The Cleveland Orchestra Appoints First Associate Concertmaster

Violinist Liyuan Xie will assume the role as of June 29, 2024

Appointed by The Cleveland Orchestra and its music director Franz Welser-Möst, violinist Liyuan Xie will begin his tenure as first associate concertmaster at the start of the 2024 Blossom Music Festival on June 29, 2024. He will hold the Virginia M. Lindseth, PhD, Chair.  

Xie first joined The Cleveland Orchestra in August 2023 as a member of the second violin section. Previously learning with Binyou Zhou at the middle school affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory, he is a recent graduate of the New England Conservatory (NEC) studying with Miriam Fried. 

Since his solo orchestral debut at age 11, Xie has collaborated regularly with the Shanghai Philharmonic, Shanghai Opera Orchestra, Shanghai Chamber Orchestra, Qingdao Symphony, Nanjing Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others. He has also performed at the Verbier Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the New York String Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary. 

As concertmaster, he has performed with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Verbier Festival Academy Orchestra, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of China, as well as NEC’s Symphony, Philharmonia, and Chamber Orchestra.

His recent solo engagements include those with the Nanjing Philharmonic Orchestra, Brookline Symphony Orchestra, and the Apollo Ensemble of Boston. Additionally, he has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Festival as a guest violinist, plus with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as guest assistant principal second violin.

Xie is looking forward to Cleveland Orchestra’s upcoming season, states the press release, including the European tour with Welser-Möst in August and September, the Beethoven piano concerto cycle with Igor Levit at Severance Music Center in November, and the ensemble’s two concerts at Carnegie Hall in March 2025. 

Deeply impressed by the group’s plans for the future, Xie also expressed that he is excited to continue his career in his new role with this world-class ensemble, the press release continued.

 “I’ve always admired the polished and recognizable sound of The Cleveland Orchestra, especially that of its string section. Being a member of this ensemble is a dream come true,” Xie said. “Over the last several months, I’ve felt so welcomed and I’ve learned so much from my colleagues and from Franz Welser-Möst.”