Applauded by The National Post as having “a rare charisma”, harpist Andrew T.O. Chan has performed across Canada and the United States.  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. A frequent concerto soloist, Mr. Chan gave world premiere performances of Fantasy for Flute and Harp with Orchestra by Mizi Tan. Highlights include a thunderous standing ovation for his recent performance of the Michael Conway Baker Harp Concerto in Vancouver, which he subsequently gave the concerto's Ontario premeire with York Symphony Orchestra. He will perform the concerto again with Guelph Symphony Orchestra in 2012.

Current projects include a Concerto for two harps being written by award-winning composer Constantine Caravassilis, as well as a Concerto for Harp and Chinese Orchestra (of traditional instruments) by Tony KT Leung. He is the Artistic Director of Harps on the Hill Festival 2012, and serves on the committee for the CCC Music Festival Canada, and the CCC Toronto International Piano Competition. Together with harpist Erica Goodman, they form Duetto Sostenuto. This harp duo will give their debut on April 17 2012 at the Richmond Hill Center for the Performing Arts.

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

Mr. Chan has performed under the baton of world-class conductors such as Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Bramwell Tovey, Boris Brott, Raffi Armenian, Kerry Stratton, Marco Parisotto, Niels Muus among others. He has also performed with renowned concert veterans such as world's best-selling soprano Sarah Brightman, Canadian icon Michael Burgess, operatic soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and concert violinist Laura St. John 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 Harp Sinfonia, a multiple harp ensemble featuring ten of his award-winning protégés. Under his direction, they have performed at venues such as the Royal Ontario Museum and Glen Gould Studio. Most recently, they were showcased successfully by the Toronto Harp Society, Ontario Philharmonic and Philomusica Symphony Orchestra.

Striving to strengthen the local community through music, and invited by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto to promote classical music at various youth, charity and musical events. He also frequently organizes harp introductory workshops in different communities and schools.

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 concerts.

Mr. Chan studied with the legendary Alice Chalifoux (of Cleveland Symphony) 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. 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.