Xinran Shi

Xinran Shi

United States I  13

An 8th grader at Miller Middle School in San Jose, California, Xinran Shi has won competitions across the United States. She currently learns piano with Hans Boepple and has appeared on NPR’s From the Top. She was a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation 2020–2022 class and performed last year at the organization’s galas in New York and California, as well as at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. Outside of the piano, she enjoys dancing ballet, reading, swimming and traveling.

 


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Xuanyan Jessie Gong

XUANYAN JESSIE GONG 龚暄妍

China  I  16

“I believe that our music can never lie, because our hearts never lie, and music is something that is very close to the heart. Our true personality will show in our music, and what we try to hide in real life will show in our music; one’s music is a mirror of one’s life.”

Born in Shanghai, Xuanyan Jessie Gong has lived in New York for five years, attending the Waldorf School of Garden City and studying piano at Juilliard Pre-College with Ernest Barretta. She takes additional lessons with 2005 Cliburn Finalist Chu-Fang Huang and formerly studied with Matti Raekallio. Last year saw a first-prize finish in the senior division at the Kaufman Music Center International Piano Competition, as well as an appearance on NPR’s From the Top. She also took part in the Valissima Institute, a program for highly advanced female instrumentalists with a strong interest in conducting. Her dedication to music stems from her surety in its power: “I believe that music can invisibly cure people’s hearts, unite people through feelings, and make the world a much better place then it could have become.” She notes that participating in the Cliburn Junior has been her goal since elementary school; she looks forward to working with “some of the best musicians and the future leaders of classical music in the world.” Her interests outside of piano lie in both “all things mysterious, things like astronomy and physiology,” and the everyday—spending time with her brother and her friends and staying connected with her grandparents and friends in China.


REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round

BACH  Prelude and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 875
CHOPIN  Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, op. 23
RACHMANINOV Étude-tableau in C Major, op. 33, no. 2
RACHMANINOV Étude-tableau in A Minor, op. 39, no. 6

Quarterfinal Round

CHOPIN Nocturne in E-flat Major, op. 55, no. 2
HAYDN Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:50 (I)
SCHUMANN Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22

Semifinal Round – Recital

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, op. 31, no. 3
LIEBERMANN Impromptu, op. 68, no. 1
LISZT Rhapsodie espagnole

Final Round – Concerto 

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37


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Xiaolu Zang

Xiaolu Zang

China  I  Age 22

Born in Qinhuangdao, Xiaolu Zang was 4 years old when an electric keyboard caught his attention. He eventually attended the Beijing Central Music Conservatory Middle School for seven years under Professor Ye Lin and won first prizes in several major Chinese competitions. It was during that time, at the age of 15, that he recalls a singular day when he determined himself to become a professional musician. That commitment took him to Germany in 2017, where he studies with Arie Vardi at Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.

Xiaolu has done well at international contests, including winning first prize at the Verona and Mayenne (France) Competitions, and strong showings at the Busoni, Leeds, Queen Elisabeth, and Hamamatsu Competitions. He performed numerous concerts in China, Germany, Japan, Austria, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Dubai. His strong interest in collaboration led to his work with the Staatsballett Hannover in 2020, playing both of Chopin’s piano concertos with the Staatsorchester Hannover in its special production about the life of choreographer Nijinsky.

Growing up in China and living five years in Europe now, Xiaolu visited the United States three times prior to the Cliburn and is looking forward to more time here. He finds experiencing different cultures to be key to artistic development, noting: “The essence of all kinds of music is to move people, to let one think, to mark the victory of humanity. The way we achieve it should not be the same, just like what Feruccio Busoni said, ‘Music is born free.’”


REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round

SCHUMANN Humoreske in B-flat Major, op. 20
SCRIABIN Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, op. 30
HOUGH Fanfare Toccata

Quarterfinal Round

SCHUBERT Sonata in C Minor, D. 958
RAVEL La valse

Semifinal Round – Recital

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 28 in A Major, op. 101
SCHUBERT Impromptu in C Minor, D. 899, no. 1
JANÁČEK Sonata 1.X.1905 (“From the Street”)
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83

Semifinal Round – Mozart concerto

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488

Final Round – Concerto I

CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, op. 11

Final Round – Concerto II

PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, op. 16


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XAVIER AYMONOD

XAVIER AYMONOD

AGE 46  I  PARIS, FRANCE  I  FRANCE
MARKETING DIRECTOR – PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

A science and technology graduate of France’s prestigious École Polytechnique, Xavier Aymonod has built a career as an international public transportation specialist with a passion for sustainable and smart mobility. Currently customer director for Transdev, he balances work responsibilities with his family life (his children are 10 and 12 years old) and his love for traveling, running, golf, wine, and—of course—music. His piano studies began early at the Aix-en-Provence Conservatory, and his commitment hasn’t waned in adulthood: he is a laureate of many international amateur competitions—including a third-place finish at the 2016 Cliburn Amateur; has performed in France, Germany, Russia, South Africa, and the United States; and works in transcriptions and composition.


