About

Xu Zheng is a Chinese composer based in Kansas City. Her music weaves flowing narratives that delve into the inner depths of the subconscious, often inspired by her rich Chinese literary heritage. She engages with themes of poetry, cultural identity, human struggle, and the fusion of Eastern and Western musical languages, pushing the boundaries of their modern possibilities. Through both acoustic and electronic mediums, including music programming in Max/MSP, Xu creates a wide range of sonic landscapes. Alongside composition, she enjoys playing piano and guqin. 

Xu has engaged in various collaborations with individual artists and ensembles. Notable projects include serving as Composer-in-Residence for the UMKC Fellowship String Quartet (2022), participating in the Bartók Reimagination Project (2023) with pianist Xinyi Lu, the (Comp)laborations Project (2023) with baritone Evan J. Nelson and percussionist Martin Mendez, and a Dance Composition Project (2023) with choreographer Joanna Murphy. She also worked on the Sandbox Percussion Collaboration Project with the UMKC percussion department (2024).

Over the years, Xu has actively participated in musical festivals, such as Berkley Summer Jazz Camp (Shanghai, 2016), Collevoxus Exchange (Denton, TX, 2020), Composers Hub in LunART Festival (Madison, WI, 2022), and Composing in the Wilderness (Denali, AK, 2023). 

Xu holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M., 2024), where she studied with Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Paul Rudy, and Yotam Haber, and from the University of Kansas (B.M., 2021), where she studied with Ingrid Stolzel, Bryan Kip Haaheim, and Forrest Pierce.  

Xu’s accolades include the first prize in the Dr. Gerald Kemner Prize for Orchestra Composition (2024), the UMKC Women's Council Graduate Assistance Fund: Chi Omega Alumni Association Award of Excellence and the Carolyn Fuller and Nancy Iovinelli Award - Presidents & Past Presidents General Assembly-KC (2023), and the Edward & Nancy Mattila Electronic Music Composition Award (2021).