American violinist NATALIE DARST XIA lives in Paris where she is an Artist-in-Residence at the Fondation des États-Unis. A recipient of the 2024-2025 Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley Award in the Arts and a four-time recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation grant, she has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and the United States. Passionate in promoting the Franco-American cultural exchange, she enjoys connecting with artists through her work as a violinist in cultural diplomacy, concert curation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
She has held fellowships at the Spoleto Festival USA, Sarasota Music Festival, New York String Orchestra Seminar at Carnegie Hall, Aspen Music Festival, The Fontainebleau Schools of Music and Fine Arts, and the Académie de Musique Riviera.
As an orchestral musician, Natalie was Concertmaster of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra USA, Mannes Orchestra, and Boston University Symphony Orchestra. She received a Bachelor of Music with Honors and a Master of Music from Mannes where she held the President’s Scholarship. In May 2024, she earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance from Boston University College of Fine Arts, and upon graduation, she received the Symphony Orchestra Award.
Natalie serves on the board of trustees for the Fontainebleau Associations (USA) and spends her summers as the Assistant Program Director of the Fontainebleau Schools’ American Conservatory in the historic Château de Fontainebleau. She previously served as the Orchestra Personnel Management Assistant at the Spoleto Festival USA.
Natalie Darst Xia plays a Gagliano violin, loaned by Mr. Bouvet, on the initiative of the TALENTS & VIOLON’CELLES endowment fund.