Repertoire

Preliminary Round

BACH Fantasia in C Minor, BWV 906
DUTILLEUX “Choral et Variations,” Piano Sonata, op. 1

Semifinal Round 

FRANCK Prélude, Choral et Fugue
HOROWITZ Variations on a Theme from Bizet’s Carmen

Final Round 

PROKOFIEV Concerto No. 3 in C Major, op. 26 (III)

Xingyu Zhou

Xingyu Zhou

China I Age 14

Xingyu Zhou made his recital debut at the age of 8 in his native Beijing, and his concerto debut two years later in Canada with the St. Andrews Festival Orchestra. That was his second successful appearance in St. Andrews, where he won all top prizes in his age category at its international piano academy and festival in 2013. Among his accolades, he counts several top finishes in Chinese competitions, as well as concert appearances in Beijing, Shanghai, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. He moved with his family three years ago to Philadelphia, where he studies with the Curtis Institute’s Meng-Chieh Liu. He also attends the Albert M. Greenfield School, where he excels academically, especially enjoying literature, math, and science, and is on the track team. He is also an adept athlete, having seriously studied badminton and speed skating, amongst others.

“When people converse, both sides talk. I think the case with music is similar. The performer does not simply give out everything he has—the music should also speak back to him. I often find my view on something has changed because of music.”

Repertoire

Preliminary Round
BACH Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 860
CHOPIN Etude in G-sharp Minor, op. 25, no. 6
LISZT Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S. 514

Quarterfinal Round

BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 7 in D Major, op. 10, no. 3 (I)

CHOPIN Nocturne in E Major, op. 62, no. 2

RACHMANINOV Preludes, op. 23, nos. 4-8

 

Semifinal Round

SCHUMANN Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, op. 22

LISZT Two Concert Etudes

LIEBERMANN Gargoyles, op. 29

 

Final Round

GRIEG Concerto in A Minor, op. 16

Xiaoxuan Li

Xiaoxuan Li

China I Age 17

Since appearing as the youngest competitor in the first edition of the Cliburn Junior Competition in 2015, Xiaoxuan Li—the only returning competitor—moved from Shanghai to Philadelphia, where he studies with Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald at the Curtis Institute of Music. He is a laureate of several international young artist competitions, including Cleveland (senior division, first prize, 2018); Zhuhai Mozart (first prize, 2015); Hilton Head (second prize, 2015); and Ettlingen (2012). He began piano at the age of 4 and has performed extensively throughout China, with other notable concerts including Salzburg Chamber Soloists and the orchestras of Canton, Hilton Head, Ashdod, and Macao.

“I would gladly spend the rest of my life studying the beauty and nuances of every composer, every piece, every iteration. Piano is the media of my emotion. It drives me, shapes me, and propels me to a higher place.”

Competitor Profile

Repertoire

Preliminary Round
BACH Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 861
LISZT Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F Minor
CHOPIN Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, op. 60

Quarterfinal Round
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 7 in D Major, op. 10, no. 3
CHOPIN Nocturne in C Minor, op. 48, no. 1

Semifinal Round

LIEBERMANN Gargoyles, op. 29

SCHUBERT Impromptu in A-flat Major, op. 90, D. 899, no. 4

PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83

 

Final Round

PROKOFIEV Concerto No. 3 in C Major, op. 26

Xavier Aymonod

Xavier Aymonod, 40
Strategy consultant
Paris, France
France

Xavier Aymonod began his music studies at Aix-en-Provence Conservatory of Music, under the guidance of Monique Oberdoerffer and Michel Bourdoncle, and then went on to study science and technology at the prestigious École Polytechnique outside Paris. He was a laureate of the International Competition for Outstanding Piano Amateurs from 1998–2000 in Paris, and in 2000, he was a semifinalist at “Piano 20ème siècle” in Orléans. Mr. Aymonod has participated in master classes with William Aide, Jean-François Heisser, and Eric Heidsieck. Currently a principal at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, his work involves advising transportation companies on strategic issues. In his free time, Mr. Aymonod enjoys playing with his children (ages 4 and 5), traveling, running, golfing, and indulging in fine wine.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Etude in G-flat Major, op. 10, no. 5 (“Black Key”)
ALBENIZ   “El Albaicin” from Iberia, Book 3

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52
RAVEL   “Alborada del gracioso” from Miroirs

Semifinal Round
BRAHMS   Rhapsody in G Minor, op. 79, no. 2
ROQUE ALSINA   Etudes Nos. 2 and 3 from Klaverstücke No. 7
LISZT   Mephisto Waltz No. 1

Final Round
BEETHOVEN   Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37: I. Allegro con brio