ABOUT ROSiE CQ

ROSiE CQ (Rosie Halsted) is a percussionist, singer, songwriter, writer, and sonic artist based out of Spokane, WA. She was trained as a classical percussionist, receiving a BM in Percussion Performance from the University of Montana in 2020. Rosie is most well-known in the percussion community for combining vibraphone and vocals through writing, performing, and producing accessible music using vibraphone, vocals, drums, other percussion, bass, and electronics as the primary instrumentation.

The combination of percussion and voice is a growing field within the percussion community, and Rosie is at the forefront of bringing mallet percussion to audiences outside of the concert hall (she is possibly approaching the world record for number of times one person has brought a vibraphone into a brewery). She released her debut album in January, 2021, called the how & the why, which she wrote, recorded, and mixed herself. Her thoughtful lyrics are accompanied by vibraphone on every song, along with many layered vocal harmonies, drums, and percussion. She has performed around Washington, Montana, and Northern Idaho, and performed her original song "House" at the 2021 Percussive Arts Society International Convention. She was also one of the organizers of Mallet + Voice Festival 2023 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Rosie often performs solo, but prefers to play with her band. She is accompanied by Haydn Halsted on drums and percussion, Logan McDonald on bass guitar and electronics, and Lauren McKinley on marimba and percussion. You can seem them performing together here.

Rosie released her debut book, “Getting Gigs Outside of the Concert Hall: A Guide For Mallet Percussionists” in December, 2023. After graduating music school, Rosie quickly came to realize that being able to play was only a piece of the puzzle when it comes to getting gigs. This book is meant to help other musicians find more chances to perform within their town, city, and region, as either professionals or just people who want to play more! The book is for sale in both digital download and paperback on Rosie’s website, as well as worldwide on Amazon.

Outside of performing and writing her own music, Rosie teaches private percussion, drum, and songwriting lessons, creates custom songs, compositions, and sound design by hire, is available for remote recording sessions for mallet and auxiliary percussion, and is still active as a classical percussionist. Rosie is proudly sponsored by BlueHaus Mallet Shop whom she has a signature mallet with, and is also sponsored by Marimba One whose instruments she plays exclusively. Outside of her musical life, Rosie enjoys playing with her cat, Sanjee, lifting heavy things, walking through mountains and valleys, eating dessert, traveling with her husband, and spending time with her family and friends throughout the Pacific Northwest.