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Susan Ha

Associate Professor
Email
E.L. Hamm Fine Arts Building, room 531
757-823-8582

Pianist Susie Ha is an active soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral keyboardist throughout the United States. She has performed at the Carnegie Hall, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Intercollegiate Music Association, the World Piano Conference, the College Music Society, and the National GP3 Conference. Solo concerto appearances have included the Mason Symphony Orchestra of Michigan, the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, the New River Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Eastern Shore, and the James Madison University Symphony Orchestra. Other performance engagements include, but are not limited to, "Music and Meaning: Views from the 21st Century," the Blue Lake Arts Festival, Accent 12, the Southeastern Composers League in Louisiana, violin and piano recitals with the associate concertmaster of the Kimpo Philharmonic Orchestra of Korea, View from the Edge Series, Bearcat Piano Festivals, the Investiture of the 28th President of the University of Cincinnati, the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, New Music Norfolk, Symphonicity, the Neon Festival of Norfolk’s Arts District, the Cantabile Project of Norfolk, and Ferrara Chamber Music Festival, among others. At the Interlochen Arts Camp, she served as an instrumental collaborative pianist. She was a vocal coach for two Menotti operas at The Lincoln University. She served as a chamber music coach for the Hampton Roads Chamber Players. Ha frequently performs with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra as a guest keyboardist in Classics, Pops, outdoor, family, and live movie concerts. With the Virginia Opera, she participated in a state tour with a program entitled “The Freedom” in celebration of Black History Month. Ha has won numerous prizes in various competitions including but not limited to the American Protégé International Piano Competition, The Art of Piano Liszt Competition in Cincinnati, the Music Teachers National Association competitions, and the Virginia Music Teachers Association Concerto Competitions.

As an arts advocate, Ha is highly sought after as an adjudicator/judge, masterclass teacher, and workshop clinician. While residing in greater Cincinnati, she revived the Challenging Performances Series to provide performance opportunities for young aspiring musicians and served as its Artistic Director. Around the same time, she co-founded the Glendale Fine Music concert series, which targeted the local community, and served as a co-Director. She is a Founding Teacher of The Royal Conservatory’s “The Achievement Program." She serves as a member of the Education Committee for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Since 2016, she has been an official rater for the AP Music Theory Exams by ETS.

Dr. Ha completed her D.M.A. and M.M. in Piano Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, studying with pianist Awadagin Pratt. While working on her doctorate, she pursued two cognate areas in Music Theory and Piano Pedagogy. Her B.M. in Piano Performance with honors while studying with Dr. Eric Ruple is from James Madison University, where she was one of very few students in the university's history to win the School of Music's Concerto Competition twice as an undergraduate student. Dr. Hae Won Min was her teacher prior to college. Additional studies were completed at the Brevard Music Camp on a full scholarship while serving as a Teaching Assistant and the Chautauqua Institute on a full scholarship as well.

At Norfolk State University, Dr. Ha currently is an Associate Professor of Music/Piano. In 2014, she was appointed Coordinator of Piano to revitalize NSU’s piano program. The graduates of her program have flourished as professional musicians, with former students becoming university faculty, professional gig musicians, public school teachers, specialists in renowned arts organizations, and more. Recently, one of her students won a $10,000 "Your Future is Now" Scholarship sponsored by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Amazon Music, and was recognized at the 2024 GRAMMYs. Also in 2024, two of her students gave a poster presentation at an international conference The World Piano Conference. Through Dr. Ha's professional network, the Music Division at NSU has been able to host concerts, masterclasses, and lectures by many renowned musicians, including several internationally recognized artists. In Summer 2024, she completed a three-year term as Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts overseeing three different programs: Fine Arts, Music, and Drama & Theatre. While serving as a chair, she authored several grants bringing over $300,000 to the University.

Her teaching experiences outside NSU include piano instruction at the Blue Lake Arts Center, The Lincoln University, the Communiversity Program at the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
 

EDUCATION
B.M. Piano Performance, James Madison University
M.M. Piano Performance, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
D.M.A. Piano Performance, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with cognate areas in Piano Pedagogy and Music Theory

COURSES AT NSU
Applied Piano
Collaborative Piano
Harmony & Keyboard
​​Piano Literature
Piano Pedagogy