In her lifetime Xian Zhang has already curated an extremely impressive career. Born in 1973 in  Dandong, Liaoning her early studies in music started with piano. Her higher level studies began at the Central Conservatory of Music where she received her bachelor's and master’s. Once she moved to America in 1998 she studied at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for her doctorate degree.

 

After winning first place in the Maazel/Vilar Conductors' Competition she was appointed the cover conductor for the New York Philharmonic from 2002-2004. She was then promoted to assistant conductor in 2004 and finally in 2005 became the associate conductor as appointed by Lorin Maazel. During the same time she was also the music director for the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra from 2005-2007. Zhang has made history with four different orchestra’s for either being the first female to conductor the ensemble and or being the orchestra’s first music director. These orchestra’s are Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Nederlandse Orkest-en Ensemble-Academie, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. For the BBC it is even more impressive was the first woman conductor ever to conduct the annual Prom which includes Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven.