Xiao Wong, cello, was born in Beijing, China, where he first received ear-training and piano lessons from his father at age three. He began to study cello when he was seven and eventually graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He came to the United States in 1988 on a full scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. Further studies took him to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA and the University of Maryland. Prior to joining the Houston Symphony in 2000, he was a member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.