SUNNY XIA
CONDUCTOR
CLASSICAL
Photo credits from left to right: M&J Sharoff, Carlin Ma
Manager: Javier Manzana
Territory: Worldwide
ABOUT
Recognized for her innate musicality, compelling presence, and technical precision, conductor Sunny Xuecong Xia forges immediate and captivating connections with orchestras and audiences alike. These qualities have led to engagements across the globe. Xia joined the Seattle Symphony as Douglas F. King Assistant Conductor at the start of the 2022/23 season and was quickly promoted to Associate Conductor. She leads the orchestra in a wide range of subscription, family, community, and education programs, collaborating with distinguished soloists such as Conrad Tao, Noah Geller, Mahani Teave, and Kerson Leong.
In previous seasons, Xia has conducted the world premiere of Angelique Poteat’s Dear Humanity with the Seattle Symphony and Youth Chorus, the Celebrate Asia concert, and the Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop, featuring 10 world premieres. She has also assisted Dame Jane Glover at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and appeared at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, where she led the world premiere of Marc Migó Cortés’ Dumka. She has conducted productions of La bohème with Chandler Opera Company and assisted in Così fan tutte, Hänsel und Gretel, Die Zauberflöte, The Juniper Tree, Le Rossignol, and L’Enfant et les Sortilèges.
Equally at home in symphonic and contemporary repertoire, Xia has led works by Michael Abels, Katy Abbott, Quinn Mason, Gabriela Ortiz, Gabriella Smith, Tan Dun, and more. She has conducted ensembles such as the Cleveland Institute of Music New Music Ensemble, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, MusicaNova Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony in dozens of world premieres.
Highlights of the 2025/26 season include subscription and special programs with the Seattle Symphony and an engagement with the New Jersey Symphony. Originally from Guangzhou, China, Xia relocated to Sydney at 14 under the sponsorship of the Australian String Academy, continuing violin studies with Peter Shi-xiang Zhang and Charmian Gadd. She holds dual master’s degrees in Orchestral Conducting and Violin Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music (with Carl Topilow and Jan Mark Sloman) and is a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University, where she studied with Dr. Jeffery Meyer and Tito Muñoz. At Seattle Symphony, she is mentored by Ludovic Morlot, and has benefited from the guidance of Marin Alsop, JoAnn Falletta, Cristian Măcelaru, Larry Rachleff, and Carl St.Clair.
An accomplished violinist, Xia has appeared as soloist with orchestras in China and Australia, including the symphony orchestras of Harbin, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangxi. Outside music, she enjoys basketball, reading, hiking, kayaking, and languages. She speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Teochew, and is improving her French, German, and Italian.