David Chan

David Chan is an American violinist, conductor, and a concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He is one of the most sought-after violinists of his generation. He is a prizewinner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, among many others. As a conductor, Chan is praised for his deep understanding of the music and interpretive depth.[1]

David Chan
Born (1973-05-05) May 5, 1973
Occupation(s)Violinist, Conductor
Years active1995–Present
Websitedavidchanmusic.com

Early life

Chan was born in San Diego, California.[2] His parents, natives of Taiwan, met as graduate students at Stanford University.[3] He began his musical education at age 3 when his parents enrolled him in a violin class.[3] At age 14 he won the San Diego Symphony's Young Arts Concerto Competition, which enabled him to appear with the orchestra in two series of concerts. He was also the featured soloist with the San Diego Youth Symphony on their tour of Austria, Germany, Hungary and the former Czechoslovakia.

He received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University, and a master's degree from the Juilliard School in 1997, where he is currently on the faculty.[4] His principal teachers were Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang and Michael Tseitlin. He won the 5th prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, and the third place bronze medal (with $10,000) and Josef Gingold Prize at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.[5][6]

Career

He made his New York debut in on October 2, 1995, playing Paganini's Concerto no. 2 with the Juilliard orchestra led by Hugh Wolff.[5][7]

He has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and the Far East, appearing as soloist with such orchestras as the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, the Aspen Chamber Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra. He has released two recordings: a recital album and a disc of two Paganini concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra, both for the Ambassador label.[5]

He became one of the Metropolitan Opera's concertmasters in 2000.[4] On February 2, 2003, the occasion of a Met Orchestra performance, he made his Carnegie Hall solo debut playing Brahms's Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra with Met colleague cellist Rafael Figueroa. He was the soloist in Sofia Gubaidulina's In Tempus Praesens (concerto for violin and orchestra) with the Met Orchestra in 2012. For Handel's Giulio Cesare, Chan appeared onstage in costume during one of David Daniels' arias to supply the obbligato violin part.[8]

Chan was a member of the Emelin Trio in 1998 and 1999.[9][10] He has been a frequent guest at Japan's Pacific Music Festival, the Taipei Music Academy and Festival, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, and La Jolla's SummerFest.[2] He has also played chamber music with Lang Lang in a "Lang Lang With Friends" concert.[11]

With the Met Chamber Ensemble, he has played in Alban Berg's Chamber Concerto for Piano and Violin with 13 Wind Instruments, Richard Strauss's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme suite, Olivier Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps and other works, classical and contemporary.[12]

He joined the faculty of the Juilliard School in 2005.[4] He is head of the Orchestral Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music and has previously served as a faculty member at the Mannes School of Music.[13]

He can be heard on the soundtrack of the films Teeth and The Caller.

Conducting

Chan has served as Music Director of the APEX Ensemble and as Music Director of Camerata Notturna chamber orchestra.[14]

Wine

After marrying his wife, violinist and Met colleague Catherine Ro,[5] his father-in-law gave him a box of good wine.[3] Once he joined the Met Orchestra, he befriended colleagues who were wine connoisseurs. His budding interest led to an obsession with Burgundy wine, to the point where he knew almost every vineyard on the Côte-d'Or.

His interest in wine led him to meet with Bernard Hervet, former chief executive of Maison Faiveley, and Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Their meeting resulted in the founding of the festival Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot in the Burgundy region of France, of which Chan is the music director.[15]

Personal life

Chan and his wife, violinist Catherine Ro, live in the New York area.[5] They have three children.[16]

Discography
  • David Chan: La Campanella
  • Beethoven: Violin Concerto (Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, David Bernard, conductor)
  • Great Duos For Violin And Cello (with Rafael Figueroa, cellist)

Notes
  2. "The MET Orchestra - Sunday, December 2, 2012". Carnegie Hall. 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  3. Eric Asimov, "The Pour: He Can Bring the Wine and the Music," New York Times (Nov. 19, 2008), p. D6.
  4. Juilliard Portraits: David Chan, Violin Faculty
  5. "International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Laureates, 1994 competition: David Chan". Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  6. "Canadian Violinist Wins Indianapolis Contest," New York Times (October 3, 1994), p. C16.
  7. "Entertainment Events," New York Times (Oct. 2, 1995), p. C15.
  8. Anthony Tommasini, "In Jodhpurs, Hailing Caesar With Seduction," New York Times (April 5, 2013), p. C1.
  9. "Bard Festival Features Tchaikovsky," New York Times (Aug. 9, 1998), p. WE7.
  10. "'Doctor Dolittle' on Stage: Music," New York Times (Jul. 25, 1999), p. WE7.
  11. Steve Smith, "Pianists Of The Age Put On A Show," New York Times (Oct. 29, 2009), p. C5.
  12. Metopera Database, search on "David Chan."
  13. "David Chan". www.newschool.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-08-18.
  14. "About". David Chan. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  15. Rosi Hanson, "My Passion For Wine," Decanter.com (Jan. 16, 2009).
  16. "David Chan," Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot, 9e edition (2016), p. 23.

References
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