal in Brussels Music Conservatory in Belgium, and Cappella dei Mercanti in Turin.
Music journalist Philip Dewolf and Pascal Goffoux (RTBF, Culture/Music) wrote: “Excelled marvelously in the art of arranging the complexity of the sound . . . absorbing, captivating, and inventive.” José Antonio Abreu applauded her as “. . . a great pianist,” and Justin Kolb, “a pianist is born on the stage.” Xue was twice invited as the soloist performing Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Sinfónica Juvenil, Teresa Carreño, in Venezuela in the 2012-13 season, for which she was interviewed by China Xinhua News Network Corporation. She has been invited to perform in various music festivals including the Gilmore Keyboard Festival and Masterclasses, Chautauqua International Music Festival, the China-Asien Music Festival, the Shanghai Spring Music Festival, the Xinjiang Piano Festival, the Kelamayi Piano Festival, the Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, and the Shanghai Conservatory Music Academy and Festival. Her recent recitals include the Thirsty Ear Music Festival in Chicago, the China-ASEAN Contemporary Music Festival in Nanning, China, the 2022 “Future Maestro” series at Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, and the “Rising stars concert in memorial of Piazzolla,” at the 2021-2022 Chamber Music Series of Shanghai Symphony Hall.
Xue has won numerous prizes in regional, national, and international competitions. Most recently are the “On Stage” International Classical Music Competition, Los Angeles International Liszt Piano Competition, New York Artists International Competition, The American Prize—Lorin Hollander Award in Piano, the 21st Piano-Composition Commission International Competition, and the Neal Kate Kinley Art Memorial Fellowship. The Chinese piano journal Little Pianist published a special interview about her when she was the first pianist studying in Mainland China, to be a prizewinner in the Senior Division at the 12th Missouri Southern International Piano Competition in 2008.
Xue has received invitations and scholarships to participate in music festivals and masterclasses held in China, Europe, and the United States where she studied under the instruction of Fou Ts’ong, Russell Sherman, Arie Vardi, Jerome Lowenthal, Nalita True, Solomon Mikowsky, HongKuan Chen, Robert McDonald, Jerome Rose, David Lively, Anton Kuerti, Tigran A. Alikjanov, and Guillermo Gonzales. As an active chamber and collaborative musician, Xue has worked with many internationally renowned artists, including Atar Arad, Dale Clevenger, Peter Stumpf, Mimi Zweig, Kevork Mardirossian, Daniel Perantoni, Thomas Robertello, Robert Walters, and has led groups of musicians as a collaborative pianist for the Indiana String Academy and the International Tuba and Euphonium Association.
A life-long music educator, Xue has been frequently invited to give lectures, masterclasses, and has been on the jury panel for festivals and competitions in China and the United States. Most recently are the National Federation Music Club Festival in Sioux City, the MTNA Piano Competition in Champaign-Urbana, the 4th Franz Liszt International Youth Piano Competition(China), the 1st Xinjiang International Piano Festival, the 1st Kelamayi Piano Festival, and the 4th Changning District International Music Festival. Her first book, Learn to improvise JAZZ, was published by the Shanghai Music Publishing House in 2019. She currently teaches at the New York University Shanghai since 2021.
Xue was awarded her Doctor of Musical Arts in Music from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2021. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Additionally, she has received Artist Diplomas from Oberlin Conservatory and Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Her principal teachers include Monique Duphil, Arnaldo Cohen, Menahem Pressler, and William Heiles. In addition to piano, she is also skilled at the fortepiano, the clavichord, the harpsichord, and the organ, following the guidance of David Breitman, Charlotte Mattax, and Dana Robinson.
In her spare time, Xue enjoys hiking, yoga, other art forms such as painting and film, and cooking by mixing different cuisine styles.