At the age of 10 Xiao-Ming Han began studying horn with his father, Xianguang Han, a renowned Chinese horn professor and prizewinner at the Geneva International Horn Competition in 1960. After graduating from the Academy affiliated with the China Central Philharmonic Orchestra and Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music at the age of 17, Xiao-Ming Han was appointed principal horn of the China Central Philharmonic Orchestra.
Conductor Seiji Ozawa visited China in 1979 and was impressed by Han's talent. He invited Han to attend the Tanglewood Music Center in the United States, and as a result, Han studied with Richard Mackey (member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) at New England Conservatory. In 1983 Han won the first prize at the International Horn Competition organized by the International Horn Society.
In 1984, upon receiving a scholarship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), he studied with Ifor James at the Freiburg University of Music, and with Otto Schmitz at the Munich University of Music, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in 1986. Three months after arriving in Germany, at age 22, Han was appointed principal horn of the Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra and later that year principal horn of the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.
Han has participated in music festivals such as the Salzburg Music Festival, Würzburg Mozart Music Festival, Saito Kinen Festival, and the Marlboro Music Festival, where he collaborated with Midori Goto, Mitsuko Uchida, and Hilary Hahn. He has performed as guest principal with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
In 1993, at the age of 30, Han became the youngest and only Asian professor of horn in Germany, at the University of Music Saarland until 2011. Han has presented masterclasses in the US, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Europe, and a regular guest professor at the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Han has promoted international collaboration in classical music through the annual Music Festival of the CCOM (2004-2010) and the first Chamber Music Festival in the China National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing; he was invited to establish an orchestra-in-residence at the NCPA.
Upon returning to Germany, Han toured with the Berlin Philharmonic in Europe and with the Royal Philharmonic in China, performed at the Surrey Hills International Music Festival, London and with the Sydney Opera Orchestra. He has also given several solo, chamber, and orchestra performances in China, Taiwan, and Korea.
Two solo recordings were released by Oehms Classics, and in 2016 Han adjudicated the ARD Competition in Munich.
Han was honored with the Punto Award in 2025.
