Because aside from being a remarkably passionate and talented human, I want the world to know how much his humanity, spirit, and humor lit up this world.
He wasn’t just an incredible acoustician — but a generous, loving, and comforting family man until the end of his life. He and his wife Anne Xu were an incredible duo, full of life, jokes, and tenderness. He was the best grandfather I could have ever had. He taught me to draw, to see things differently, to open my ears and mind — so I’ll let you discover him here! Feel free to leave a comment below to share memories you have of him or just leave us a message!
BIO
Albert Yaying Xu was a Chinese-born architectural acoustician, born on November 11, 1934, in Tianjin, and passed away on December 6, 2023, in Paris.
In 1953, he enrolled in the architecture department at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, specializing in architecture under Professor Liang Sicheng, known as the father of modern Chinese architecture.
Graduating in 1959, he stayed on at the university as a teacher while delving into acoustic theory under Professor Ma Dayou at the Acoustic Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In the late 1970s, he joined the Ministry of Culture, where he oversaw the sound evaluation of theaters across the country. In 1979, when the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Herbert Von Karajan, visited China, Albert ensured that concert venues met the maestro's acoustic standards.
That same year, during the visit of Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra to China, Albert supervised acoustic improvements at the selected Hongta auditorium.
At the end of 1979, he was invited to France to conduct research on the project “Subjective Evaluation of Sound Quality and Objective Acoustic Indices” at IRCAM (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music), under the direction of Pierre Boulez. From 1982 to 1984, he worked with the Danish Acoustic Office.
In 1987, on the recommendation of architect Ieoh Ming Pei, he founded his own acoustic consulting firm, Xu Acoustique, in Paris.
Throughout his life, Albert Yaying Xu contributed to numerous projects, including the Cité de la Musique in Paris and the Luxembourg National Music Hall in collaboration with Christian de Portzamparc, the Louvre Pyramid and Cour Marly with Ieoh Ming Pei, the Bordeaux National Opera with Fonquernie, the Arsenal in Metz with Ricardo Bofill, La Grange au Lac near Evian with Patrick Bouchain, and Wei-Wu-Ying, the national arts center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in collaboration with Francine Houben.
He spoke at many international scientific research seminars and authored articles published in journals such as Progressive Architecture, Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics, Technique & Architecture, and Le Moniteur.
WORKS
Concert Halls and Operas
- 1989, Arsenal Ney, Metz, France
- 1990, Le Corum, Montpellier, France
- 1993, La Grange Au Lac, Evian, France
- 1997, Cité de la Musique, Paris, France
- 2004, Théâtre Graslin, Nantes, France
- 2004, Oriental Arts Center, Shanghai, China
- 2005, Philharmonie de Luxembourg, Kirchberg, Luxembourg
- 2007, Philharmonie of Saint Petersburg, Russia
- 2009, Prince Mahidol Hall, Bangkok, Thailand
- 2009, Central Concert Hall of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan
- 2010, Onassis Foundation, Athens, Greece
- 2013, Lausanne Opera, Lausanne, Switzerland
- 2013, Cidade das Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2019, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Shanghai, China
- 2020, CasArt, Casablanca, Morocco
- 2022, National Arts and Cultural Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Theaters
- 1987, National Theater of Brittany, Rennes, France
- 1988, Auxerre Theater, Auxerre, France
- 1996, Théâtre de Verre, Châteaubriant, France
- 1996, National Theater of the Opéra-Comique, Paris, France
- 1997, Esch Theater, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- 1998, Teatro Nacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
- 1998, Le Phénix Theater, Valenciennes, France
- 2000, Théâtre du Passage, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- 2004, Neumünster Abbey, Grund, Luxembourg
- 2005, National Theater, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
- 2006, New Cultural Equipment, Rennes, France
- 2011, Théâtre de Thionville, Thionville, France
- 2012, Équilibre Theater, Fribourg, Switzerland
- 2013, Bahrain National Theater, Al-Manama, Bahrain
Cultural Centers and Conservatories
- 1993, La Filature, Mulhouse, France
- 1994, Americas Center, Paris, France
- 1997, Japanese Culture House, Paris, France
- 2007, Miguel Delibes Cultural Center, Valladolid, Spain
- 2003, Verniquet Amphitheater, Paris, France
Amplified Venues
- 1989, Crazy Horse, Paris, France
- 2005, Hong Kong Arena, Hong Kong, China
- 2007, Le Prisme, Aurillac, France
- 2023, Dome of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
Museums and Other Venues
- 1988, Louvre Pyramid, Paris, France
- 1991, Terminal 2, Barcelona Airport, Barcelona, Spain
- 1997, National Orchestra House of Île-de-France, Alfortville, France
- 1999, Macau Cultural Center, Macau, China
- 2002, Villefavard Farm, Villefavard, France
- 2007, Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China
- 2008, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar
- 2009, Larnaca Airport, Larnaca, Cyprus
- 2012, Miho Chapel, Kyoto, Japan
- 2013, Maison Du Savoir, Belval, Luxembourg
Press & External Links
- Official site: Xu Acoustique
- Instagram: Xu_acoustique
- Wikipedia draft
- Epic Scenes: Albert Xu's work on the largest arts venue in Taiwan
- A Barn and a Lake: A profile on Xu's collaboration with architect Patrick Bouchain on a 1,100-seat auditorium
- A Source of Life at Evian-les-Bains: Albert Yaying Xu’s audience-centered acoustic design
- Le Moniteur: Tribute article on Xu’s life and career, recognizing his collaborations with renowned architects worldwide