Samuel Xu

Samuel Xu is a pianist currently pursuing a master’s degree at the New England Conservatory of Music under the instruction of HaeSun Paik. He began studying piano at a young age with his parents Fei Xu and Hong Zhu, winning competitions locally and internationally, including first prize of the 2015 IIYM International Piano Competition, Steinway Avanti Star Piano Competition, and Arizona Young Artist Piano Competition. Samuel studied with Alan Chow as an undergraduate student at the Eastman School of Music, and was featured as a guest artist with the prestigious Arizona Musicfest Festival Orchestra and the Verde Valley Sinfonietta, performing works such as Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto. He was also a scholarship recipient of the Chopin National Foundation of America for four consecutive years from 2016-2020 and has performed in masterclasses with artists such as Olga Kern, Ran Dank, Douglas Humpherys, Lydia Artymiw, and Michael Lewin.

Samuel loves contributing to local and school communities as a performer in music festivals/senior centers across the country, as a member of the Eastman Orientation Committee, and most recently as a teaching fellow for the NEC Community Performances & Partnerships program and student ambassador for the NEC Center of Cultural Equity and Belonging. In his free time, Samuel enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, composing music of various genres, and creating digital art.