Xavier de Maistre began studying the harp in his home town of Toulon. He subsequently went on to perfect his skills with Jacqueline Borot and Catherine Michel in Paris, while at the same time studying political science and economics. He is the winner of major harp competitions in Paris, Cardiff, Munich, Vienna, Jerusalem and Bloomington At the age of 22 he was appointed to the position of solo harpist of the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and three years later to the same position at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist he has performed with many prestigious orchestras such as the Mozarteum Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the Luxemburg Philharmonic, the Sinfonia Varsovia, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Spain and the NHK Symphony under the direction of conductors like Sir Andre Previn, Heinrich Schiff, Walter Weller, Theodor Guschlbauer, Christophe Poppen and Armin Jordan. He has been invited by the most prestigious festivals including to Schleswig-Holstein, Salzburg, Rheingau, the Wiener Festwochen, the Osterklang, to Budapest, Styriarte, and Würzburg.
He has recorded many forgotten masterpieces including for the first time, the works of Denisov, Bauer, Huyssen and Wengler. He has been appointed professor at the Musik Hochschule in Hamburg. His recordings for the Claves Records, Obligat and Harmonia Mundi labels have been praised by the critics.