Profile: Susan Chan

An active piano soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Chan promotes music from Asia and music written by women composers.

Susan Chan, D.M.
Assistant Professor of Music
Piano Area Coordinator

Office: XSB 119
Phone: 503.725.3119
Fax: 503.725.8215
E-mail: chanss@pdx.edu

In her recent New York recital in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in September 2007, the New York Concert Review described Susan Chan as "a thoughtful musician and a sensitive player" who "brought revelations" by performing "the invaluable service of opening up new musical worlds to her audience." The New Yorker called her "an energetic advocate for contemporary music."

Ms. Chan performs extensively as soloist and chamber musician, and actively promotes music from Asia and that written by women composers in addition to traditional repertoire. She has performed in recitals and music festivals in the United States and Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia, including the Dartington International Summer School in the UK. She has been featured on public television and radio in the US as well as Radio Television Hong Kong. Various prizes she has received in competitions include first prizes in the Hong Kong Young Musicians Award, theIndianapolis Matinee Musicale, and the Mozart Piano Concerto Competition at Indiana University. She has appeared as soloist with the Dnepropetrovsk State Philharmonic in Ukraine, Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra in Indiana. Her discography includes her latest CDs East West Encounter I and East West Encounter II, which have been newly released by the MSR label.

Susan Chan is an active master class teacher, presenter and adjudicator. She has conducted master classes and performed in universities and schools of music on four continents. Such institutions includeWestminster ChoirCollege, OberlinCollege, Universityof Washington, Universityof Victoria, Universityof Cambridge, Karol Szymanowski Schoolof Music in Warsaw, Universityof Sydney, Shanghai Conservatory, and Nihon Universityin Tokyo. She has lectured and performed at conferencesof the Music Teachers National Association, Music Educators NationalConference, College Music Society, and the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities. Her presentations include a lecture recital on Villeblanche and Bigot, delivered at the French Piano Institute in Paris, as well as one entitled "A Multimedia Performance of Chopin's Twenty-Four Preludes, Op. 28: As Inspired by Alfred Cortot," presented at the Karol Szymanowski School of Music in Warsaw, Poland, and "Morimur and Beyond: A Multimedia Performance of Bach/Busoni's Chaconne in D Minor," recently presented at The Nave in London, UK. She has adjudicated in the Performing Arts Festival on the Eastside in Bellevue, Washington, the Vancouver Music Festival in Canada, and competitions in Hong Kong and Japan. She has also published in Women of Note Quarterly and is listed in the 2000 edition of International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory.

Ms. Chan holds a Doctor of Music degree in piano from Indiana University and M.Phil. and B.A. degrees from the University of Hong Kong. She also pursued postgraduate studies at Yale University and holds the Fellowship and Licentiate Performance Diplomas from Trinity College of Music, London, UK. Her major piano teachers include György Sebök and Menahem Pressler. In fall, 2004 she joined the faculty at Portland State University as Assistant Professor of Music and Piano Area Coordinator after being with Washington State University, where she received promotion and tenure. In spring 2006, Portland State University presented her with a Civic Engagement Award in recognition of her efforts in involving piano students in community outreach projects.