Rising star Ju Xiaofu honored with Young Musician Award

Chinese pianist Ju Xiaofu, one of the rising talents among the country's young generation of classical musicians, received the "Young Musician Award" from the 29th Beijing Music Festival on Oct 19.

During the closing concert on Oct 20, the pianist will perform together with conductor Yang Yang, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, and Chinese rock pioneer Cui Jian in Beijing. The program features Chopin's Variations on La ci darem la mano, based on a theme from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. The performance also pays tribute to Mozart on the 270th anniversary of his birth.

Ju first appeared at the festival in 2020, when he was still an undergraduate student. At the closing concert of the 23rd Beijing Music Festival, he performed Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the China Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Yu Long.

He returned to the festival in 2023 for the Chinese premiere of Oiseaux exotiques (Exotic Birds) by French composer Olivier Messiaen, showcasing his versatility in contemporary music.

Looking back on his relationship with the festival, Ju said his debut in 2020 marked a turning point in his career.

"For me, it was more than just a performance — it felt like the true starting point of my professional career," he said. "That performance established the festival's irreplaceable place in my heart."

"To receive such a significant award in this beautiful autumn has fulfilled so many of my wishes and dreams," Ju said. "It will also support me as I continue on my artistic journey."

Born in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, in 2000, Ju began learning the piano at the age of 4. He graduated from the middle school affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music before earning both bachelor's and master's degrees from the Juilliard School in New York. He is now pursuing a diploma at the Hochschule fuer Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover in Germany.

In August, he released his latest album, titled Mist Without, under Deutsche Grammophon China as his first album after joining the label in April.