About Tianxu AN

Tianxu An, from Baoding (Hebei province), a former capital city near Beijing, China, is an outstanding young (born in 1999) pianist, much sought after both at home in China and around the world. 

In June 2019, Mr. An drew international attention when won the fourth prize and a special prize for “courage and restraint” in the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition, - the highest award at that famous competition for a Chinese pianist in 17 years. His performance was lauded by the jury chairman Denis Matsuev as “sensational” and “beyond his years of maturity.” In July 2019, following on from his win, he made his orchestral debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center, performing Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. 

Highlights of his recent seasons included performances with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev in St Petersburg, with the China Philharmonic Orchestra with Xiaotang Xia as part of the International Mariinsky Far East Festival, as well as solo recitals at the Mariinsky Theatre St Petersburg and Shanghai Grand Theater. He collaborated twice with Jia Lü, first with the NCPA (National Centre for the Performing Arts) Orchestra for his debut there on October, 2019, and later with the Macau Orchestra at the Grand Auditorium, Macao Cultural Centre in November 2020. 

He has also received numerous top awards including first prize in the 2018 Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition; grand prize in the “Helen Cup” Shanghai International Piano Competition; and the second prize in the Wiesbaden International Piano Competition. 

He has participated in master classes with Klause Baessler, Barry Douglas, Andrea Bonatta, Maxim Mogilevsky, and Yefim Bronfman, and most recently, at a play/conducting master class with Mikhail Pletnev under the auspices of the Géza Anda-Foundation. 

Mr. An has had major recital tours in China, with 19 cities in 2021 and a further 14 in summer 2022. In August 2022, he made his recital debut in Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts and at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre. He recorded his first CD, a recital album for Alpha Classics, in August 2021, featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev, which was released in summer 2022 internationally. 

Mr. An completed his Bachelor’s Degree in 2022 at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he worked with Meng-Chieh Liu and also privately studied with Dang Thai Son. Currently, he is in the Master of Music Program at the Juilliard School in New York working with Robert McDonald. He previously studied with Hua Chang at the Middle School affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. 

Upcoming events include performances with China Philharmonic Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Kunming Symphony Orchestra, a major China recital tour and new collaboration with members of a leading edge chamber orchestra, Novus-Classica Camerata Shanghai. In 2023/24, his season will include his Vienna debut with the Tonkunstler Orchestra, performing concertos by Brahms and Mozart. 

Tianxu An is globally managed by Armstrong Music & Arts.