Luping Robyn Xu, harpsichord
All Longy students present full recitals as part of their education and ongoing evolution as artists. They are charged with thinking critically about what stories they tell, whose voices to amplify, and who’s in the room for their event while also considering how to use performance spaces in innovative ways and how to truly engage audiences and create interactive music experiences
Luping “Robyn” Xu is a Boston-based pianist and harpsichordist with a rich palette of repertoire, ranging from Renaissance to contemporary compositions. Driven by curiosity about the roots of keyboard music, she bridges past and present by highlighting underrepresented composers and diverse national styles and is fascinated by the understated beauty and richness of music, striving to honor voices from the past that continue to speak to us today. She has shared her artistry in China, Austria, Italy, and the U.S., with performances at Vienna’s Ehrbar Hall, Cremona’s Aula Camerale Giuseppe Maffei, and Pinerolo’s Accademia di Musica.
Xu thrives as a pianist in collaboration across genres and settings, including solo performances, small and large ensembles, orchestral, choral, operatic, and musical theater works. She has collaborated with organizations including Handel and Haydn Society, Boston City Singers, Cantata Singers, Dante Alighieri Society, Berklee College of Music, Packard Humanities Institute, and Longy School of Music.
Xu has premiered the works such as Delvyn Case’s solo cantata The Binding of Isaac–featured on Tablet Magazine’s Unorthodox podcast and broadcast internationally from London’s St Martin-in-the-Fields, as well as the new opera album Violetta by Quinn Gutmann and Leo Balkovetz, now available on major streaming platforms. She also joins the classical vocal ensemble “Ensemble Lyrae” for the 2025–2026 concert season.
As a harpsichordist, Xu performs regularly as both soloist and continuo player in historical performance contexts, from solo recitals and chamber music to choral and orchestral works. Her recent performances include Antonio Salieri’s Requiem and Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria at Our Lady Star of the Sea Concert Series in Marblehead, MA, appearances at the Boston Early Music Festival (2023, 2025) and Amherst Early Music Festival (2025), and ongoing exploration of lesser-known repertoire from the pre-Bach period and beyond.
Her versatility extends to interdisciplinary work, such as live improvisation for local artist Karl Stephan’s Natural Magick (Ink and Water series) and performances in Stephan’s exhibition KSx20: Persistence of Light at Nave Gallery. Beyond the stage, Xu serves as Music Director at Christ Church United in Dracut, MA, where she leads the music program, choir, and community events. She is also a teaching artist at South Shore Conservatory and the North End Music & Performing Arts Center.
Xu received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Wuhan Conservatory of Music in China, Master of Music and Graduate Performance Diploma in Piano Performance from Longy School of Music of Bard College, where she studied with Donald Berman. She is currently completing a Graduate Performance Diploma in Historical Performance (Harpsichord) under Dr. John McKean.
Second Stage Series
Be part of the excitement as Longy’s developing artists share their ideas, test their creativity, and invite you into their artistic journey. You’ll witness the energy and originality that emerge when musicians explore new possibilities and take bold steps in their growth. Every performance gives you a front-row seat to the making of tomorrow’s artists.
Thanks to our partnership with the Massachusetts Cultural Council and their “Card to Culture” program, Longy School of Music of Bard College can offer free tickets to many of our diverse and innovative performance offerings. See the full list of participating “Card to Culture” organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.