Elim Chan (; born 18 November 1986) is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

-born conductor. Elim Chan has been the chief conductor of the

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra is the symphony orchestra of Flanders (Belgium), based in the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp. The orchestra is led by chief conductor Elim Chan and honorary conductor Philippe Herreweghe. The organisation, which is o ...

since the 2019-2020 concert season and has been the permanent guest conductor of the

Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the O ...

since the 2018-2019 season.

Early life

In 1986, Chan was born in

. As a youth, she played cello and piano and sang in choirs. Chan attended the Good Hope School (Form One).

Education

Chan was a sixth-form student at

Li Po Chun United World College The Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong (LPCUWC, ), established in 1992, is an International Baccalaureate boarding school in Wu Kai Sha (烏溪沙), Hong Kong, within walking distance of Wu Kai Sha station. It is the eighth member ...

in Hong Kong. Chan began studies at Smith College in the US with the initial intent of becoming a medical doctor. Following an initial experience in conducting during her second year of college, she changed her path of study and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 2009. Chan moved to the

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

for graduate studies in music. At Michigan, her teachers included

Kenneth Kiesler Kenneth Kiesler (born August 18, 1953) is an American symphony orchestra and opera conductor and mentor to conductors. Kiesler is conductor laureate of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra where he was music director from 1980 to 2000 and founder and ...

. She was music director of the University of Michigan Campus Symphony Orchestra, and of the Michigan Pops Orchestra (2012-2013). She earned her MM degree in orchestra conducting from Michigan in 2011, and her

Doctor of Musical Arts The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study in su ...

in 2015.

Career

In December 2014, at age 28, Chan won the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition, the first female conductor to win the competition in its history. Birth year of 1986 is based on age 28 in Dec 2014. As part of winning the competition, she was subsequently named assistant conductor of the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...

, for a one-year contract from 2015–2016. She has also participated in master classes in conducting with

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lon ...

. In April 2016,

NorrlandsOperan The NorrlandsOperan (literal translation, ''The Norrland's Opera''; NOP), is a Swedish opera company in Umeå, located in Norrland, Sweden. The ownership of NOP is divided between the Umeå Municipality (40%) and the Västerbotten County Council ...

announced the appointment of Chan as its next chief conductor, effective in 2017, with an initial contract of 3 years. In January 2017, she made her first guest-conducting appearance with the

(RSNO). She returned as guest conductor with the RSNO a fortnight later as an emergency substitute for

Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi (; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn. He initially studied music there, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, ...

. Based on these appearances, in June 2017, the RSNO appointed Chan as its next principal guest conductor, effective 2018. In November 2017, Chan first guest-conducted the

. She returned as guest conductor in Antwerp in March 2018. Based on these appearances, in May 2018, the orchestra announced the appointment of Chan as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019–2020 season. Chan is both the first female conductor, and the youngest conductor, ever to be named chief conductor of the orchestra.

Personal life

Elim Chan is married to the Dutch percussionist Dominique Vleeshouwers, who was awarded the Dutch Music Prize ( Nederlandse Muziekprijs) in 2020.

References

External links

Harrison Parrott agency page on Elim Chan

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra biography of Elim Chan

Davis United World College Scholars Program, page on Elim Chan

Shadrach Kabango, Elim Chan on how conductors conjure musical magic. ''Q'', CBC Radio, 22 December 2014

Yip's Children's Choral & Performing Arts Centre, Oliver Chou, 'Hong Kong conductor Elim Chan urges city to nurture musical talent'. 1 January 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Elim 1986 births Living people Hong Kong conductors (music) Smith College alumni University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century Hong Kong musicians 21st-century women musicians Women conductors (music) People educated at a United World College