Chinese-born violinist Xiaoxuan Shi was appointed Second Assistant Concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra by Music Director Gianandrea Noseda in 2025. Prior to this appointment, she was a member of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.

A laureate of numerous competitions, Xiaoxuan has received the Grand Prize at the Adelphi Orchestra Young Artist Competition, First Prize at Vivo International Music Competition in New York, First Prize at Guangya Invitational Violin Competition, Sixth Prize at Singapore International Violin Competition, and Third Prize at China National Youth Violin Competition. She has appeared as soloist with the Adelphi Orchestra, MSM Chamber Ensemble, and Singapore Metropolitan Festival Orchestra.

Her festival appearances include prestigious summer programs at Aspen, Tanglewood, Crans-Montana, and Keshet Eilon, among others. An experienced orchestral musician, she has served in leadership positions with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Chamber Symphony, Aspen Chamber Symphony, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Apex Ensemble, and the Yale Philharmonia. She has performed in major concert halls such as Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Singapore Esplanade Concert Hall, Victoria Concert Hall, Tokyo Suntory Hall, and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

Xiaoxuan began studying violin at the age of five, and by ten her performances were featured in China’s best-selling Children’s Violin Tutorial series. In 2009, while a student at the Music Middle School of the Shanghai Conservatory, she was selected to participate in the China-Germany cultural exchange program, touring in Stuttgart, Munich, and Salzburg. She holds Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School and the Yale School of Music, as well as a Bachelor’s degree from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore. Her principal teachers include Qian Zhou, Catherine Cho, Hyo Kang, Glenn Dicterow, and Lisa Kim.