Chinese Name: 蘇顯達
Born: May 7, 1957
Birthplace: Tainan City (Southern Taiwan)
Did You Know That…?
Recorded by Su Shien-ta, the albums “Tyzen Hsiao Violin Works (台灣情、泰然心-蕭泰然小提琴作品專輯)” in 1999 and “A Taiwanese Musical Tapestry (古典台灣風情)” in 2002, respectively won the Golden Melody Awards for Best Classical Album and Best Performing Artist.
Born into a middle-class family, Su Shien-ta was encouraged by his parents to study music. At the age of five, he started practicing violin under the guidance of noted violinists Cheng Chao-ming (鄭昭明), Lee Shu-te (李淑德), and Chen Chiu-sen (陳秋盛). Later, after he graduated from the Soochow University (東吳大學)’s Music Department, he earned the Diplôme supérieur de Concertiste de violon et Musique de chambre from the École normale de musique de Paris Alfred Cortot.
Under renowned composer Ma Shui-long’s (馬水龍) recommendation, Su began to teach at the Taipei National University of the Arts (國立臺北藝術大學) upon returning to Taiwan in 1986. In 1998, he was promoted to professor, while also serving as the director of the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra and the host of “The Enchanting World of Violin (迷人的小提琴世界)” radio show. Through the radio show, he began sharing his ideas on ways to improve violin playing skills, which was very well-received by the listeners.
Mirroring the development of Taiwan’s recent violin music, Su's contribution spans across three decades. He actively promoted Taiwan’s music to the international stage, often purposefully highlighting the works of representative Taiwanese musicians such as Ma Shui-long, Tyzen Hsiao (蕭泰然), and Li Tai-hsiang (李泰祥) in public performances. Masterfully playing his role as a Taiwanese music performer, he has showcased unique sounds from Taiwan to listeners from around the globe.