Ja Hsieh謝家豪, Percussionist

Ja Hsieh Percussionist Ja Hsieh received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Washington where he studied percussion with Prof. Tom Collier. Dr. Hsieh was a recipient of the Boeing Endowed Fellowship for Excellence in Music as well as the Jane and David Davis Endowed Fellowship in Music. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree and a BFA degree in Percussion Performance at TNUA from his native country, Taiwan.

As an active musician, Hsieh regularly gives percussion recitals in the U.S. and in Taiwan. Ja’s notable performances include his Vibraphone Solo Recital at Le Petit Trianon Theatre in 2012, Vibraphone Solo Recital at the National Recital Hall in Taiwan in 2011, and his Percussion Solo Recital at the Santa Clara University Recital Hall in 2010. He also performed Bela Bartok’s Sonata for Two Piano and Percussion at Carnegie Hall in New York, Michael Daugherty’s Raise the Roof (Timpani Concerto) with UWWE at Meany Hall in Seattle, and Steve Reich’s percussion works with Frank Cassara (the Philip Glass Ensemble) in Taiwan in 2009. In addition, Hsieh also gave a solo percussion recital at Novel Hall in Taiwan in 2006, performed British composer James Wood’s masterpiece Stoicheia with Amadinda Percussion Group in Budapest, Hungary in 2002, performed and recorded French composer Francois-Bernard Mâche’s work Le Printemps du Serpent, and toured with Les Percussions de Strasbourg in France in 2001.

Prior coming to the U.S., Hsieh was a member of the Ju Percussion Group (a full-time professional percussion ensemble in Taiwan). His ensemble performed at festivals including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in the U.S. (2000, ‘03), Journees de la Percussion in France (‘03), the Budapest Spring Festival in Hungary (‘02), the Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Russia (‘03), the Queensland Music Festival in Australia (‘02), the World Exposition in Japan (‘05) and the Taipei International Percussion Convention in Taiwan (‘99, ‘02, ‘06). Hsieh has also performed with numerous groups and artists, such as the Amadinda Percussion Group (Hungary), Les Percussions de Strasbourg (France), the Amores Percussion Group (Spain), the Taichung City Symphony Orchestra (Taiwan), the Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra (Taiwan), the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Cupertino Symphonic Band, working with performers including Ney Rosauro, Michael Burritt, Keiko Abe, Steve Houghton, and Zoltán Rácz.

In addition to performing, he has also appeared in CD and DVD recordings including Le Printemps du Serpent, The Wave, Thrill Show, Percussion Portrait and The Traveling Notes. As a composer, his percussion arrangements and compositions include All The Things You Are (arr. for Vibes ), Wood Tells, Autumn Leaves (arr. for Vibes and Marimba), Energy, Leaving Canon, Gasoline Can, Voyage, San José, Easy Drum Easy Play, and Box.

Ja Hsieh is currently living in California, directing the Cha Cha Percussion Ensemble and organizing percussion studios in the Bay Area. Hsieh is planning on releasing his solo debut album Bach on Vibraphone: Ja Hsieh Plays J.S. Bach’s Violin Sonatas and Partitas (VGO Recordings) in 2015.

打擊樂家-謝家豪，台灣彰化縣員林人。擁有獨特舞台魅力的他，擅長 鼓類和鍵盤打擊樂器演奏。由黃錦祥啟蒙打擊樂，於 1996 畢業於台中二中 音樂班並考取國立藝術學院音樂系，師事張覺文、朱宗慶，並與台灣鼓王黃 瑞豐學習爵士鼓演奏。03 年取得台北藝術大學打擊樂演奏碩士，08 年獲頒波 音獎學金 Boeing Endowed Fellowship for Excellence in Music 赴美國華盛頓大 學攻讀博士，師承世界著名鐵琴演奏家湯姆·柯里爾，09 年再次獲頒音樂獎 學金 Jane and David Davis Endowed Fellowship in Music，11 年六月年取得華 盛頓大學打擊樂博士學位。

謝家豪在台灣、與歐美重要的音樂會包括：2012 年於 Le Petit Trianon 音樂廳的鐵琴獨奏會、11 年於台北國家演奏廳的鐵琴獨奏會、10 年於加州 聖塔克拉拉大學音樂廳的打擊樂獨奏會、09 年和北藝大的鋼琴家校友於卡 內基音樂廳演出巴爾托克雙鋼琴和雙打擊樂奏鳴曲、與華盛頓大學管樂團於 西雅圖明尼廳演出定音鼓協奏曲 Raise the Roof、與菲利浦·葛拉斯樂團的打 擊樂家法蘭克·卡薩拉於台灣演出極簡主義音樂會、06 年於台灣新舞台舉行 打擊樂獨奏會、02 年與匈牙利阿瑪丁達打擊樂團於布達佩斯巡迴，演出詹 姆士·伍德的打擊樂巨作 Stoicheia、01 年與法國史特拉斯堡打擊樂團於里昂 巡迴演出、錄製現代樂專輯: Le Printemps du Serpent。

謝家豪任職朱宗慶打擊樂團專任團員期間，隨樂團巡迴全球各地演出。 他曾參與：法國夏日藝術節、莫斯科契科夫藝術節、日本愛知萬國博覽會、 38 度獅吼藝術節、布達佩斯藝術節、台北國際打擊樂節等國際重要的音樂 節。他也與各種不同音樂類型的藝術團體和音樂家演出，包括：高雄市國樂 團、臺中市交響樂團、華盛頓大學現代樂團和管樂團、西雅圖木琴四重奏、 美國西北交響樂團、匈牙利阿瑪丁達打擊樂團、法國史特拉斯堡打擊樂團、 西班牙阿莫列斯打擊樂團、庫柏汀諾管樂團、奈·羅沙洛、法蘭克·卡薩拉、 安倍圭子、史帝夫·豪頓、佐坦·拉斯、麥克·伯瑞。

他曾參與數張打擊樂合奏專輯的 CD/DVD 錄製，包括擊樂畫像、蛇年 的十二個陰晴圓缺、波浪、閃亮的日子。謝家豪的打擊樂創作和改編曲包括 了:西雅圖天際線、聖母頌、望春風、旅程、聖荷西、箱子等作品。 2015 年他在美國發行首張個人的鐵琴演奏專輯: 謝家豪演奏巴哈六首 小提琴奏鳴曲和組曲 (VGo 唱片)。目前定居於美國加州。