Applauded by the National Post as “a rare charisma”, Canadian harpist Andrew Chan has performed across Canada, USA, and in Asia as a solo, concerto, orchestral and chamber musician. For ten seasons, he performed successfully as Principal Harp under the baton of the late conductor Kerry Stratton, who repeatedly featured him as a soloist performing concertos by Debussy (2014, 2018), Handel (2013, 2018), Mozart (2017) and Ravel (2014). He is currently Principal Harp with the National Broadcasting Orchestra, and was recently an Artist-in-Residence at the renowned Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York.
Highlights of his solo appearances include the Harp Concerto by Vancouver’s Juno-Award winning composer Michael Conway Baker. Chan was selected by the composer to present the same work in Vancouver as part of the celebration concert for his 86th Birthday in 2022, where he additionally introduced a new work: Three Meditations for solo harp and orchestra, written for Chan by Constantine Caravassilis.
Enthusiastic to expand the harp’s repertoire, Chan works with composers closely, premiering and advocating new Canadian works. He was invited to present Canadian music in Hong Kong, premiering “Three Dances for Ocyrrhoe” by Constantine Caravassilis. Also written for Chan, Caravassilis’ Illuminatum for Two Harps and Men’s Chorus was premiered in 2012 in Ontario.
Chan teaches at Harps on the Hill, a specialized harp school in Markham Ontario that advocates the appreciation of the harp both in its performance and teaching. A school of an international population of harp students, Harps on the Hill has hosted masterclasses by faculty members from world-renowned music institutions including Juilliard, Eastman, Yale, Peabody, and others. Visiting students have come from around Canada, Australia, China, England, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Spain and USA.
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.
Triptych, a collection of Chan’s original compositions, has been published and sold worldwide by Lyon & Healy Publications (Chicago). His “The Orchestral Harpist Volume 1 & 2” offer practical solutions to a wide selection of orchestral excerpts. “Mendelssohn on Harp” features his transcriptions, and “Technique Builders for Harp” offers insight to develop solid harp-playing technique. His other publications include “Bach Revisited” features his modified versions of 12 classic Bach transcriptions for better play-ability.
Chan 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.
Chan resides in Toronto, he enjoys collecting paintings and various artworks.
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