Sunny Xia
Conducting Candidate 2025
Biography
Place of Birth
Guangzhou (CN)
Place of Residence
Seattle (US)
Studies
- Cleveland Institute of Music (US), Profs. Carl Topilow, Jan Mark Sloman
- Arizona State University (US), Profs. Jeffery Meyer, Tito Muñoz
Prizes
- Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship 2024-2025 (US), Mentee
- Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music 2022 (US), Conducting Fellowship
Highlights
- Seattle Symphony Orchestra (US), Associate Conductor, 2023-2026
- Seattle Opera (US), Assistant Conductor, 2025-2026
- San Diego Symphony Orchestra (US), Conducting Fellow, 2025-2026
- Ozark Music Festival (US), Principal Conductor, 2025
COMPETITION PROGRAMME
First Round - Haute École de Musique de Genève Orchestra
- L.v. Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
- F. Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Second Round - Orchestre de Chambre de Genève
- I. Stravinsky: Danses concertantes
- P.I. Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings
- R. Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Semi-Final 1 - Orchestre de Chambre de Genève
- G. Bizet: Symphony in C
- L. Farrenc: Symphony No. 3
- F. Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 « Scottish »
Semi-Final 2 - Ensemble Contrechamps
- Ligeti: Kammerkonzert
- R. Saunders: Scar
Semi-Final 3 - Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
- C. Debussy: La Mer
- R. Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (1st movement)
- R. Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 (1st movement)
Final Round 1 - Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
- 3 finalist works from the Composition Competition
Final Round 2 - Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
- R. Strauss: Don Juan
- I. Stravinsky: The Firebird, Suite 1919
Events
During this first round of the Conducting Competition, the 24 candidates will each have 25 minutes of public rehearsal with the Orchestre de la Haute école de musique de Genève to work on or run through excerpts from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 and Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, drawn by lot at the beginning of the round.
Ballot n°1
Beethoven – Symphony n°2, 1st movement (Adagio molto – Allegro con brio)
Schubert – Symphony n°5, 3rd movement (Menuetto: Allegro molto)
Ballot n°2
Beethoven – Symphony n°2, 2nd movement (Larghetto)
Schubert – Symphony n°5, 4th movement (Allegro vivace)
Ballot n°3
Beethoven – Symphony n°2, 3rd movement (Scherzo: Allegro)
Schubert – Symphony n°5, 1st movement (Allegro)
Ballot n°4
Beethoven – Symphony n°2, 4th movement (Allegro molto)
Schubert – Symphony n°5, 2nd movement (Andante con moto)
SESSION 1 – FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER, 14:00
SESSION 2 – FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER, 19:00
SESSION 3 – SATURDAY 1st NOVEMBER, 14:00
- Jacobus De Jager
- Nicolò Azzena
- Guro Ansteensen Haugli
- Nathanaël Iselin
- Josephine Korda
- Zhongling Fang
SESSION 4 – SATURDAY 1st NOVEMBER, 19:00
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Open to the public
Sessions at 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
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Auditorium Ansermet
Passage Marie-Claude Leburgue 2
1205 Genève
