Xun Sun Biography

Mr. Xun Sun has served as the Music Director/Conductor of the Orchestra of Southern Utah since 2003. As a conductor, Mr. Sun has made many appearances over the years in concert series and educational programs. Under his direction, the OSU has premiered both the Spanish Trail Suite and Africa by Marshall McDonald and Steve Nelson. In June 2008, the League of American Orchestras awarded OSU with an Award of Excellence in the annual Gold Book Online competition plus the only Audrey Baird Audience Development. The Spanish Trail Suite DVD also received a Silver Telly Award in cooperation with Video Ideas of Tennessee. In 2005, the League of American Symphony Orchestras honored OSU with one of the three national awards given for educational service. 

Xun Sun has also continually broadened his professional career as an orchestral conductor. His most recent performance was in conducting the world renowned China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing.  He was invited to conduct the Lviv Philharmonic in the 8^th International Contemporary Music Festival (2007) in Ukraine.  In May 2005, He was appointed principal guest conductor of the Hunan Symphony Orchestra in China. In 2004, Mr. Xun Sun conducted Carlisle Floyd’s opera Susanna. In 2007, he conducted the opera of Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck. His future engagements as a conductor include performances of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute in January and musical Wizard of OZ in April of 2009.  Professor Sun will continue to teach a master-class in conducting in Hunan, China.

As a tenured Associate Professor of Music, Mr. Xun Sun serves as Director of Orchestral Activities at Southern Utah University. He is current board member of the Stradivarius International Violin Competition in Salt Lake City and served as judge in the 2007 The First Stradivarius International Violin Competition (Youth Category).

Born in City of Taiyuan, China, Mr. Xun Sun manifested distinctive musical talent at an early age. He began his formal music training and violin studies at Wuhan Conservatory of Music at age 11 through the government’s scholarship program for exceptional music students. This substantial music training led him to successful graduate study in United States. While holding the Evelyn Ryan Nelson Concertmaster Fellowship at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Conservatory of Music, he concurrently served as assistant conductor in the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. He holds master's degrees in Instrumental Conducting and Violin Performance from the conservatory of UMKC. Mr. Xun Sun is pursuing his doctoral degree at Columbia University, New York.