Born in Alsace into a family of musicians, Philippe Spiesser was immersed in the world of music from an early age. He then studied at the Conservatory of Music in Strasbourg, in the class of Jean Batigne, famous founder of the Percussions de Strasbourg. In 1997, he won the European Competition for Young Talents: more than just a percussionist, he then revealed himself as a captivating and atypical musician. Always on the move and on the alert, it continues to enrich itself through contact with other artistic universes and other creators.
Polymorphous musician and passionate concert artist, he performs throughout the world in prestigious festivals of musical creation, notably at the Venice Biennale, Juilliard in New York, Cirmmt in Montreal, Presences in Paris, Electronic Music Week in Shanghai, PAS Beijing Festival, Music Festival of Hong Kong, Tchaikovsky Festival of Moscow, Autumn Festival of St Petersburg, Ars Musica in Brussels, Musica in Strasbourg…
Since 2012, Philippe Spiesser has been leading several research projects on gestural capture and the new modes of artistic expression offered by new technologies.
The GeKiPe project (Gesture, Kinect, Percussion), aiming to develop a gesture capture tool generating images and sounds, modulated in real time, allows the creation of new immersive performances. Project developed in partnership with the HEM of Geneva, the IRCAM of Paris and the Flashback association.
The SkinActive project, aiming to develop a skin percussion instrument, augmented by electronics and capable of changing pitches and timbres. Project developed in partnership with the HEM in Geneva and the Centro Ricerche Musicali in Rome.
In 2022, Philippe Spiesser creates in Stockholm, the Virtualis concerto for solo percussion, ensemble, video and gestural capture with the Gestrument tool, invented and developed by Jesper Nordin.
A sought-after pedagogue, Philippe Spiesser was appointed professor of percussion at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève in 2009. Always eager to pass on his passion, he regularly gives masterclasses around the world, Juilliard School New York, McGill Montreal, Royal Academy of Music London, HKU Hong-Kong, Beijing and Shanghai Superior Conservatories, CNSMDP Paris, Alfonso X Madrid, Santa Cecilia Rome, Royal Brussels Conservatory, ESMUC Barcelona, Lima Superior Conservatory, Izmir University…
Jury in many international competitions, Shanghai IPEA, Beijing PAS, Palma IMC, Italy PAS… Philippe Spiesser was in 2019, president of the jury of the prestigious Geneva International Competition.