A Charming, Passionate and Compelling presence on the podium, Award Winning Conductor Kenneth Hsieh, has gained widespread attention for his vibrant performances, making him one of the most exciting and versatile young conductors on the international stage today. The 2016-2017 season marks his 14th year as Music Director of the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra in addition to his many international guest conducting engagements.

Born in Edmonton, Canada, Ken is the winner of several conducting prizes including: the Heinz Unger Award in Conducting, and the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestral Conducting. His conducting teachers and coaches have included: Kurt Masur, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Morihiro Okabe, Yuji Yuasa, Ronald Zollman, and Jorma Panula. A graduate of both the Royal Conservatory of Music and the University of British Columbia, he completed his post-graduate studies in orchestral conducting in Japan at the prestigious Toho Gakuen School of Music, and Senzoku College of Music on full scholarship. He furthered his conducting studies in Vienna, Austria with Yuji Yuasa, and in masterclass with Seiji Ozawa.

At the age of 22, Ken was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Pacific Music Festival (founded by Leonard Bernstein) where he worked with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra, as well as serving as an assistant and collaborator to: Bernard Haitink, Edo De Waart, Krzysztof Penderecki, Seikyo Kim, Yutaka Sado, Ken Takaseki, and Wen-Pin Chien. The following year, he became the Assistant Conductor at the National Academy Orchestra and the youngest Conductor-in-residence/Assistant Conductor with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2004-2007), where he conducted over 100 performances from the main subscription series to lighter and pop series concerts.

A regular guest conductor with major orchestras around the world, he had worked in close relations with the Hyogo Performing Arts Centre Orchestra, Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra where he has conducted their subscription, masterworks, and educational series. Comfortable conducting in several genre, he enjoys conducting orchestral, opera, ballet, film music, and pop music. Succeeding Yutaka Sado, he has since 2011, led the Nippon Century Orchestra in Beethoven Symphony 9 series at The Symphony Hall in Osaka, produced by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation and sponsored by Air Canada and will be conducting the Boston Ballet through their Nutcracker production.

Remaining dedicated to promoting young artists and music education; Ken works often with youth and training orchestras including: Shanghai City Youth Orchestra, Fukuoka Student Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra, Surrey Youth Orchestra, BCMEA Honour Orchestra, Saskatchewan Honour Orchestra, as well as the Japan Junior Philharmonic Orchestra as their summer session conductor that included a benefit concert for the United Nations World Food Program in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space. He has been a guest professor and conductor with the National Tainan University, and has worked with the Geidai Philharmonia (National University of Arts in Tokyo), preparing them for the Martha Argerich Festival in Beppu, which was later conducted by Antonio Pappano and Seikyo Kim.

He has collaborated with a wide range of distinguished artists from: Cyprien Katsaris, Janina Fialkowska, Ryu Goto to Holly Cole, Natalie McMaster, and John Pizzarelli. Several of his concerts have been recorded live and broadcasted on CBC Radio across Canada. His concerts have also been broadcasted on television in Taiwan, Japan, Canada, and the USA. Ken made his European France debut with the historical l’orchestre Lamoureux, performing at their subscription concert at the Theatre Champs-Elysee in Paris, France.

In addition to conducting many of Canada`s orchestra in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Regina, Vancouver, and Victoria; Ken has been a guest conductor with international orchestras including

l'orchestre Lamroureux
Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra
Kyoto Symphony Orchestra
New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra
Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa
Victoria Symphony Orchestra
Osaka Century Orchestra
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Gunma Symphony Orchestra
Hyogo Performing Arts Centre Orchestra
CBC Radio Orchestra
National Arts Centre Orchestra
National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra London
Siena Wind Orchestra
Evergreen Symphony Orchestra
and has made two recordings with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa on Avex Label. He has toured with the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, and the Siena Wind Orchestra on several occasions

Among other honours and recognitions, he has been awarded the Order of Merit for Outstanding Young Leaders from the Lions Club, Named Top 100 most influential Asian-Canadians by Vancouver Sun, Top 10 Most Beautiful People by TV Weeks Magazine (which included Michael Buble), as well as most recently Top 33 most influential leaders by Sing Tao News.

Career Timeline