Xavier van de Poll was born in 1995 in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and started music at the age of five when he started playing the violin. He discovered his love for orchestral music and stage works at the age of thirteen upon joining the Netherlands Youth Orchestra, where he played canonic repertoire as well as contemporary works for seven years. From 2005 to 2011 he was a student at the youth department of the Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg. Afterwards he continued taking private lessons.

He started composing at the age of nineteen and received his first education in composition at the Conservatory of Amsterdam for two years where he was taught by Joël Bons. Simultaneously he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Musicology at the University of Amsterdam, where he graduated with his thesis “What’s the matter with atonality?: on the perception of atonal music from a neuropsychological viewpoint”. He finished his degree in Composition with a 9,5 from the Fontys Academy of Music & Performing Arts (AMPA) under the tutelage of Kees van den Bergh and Anthony Fiumara. He subsequently pursued a master’s degree in Composition at the Royal College of Music in London where he was taught by Kenneth Hesketh and graduated with distinction. He simultaneously enjoyed lessons in Conducting from Howard Williams. Xavier received financial support from the Royal College of Music (Kit and John Gander Award Holder) as well as various Netherlands-based institutes for obtaining his degree.

At present, Xavier is a PhD candidate at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music under the supervision of Chen Musheng. He was granted a full scholarship under the joint EU-China HPPD (High-Level People to People Dialogue) Program, allowing him to pursue his interest in eastern music and culture. He has received commissions from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, South Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Youth Orchestra, Kamerata Zuid, etc. In 2022, his double concerto for violin, violoncello and string orchestra was released on cd by the Sinfonietta Cracovia, after Xavier had won the 2018 Sinfonietta per Sinfonietta competition. In 2024, he won First Prize with Special Mention at the International Bach Music Competition. He assisted Anthony Fiumara in orchestrating the ballet Echoes of Van Gogh, which was premiered by the West Australian Ballet Company in 2023. Performances in China include the Chinese premiere of Madhouse by the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra and the world premiere of Kuí (夔), composed for Chinese and Western instruments, which was first performed by Ensemble l’Itinéraire. Xavier also co-operates regularly with pianist and composer Iris Hond.