David Chan
{{for|the Canadian politician|David Chan (politician)}}
{{short description|American violinist and conductor}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Chan
| image = David Chan.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = David Chan with the Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble, receiving the applause after a performance of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde at Weill Hall (Carnegie Hall) in New York City, April 28, 2025
| native_name = 詹曉昀
| native_name_lang =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|05|05}}
| birth_place =
| alma_mater = Harvard University (BA)
Juilliard School (MFA)
| occupation = {{hlist|Violinist|conductor}}
| years_active = 1995–Present
| website = {{URL|davidchanmusic.com}}
}}
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.{{cite web | url=https://musicacademy.org/big-profiles/david-chan/ | title=David Chan • violin | date=11 October 2023 }}
It was announced in April 2025 that Chan will be leaving the Met to become professor of violin at Rice University.[https://www.thestrad.com/news/violinist-david-chan-to-join-faculty-at-rice-universitys-shepherd-school-of-music/19519.article "Violinist David Chan to join faculty at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music", The Strad (April 11, 2025).]
Early life and education
Chan was born to a Taiwanese American family in San Diego, California.{{cite web|url=http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2012/12/2/0300/PM/The-Met-Orchestra |title=The MET Orchestra - Sunday, December 2, 2012 |publisher=Carnegie Hall |date=2012-01-20 |accessdate=2012-12-04}} His parents, both Taiwanese immigrants, met as graduate students at Stanford University.Eric Asimov, "The Pour: He Can Bring the Wine and the Music," New York Times (Nov. 19, 2008), p. D6.
Chan began his musical education at age 3, when his parents enrolled him in a violin class. 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.
After high school, Chen graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in music and earned a master's degree from the Juilliard School in 1997, where he is currently on the faculty.[http://www.juilliard.edu/journal/portraits/faculty/archive/2009-10/0911.php Juilliard Portraits: David Chan, Violin Faculty] 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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.violin.org/ivci/laureate_list2.html#davidchan |title=International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Laureates, 1994 competition: David Chan |access-date=2012-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214194746/http://www.violin.org/ivci/laureate_list2.html#davidchan |archive-date=2012-02-14 |url-status=dead }}"Canadian Violinist Wins Indianapolis Contest," New York Times (October 3, 1994), p. C16.
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."Entertainment Events," New York Times (Oct. 2, 1995), p. C15.
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.
He became one of the Metropolitan Opera's concertmasters in 2000. 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.[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/arts/music/giulio-cesare-with-natalie-dessay-at-the-met.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Anthony Tommasini, "In Jodhpurs, Hailing Caesar With Seduction," New York Times (April 5, 2013), p. C1.]
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. He has also played chamber music with Lang Lang in a "Lang Lang With Friends" concert.Steve Smith, "Pianists Of The Age Put On A Show," New York Times (Oct. 29, 2009), p. C5.
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.[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm Metopera Database], search on "David Chan."
He joined the faculty of the Juilliard School in 2005. 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.newschool.edu/mannes/faculty-az/?id=4d6a-6377-4e54-5535 |title=David Chan |website=www.newschool.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818003045/http://www.newschool.edu/mannes/faculty-az/?id=4d6a-6377-4e54-5535 |archive-date=2016-08-18}}
He can be heard on the soundtrack of the films Teeth and The Caller.
In the fall of 2025 he will be on sabbatical from the Met, moving to Houston and taking up the position of professor of violin at Rice University while winding down his duties at Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music.
Conducting
Chan has served as Music Director of the APEX Ensemble and as Music Director of Camerata Notturna chamber orchestra.{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://davidchanmusic.com/bio |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=David Chan |language=en-US}}
Wine
After marrying his wife, violinist and Met colleague Catherine Ro, his father-in-law gave him a box of good wine. 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.[http://www.decanter.com/people-and-places/wine-articles/485209/david-chan-my-passion-for-wine Rosi Hanson, "My Passion For Wine," Decanter.com (Jan. 16, 2009).]
Personal life
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
References
{{refbegin}}
- {{Citation |url = http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2012/12/2/0300/PM/The-Met-Orchestra |title = The MET Orchestra, Sunday, December 2, 2012| publisher = Carnegie Hall|accessdate = December 2, 2012}}
- {{Citation|url=http://www.violin.org/ivci/laureate_list2.html#davidchan|title=International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Laureates: David Chan|publisher=International Violin Competition of Indianapolis|accessdate=December 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214194746/http://www.violin.org/ivci/laureate_list2.html#davidchan|archive-date=February 14, 2012|url-status=dead}}
- {{Citation |url=http://www.juilliard.edu/journal/portraits/faculty/archive/2009-10/0911.php |title=Juilliard Portraits: David Chan, Violin Faculty|publisher=Juilliard School|accessdate = December 2, 2012}}
{{refend}}
External links
- [https://www.davidchanmusic.com Official website]
- {{IMDb name |1140534}}
- [http://www.metorchestramusicians.org/david-chan/ David Chan at Met Orchestra Musicians' website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, David}}
Category:American male classical violinists
Category:Juilliard School alumni
Category:Juilliard School faculty
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:Prize-winners of the International Tchaikovsky Competition
Category:Musicians from San Diego
Category:American musicians of Taiwanese descent
Category:Players of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Category:American male conductors (music)
Category:21st-century American conductors (music)