Applauded by the National Post as “a rare charisma”, Canadian harpist Andrew Chan has performed across Canada, the USA, and in Asia as a solo, concerto, orchestral, and chamber musician. For nine seasons, he performed as Principal Harp under the baton of the late conductor Kerry Stratton, who repeatedly featured him as a soloist performing concertos by Debussy, Handel, Mozart, and Ravel. He has been appointed to be Principal Harp with the National Broadcasting Orchestra which will launch in Toronto in 2024.

Chan has also as Principal Harp with the Brantford Symphony Orchestra since 2008. The highlights of his solo appearances with them include the Harp Concerto by Vancouver’s Juno-Award-winning composer Michael Conway Baker in 2018.  Baker dedicates his second harp concerto to him which is to be featured in Chan’s tour across the US and in Asia in 2024-25.

Chan is the Artistic Director of the Harps on the Hill School in Markham. Acceptances with extensive scholarship packages have been offered to his students from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Colburn School, Eastman School of Music, Juilliard School, Indiana University, McGill, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Peabody Institute of Music, Temple University, University of British Columbia, and others. At Harps on the Hill, Chan hosted masterclasses by faculty members from major music institutions including Juilliard, Eastman, Yale, and Peabody. His visiting students have come from around Canada, Australia, China, England, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Spain, and USA.

Chan credits his inspiration with his teachers, who include the legendary Alice Chalifoux (Principal Harp, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra) at the Salzedo School (Maine, USA); and world-renowned solo harpist Catherine Michel (Principal Harp, Orchestre National de I’Opéra de Paris) in Paris, France. He performs on the “Salvi Signature” harp, a one-of-a-kind model made of 23-karat gold and precious Ziricote wood. It was the last masterpiece left behind by the late renowned Victor Salvi of Italy after 60 years of harp-making.  

His collection of harps includes a rare, historical, and well-preserved Erard harp, built in Paris for the Belgium International Expo in 1905. Chan resides in Toronto and during the pandemic, he continued to share his passion in harp performance and pedagogy with audiences internationally on virtual