Xiangdong Kong
Piano
Kong Xiangdong is a world-renowned pianist and humanitarian ambassador. Since he became the prizewinner at age 17 at the 1986 International Tchaikovsky Competition, his piano performances have been internationally celebrated. A luminary in both music and humanitarian work, Kong Xiangdong has also extended the resonance of the piano far beyond the concert stage through artistic innovation and committed philanthropy.
Kong Xiangdong has garnered top prizes at the world’s most prestigious piano competitions, including the Bronze Medal at the 8th Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, the Fourth Grand Prize and Young Talent Award at the Santander International Piano Competition in Spain, the Gold Medal at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in the United States, and the Gold Medal plus four special prizes at the Sydney International Piano Competition in Australia.
He has served on the juries of distinguished competitions such as the Gina Bachauer, Sydney, Villa-Lobos, and Khachaturian International Piano Competitions. A graduate of the Music Middle School Affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he studied under renowned teachers including Zhang Yongqing, Jin Dishan, Fan Dalei, Dr. Paul C. Pollei, and Claude Frank.
Kong holds several pioneering roles: he was the first Chinese musician invited by the Austrian Ministry of Culture to give a solo recital at Vienna’s Golden Hall in 2004; the first Chinese pianist to perform at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1995; the first Asian pianist to sign with the BMG/RCA record label; and the first to stage a large-scale piano concert in Lhasa, Tibet. In 1993, he performed as a “Cultural Ambassador of Asia and China” at a historic concert marking the normalization of China–South Korea diplomatic relations. He also organized the “Overseas Chinese Famous Music Troupe,” which toured the United States and performed in Shanghai and Beijing, and helped plan the large-scale show “Bravo China” at the Hollywood Bowl in 1997.
His passionate performances have reached audiences in over 40 countries and regions, in venues such as New York’s Lincoln Center, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Los Angeles’ Ambassador Auditorium, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. He has collaborated with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, former Russian National Symphony Orchestra, Spanish National Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Japan Philharmonic, among others.
Beyond performance, Kong actively promotes music education and creative innovation in China. He serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Vice President of the China Special Arts Association, and has co-created classics such as “Love You for Ten Thousand Years” and the 2008 Beijing Olympic theme “Forever Friends!”
On May 25, 2025, Kong was awarded the Chancellor’s Medal by NYU Shanghai and appointed Professor-at-Large.
