ANDREW CHAN
Applauded by the National Post as “a rare charisma”, Canadian harpist Andrew Chan has performed across Canada, USA, and in Asia. For ten seasons, he performed successfully as Principal Harp under the late Kerry Stratton performing concertos by Debussy (2014, 2018), Handel (2013, 2018), Mozart (2017 Ontario Tour) and Ravel (2014). He was recently an Artist-in-Residence at the renowned Eastman School of Music, Rochester New York.
Recent concerto performances in Ontario included works by Saint Saëns, Rodrigo, and Juno-Award winning Michael Conway Baker, who selected Chan to present his concerto in Vancouver in 2022 with the premiere of Three Meditations for harp and orchestra by Constantine Caravassilis. Chan also premiered Caravassilis "Three Dances for Ocyrrhoe" in Hong Kong and “Illuminatum for Two Harps and Men's Chorus”.
Since 2000, countless of Chan’s students have been winners of various awards, scholarships and auditions. Many of his students were inspired to pursue the harp professionally. Acceptances with extensive scholarship packages have been offered to his students by prestigious university programs, including the Cleveland Institute of Music, Colburn School, Eastman School of Music, Juilliard School, Indiana University, McGill, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Peabody Institute of Music, Temple University, University of British Columbia, and others. Other offers to his students have come from the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Orchestral Institute and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Andrew is grateful for his training during his student years with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific, and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada. He was a recipient of scholarship from the Canada Arts Council, and he credits his inspiration from his teachers. Those include Elizabeth Volpѐ Bligh (Principal Harp, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra) in Vancouver where he started the harp; with the legendary Alice Chalifoux (Principal Harp, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra) in multiple summers at the prestigious Salzedo School (Camden, Maine USA); and world-renowned solo harpist Catherine Michel (Principal Harp, Orchestre National de I’Opéra de Paris) in Paris, France.
He performs on the “Salvi Signature” harp, a one-of-a-kind model made of 23-karat gold and precious Ziricote wood. It was the last masterpiece left behind by the late renowned Victor Salvi of Italy after 60 years of harp-making. His collection of harps includes a rare, historical, and well-preserved Erard harp, built in Paris for the Belgium International Expo in 1905.
Andrew currently resides in Toronto and enjoys collecting paintings and various artworks.
