Nominated as one of BBC Music Magazine's Rising Stars of 2024, Xiaowen Shang’s recent career highlights include performing her own harpsichord arrangement of Handel arias and pop song covers with mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean, as well as the “Quarter-Life Crisis” concert at Wigmore Hall with Royal Philharmonic Society composer fellow Zygmund de Somogyi and her trio, Temporal Harmonies Inc. (THI) in April. Last year, she also performed cello–piano duo with Steven Isserlis at Apsley House and appeared as both a solo pianist and harpsichordist at Wigmore Hall with Brett Dean, Lawrence Power, and the Nash Ensemble. Additionally, she was invited for an interview with Sean Rafferty and performed live on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune to promote her debut album, Music of Silence, released by Linn Records as part of the Royal Academy of Music Bicentenary Series. The album has been featured on seven Apple Music playlists and has received positive reviews from various broadcast channels, including Scala Radio and Radio Kraków Kultura.

Xiaowen Shang is a versatile pianist, harpsichordist, and musician with a passion for early, classical, and contemporary music. Her repertoire spans Renaissance composers such as Antonio de Cabezón and William Byrd to contemporary figures including Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, and Brett Dean. She has collaborated with renowned musicians and composers such as Steven Isserlis, Joanna MacGregor, Rachel Podger, Brett Dean, Dame Imogen Cooper, Lawrence Power, and Adrian Brendel. Xiaowen is also enthusiastic about interdisciplinary projects, including live visuals, theatre, and silent film improvisation.

As an active performer, Xiaowen has played at prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Brighton Dome. She has also appeared as a soloist and chamber musician at numerous festivals, including the Brecon Festival, Petworth Festival, and Dartington Festival. Highlights of Xiaowen’s upcoming summer engagements include Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Bushey Symphony Orchestra under the baton of George Vass in May, solo recitals across the UK, and the Siegla Festival in Iceland with THI in August.

Xiaowen recently completed her Master of Music degree with Distinction under the guidance of Joanna MacGregor at the Royal Academy of Music, where she was a Bicentenary Scholar. She was also awarded the DipRAM and achieved a perfect score in her final recital. Starting in September 2024, she began her studies as a PhD candidate on a scholarship at the Academy, supervised by Neil Heyde and Mei-Ting Sun. She earned her Bachelor's degree with First Class Honours and received the Edwin Samuel Dove Prize for special merit.

Her recent accolades include winning First Prize in the Jacob Barnes Award with her trio, Temporal Harmonies Inc.; First Prize at the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Senior Intercollegiate Competition, along with the Beethoven Medal; and First Prize in the WCOM Harriet Cohen Bach Competition. Additionally, Xiaowen is a Young Artist of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

Xiaowen is also passionate about visual art, especially paintings. For her project combining Spanish keyboard music with self-portraits“Fragmented Mirrors”, click here