Yuan Xia – ARD INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION

Percussion

Yuan Xia was born in China in 2001 and began studying percussion in Shanghai at the age of nine. He received his musical training from Prof. Yang Ruwen, head of the Percussion Department at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Xia is currently pursuing his master’s degree in percussion at the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts under Professors Marta Klimasara and Klaus Dreher.

As a soloist, Yuan Xia has performed at venues including the Koninklijk Concertgebouw Amsterdam, where he appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as part of the city’s 750th-anniversary celebrations. He has also made guest appearances at various concerts in Europe, as well as in China and Korea.

Xia is a multiple prize winner at international competitions. In 2021, he won second prize at the IPEA International Percussion Competition. This was followed in 2022 by first prize at the Jeju International Brass and Percussion Competition, a prize that had not been awarded for five years prior. In 2024, he won first prize, the Audience Award, and the prize for the best interpretation of a Dutch work at the TROMP International Percussion Competition in Eindhoven—the highest honor ever achieved there by a Chinese musician. He received further awards at the Cleveland International Modern Snare Drum Competition and at the ISC International Music Competition in Switzerland.

Yuan Xia won second prize in the percussion category at the 75th ARD International Music Competition.