The Chinese-French pianist Mila Levistre, also known as Xiaoxi Wu, has been mesmerizing audiences internationally since 2005 when her performance in the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw was described as: “Intimate and delicately confessional playing, rich in nuance, marked by rare sensitivity to sound and tone” (Jan Popis, the Polish Press). Levistre has been recognized as the laureate of numerous prestigious competitions including the Grand Prix of the 21st Century Art Festival in Ukraine. She was also among the top prize winners at the José Roca International Competition in Valencia, the Mozart International Competition in Salzburg, and the Jean Françaix International Competition in Paris.

Levistre has appeared in major concert venues such as the Grand Hall of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Rachmaninov Hall, the Großer Saal of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, Salle Cortot in Paris, the Palacio de la Música in Valencia, and the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon, among others. Her performances are emotionally riveting and engaging and have always won praise from public and critics alike. The Cherpovets Press described the “unexpected colors and delicate warmth” of her playing “powered by an energy that captivated the audience from start to finish.”

She has performed as soloist with the Camerata of Salzburg under noted conductor Dennis Russell Davies, and with the Mediterranean Symphony Orchestra, the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kislovodsk Philharmonic. In addition to her solo recitals and performances with orchestras, Levistre is a devoted chamber music performer and has composed music with her husband Emilien Levistre for films and television.

Born in Beijing, Levistre began studying piano at the age of three and made her concert debut at age five. At fifteen she moved to Moscow as a student of Irina Turusova, and later with Alexey Skavronsky at the Gnessin Academy of Music. Further studies were with Boris Berman and Claude Frank at Yale in the U.S. and Ramzi Yassa at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. In addition she had coaching and master classes with Fou Ts’ong, Aquiles Delle Vigne, Alexander Kobrin, Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy, Hung-kuan Chen and Victor Rosenbaum.

The Journal “Culture” in Russia summed up the appeal of her playing: “A captivating blend of natural charm and….mature mastery.”