Chia-Hsuan Tsai,
Born in Taipei City, Taiwan. Graduate of Berlin University of the Arts and University of Music & Theatre Leipzig. Konzertexamen in flute (2003) and harpsichord (2005). Adjunct assistant professor of Fu-jen University and the National Taiwan University of Art.
Her musical studies began in childhood. She studied flute with Mei-Xin Lu, Hwei-Jin Liu, Chi-Min Hsu and piano with Sheng-Jin Peng, Pei-Zhen Tsai. After graduation from the Affiliated Senior High School of National Normal University in 1993, she continued her studies abroad in Germany. In July the same year she was accepted by the Berlin University of the Arts for a major in flute and studied with Prof. Annette von Stackelberg, Prof. Rowitha Staege, and Prof. Karlheinz Zoeller. She graduated with exceptional excellence and was awarded her master and Konzertexamen degree in flute.
With her great passion in Early Music, she passed the entrance examination for a harpsichord major at Berlin University of the Arts in 1999 while pursuing the Konzertexamen in flute, and studied with Prof. Mitzi Meyerson. She was the first student with a double major in flute and harpsichord in the history of Berlin University of the Arts. She successfully earned the master degree in harpsichord with “Sehr gut” honor in 2003 and entered the same year the University of Music & Theatre Leipzig and studied Prof. Tobias Schade to continue her pursuit of the Konzertexamen in harpsichord. She graduated again with exceptional excellence in 2005.
Her credentials at music competition are more than impressive. She has won First Prize at the 1998 International “Friedrich Kuhlau” Flute Competiton and Third Prize in the 2001 Internatinal Composition and Interpretation Competition of German Flute Association in Frankfurt. In harpsichord, in 2003 she won the First Prize and the Audience Award in the 16.Grand Prize Competition of the Konzertgesellschaft München, followed by the Special Award in Ancient Music of Berlin Musical Instrument Museum in the same year.
In October of 2005, she was admitted to the Zentrale Buehnen-,Fernseh-und Filmvermittlung Musiktheater (ZBF) with the identity of Harpsichordist and Flutist. In addition to her dedication to flute playing and teaching, she has put a lot of effort on her favorite ancient music and chamber music by playing numerous harpsichord solos and concertos, which were broadcasted by both Radio Kultur Berlin and Bavarian Radio (BR Klassik), Germany; during her stay in Germany she served as harpsichord and chamber music teacher, as well as music master class teacher in University of the Arts Berlin, Akademie für Alte Musik Baden-Würtemberg, and the Musikschule Berlin Reinickendorf.
Even more commendable is that she still takes out from her busy performance schedule to promote Baroque music in Taiwan. She returned to Taiwan in 2007 and dedicated herself to the promation of Baroque music through concerts, lectures and master classes.
She also performed jointly with domestic and international celebrity performers and Early Music groups, such as Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Ambrosiaquartett, Simon Standage, Susanne Scholz, Miki Takahashi, Alfredo Bernardini, Julian Rachlin, Keiko Urushihara, Rainer Zipperling, Mark Caudle, Hidemi Suzuki, Albrecht Mayer, Burkhard Glaetzner, Maurice Steger, Han Tol, Helmut Rilling. End of 2010 published her solo album“François Couperin. Pièces de clavecin”and nominated for the 22nd Golden Melody Award for the best classical music album.
In 2014, she founded the Barock Ensemble Taipei, inviting outstanding musicians and musicologist, combing years of performing and teaching experience, held regular lectures on performance practice in baroque era and Concerts. In January 2015, she collaborated with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra to perform all six of Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. In November 2015, she served as guest music director and conductor of Philharmonia Moment Musical in collaboration with dance company WCdance, performed Don Quichotte chez la duchesse Op.97 by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier for the first time in Taiwan. From January 2017 onwards with Chia-Cheng Wu co-chaired "Baroque Channel" (Classical FM 97.7). In October 2017, she performed the complete Partitas by J.S.Bach in concert.
Over the years, she has been invited to perform numerous concerts, lectures and radio programs, and has also organized concerts as well as education programme for historical performance practice in baroque era in Taiwan.