Praised by The Day for her “great poise and masterful technique” and “an amazingly rich tone,” cellist Yi Qun Xu has distinguished herself as both soloist and chamber musician, performing widely across the United States.

A recipient of the 2022 Presser Music Award and First Prize Winner of the 2021 New York International Artists Cello Competition, Yi Qun has earned numerous distinctions, including the Sanders-Juilliard–Tel Aviv Museum Prize, leading to a recital at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art; First Prize at the 58th Eastern Connecticut Symphony Instrumental Competition; and top honors at the 7th International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Croatia.

An ardent chamber musician, she has appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and at the Marlboro Music Festival, later touring with Musicians from Marlboro during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons. Her festival appearances include the Perlman Music Program, Heifetz International Music Institute, Music@Menlo, Prussia Cove, Kneisel Hall, Olympic Music Festival, and the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival.

Yi Qun has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Ani and Ida Kavafian, Hsin-Yun Huang, Carter Brey, Timothy Eddy, David Finckel, Ralph Kirshbaum, and members of the Cleveland, Emerson, Juilliard, Tokyo, and Ébène Quartets. Her performances have been featured on WQXR’s Midday Masterpieces and Alec Baldwin’s podcast Here’s the Thing.

She holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Juilliard School, where she was a Kovner Fellow. Her mentors are Joel Krosnick, Timothy Eddy, Ronald Leonard, and Laurence Lesser.

A dedicated educator, Yi Qun serves on the faculties of Juilliard Pre-College and the Music Advancement Program, the Perlman Music Program, and the Heifetz Institute, and is Co-Artistic Director of Noree Chamber Soloists