Applauded by The National Post as having “a rare charisma”, harpist Andrew Chan has performed widely across Canada and the United States. As a concerto soloist, Mr. Chan has performed concerti by Debussy, Handel, Michael Conway Baker, and given world premiere performances of Fantasy for Flute and Harp with Orchestra by Mizi Tan.  He has been invited to perform for honoured dignitaries including the Canadian Senate on Parliament Hill, Princess Thi-Nga of Vietnam during her first visit to Canada, as well as the inauguration of Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell. Highlights include a thunderous standing ovation for his recent performance of the Michael Conway Baker Harp Concerto in Vancouver.

Mr. Chan serves as Principal Harp for the Ontario Philharmonic and has performed with major Canadian orchestras including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Brantford Symphony Orchestra, Guelph Symphony Orchestra, and Brampton Symphony Orchestra. A recent invitation has come from the Quebec Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Chan has collaborated extensively with world-class conductors such as Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Bramwell Tovey, Boris Brott, Raffi Armenian, Marco Parisotto, Sidney Harth, Victor Feldbrill and Michael Charry. He has performed with renowned concert veterans including Canadian icon Michael Burgess, operatic soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, concert violinist Laura St. John, erhu master George Gao, piper Rob Crabtree, and composers Stephen Chatman, Michael Conway Baker and Dorothy Chang. His performances have been broadcast on CityTV of Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary, Toronto CHIN TV, Toronto Fairchild TV, and the Toronto Korean TV.

A musician of diverse talents and interests, Mr. Chan plays the Electric Harp with international artist Dr Draw and his fusion band, exploring traditional classical repertoire in electronic instrumentation. Together they have toured across Canada and the U.S. performing in many festivals including the Toronto Beaches International Jazz Festival, Nuit Blanche, North by Northeast, Distillery PartiGras, Edmonton Fringe Festival, and Alberta North Country Fair. Their 2007 recording “Adagio” has been ranked as the third best-selling on the Nielson SoundScan Charts in Toronto, and Top 10 in other major cities across Canada including Edmonton and Calgary.

A dedicated teacher, Mr. Chan leads studios in Toronto and Kingston. He founded the Orchestra of Angels in 2009, a training harp ensemble featuring ten of his award-winning protégés. Under his direction, they debuted at the Royal Ontario Museum and was warmly received by critics and an audience comprised of representatives from the local and federal governments and executives of major corporations. Last June, the Harp Orchestra appeared at the Glen Gould Studio in performance with the Philomusica Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, they performed for the Toronto Harp Society with great success.

Striving to strengthen the local community through music, he serves on the Artistic Organizing Committee for the CCC Music Festival Canada, and the 2010 Toronto International Piano Competition. He has also been invited by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto to promote classical music at various youth, charity and musical events.

Mr. Chan’s passion for the instrument led him to collaborate with Korean harp builder Hoi Choi, a highly awarded designer. They have produced nine uniquely designed harps, and have exhibited them at local galleries and recitals.

Mr. Chan studied with the legendary Alice Chalifoux at the prestigious Salzedo Harp Colony. He also studied at the University of British Columbia with Elizabeth Volpé, and at the University of Toronto with world-renowned harpist Judy Loman. He has participated in master classes by Susann Macdonald, Erica Goodman, Lynn Aspen, Jennifer Swartz, and Rita Costanzi. During his school years, Mr. Chan was selected to tour Canada with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada. He is a recipient of a Canada Arts Council Scholarship Award and a grant from the University of Toronto.