Joni Chan
pianist
Biography
Deemed a “player of intelligence and integrity” by the New York Concert Review, Joni Chan is a versatile and sensitive interpreter of a wide range of piano and chamber repertoire. A sought-after collaborator and a performer of solo and ensemble music, Chan has given concerts across the United States, Canada, and China.
Chan’s recent concert schedule has included solo performances at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alden Theatre in Virginia, and Parsons Concert Hall in Hong Kong. Some of her collaborations have included concerts with Anna Skálová, violinist of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and Indiana University Professors Linda Strommen (oboe) and Thomas Robertello (flute). In 2013, she was a finalist in the Arriago Chamber music competition as part of a piano-saxophone-viola trio.
Other performance highlights includes collaborations with soprano Laura Wilde at St. Olaf College, violist David Rose and violinist David Colwell at SUNY Fredonia College, and with violinist Gregory Maytan at University of North Texas.
Previously, Chan served as opera coach and accompanist for Indiana University Opera Theater and worked on three major productions—Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, and Bernstein’s West Side Story—with conductors Ronald Zollman, Arthur Fagen, and Rob Fisher. Her work as a coach and collaborator consistently demonstrates her love of and dedication to ensemble music-making.
A recipient of numerous of awards and prizes, Chan won first prize in the Indiana University Mozart Concerto Competition, which led to a performance with the Indiana University Chamber Orchestra under Paul Biss. She also received second prize in the Indiana MTNA Competition and first prize in the Bloomington Chapter National Society of Arts and Letters Competition, which resulted in a televised performance. In 2006, she was awarded a performer’s certificate, a rare honor given by the piano faculty at Indiana University, in recognition of her outstanding solo performance.
Chan has participated in masterclasses of many renowned pedagogues. She studied with Andre Laplante and Menahem Pressler at the Adamant Music School, and was awarded a full scholarship to Pianofest in East Hampton, New York, where she studied with director Paul Schenly and performed in Pianofest’s concert series. She was also selected to perform for Elisso Virsaladze’s master class at the International Music Camp in Rome.
As an educator, Chan has served both as pedagogue and adjudicator. She has given masterclasses at Furman University, Towson University, Fort Hays State University, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Tongji University in Shanghai. In addition to judging for the IMTA festival in Indiana and the WMTA Margaret Frank Bi-Annual Specialty competition in Washington D.C, Chan has also guest judged competitions at James Madison University, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
In the past, Chan has served as a collaborative pianist at Western Illinois University, an adjunct professor of piano at Vincennes University, an associate instructor at Indiana University, and as faculty for the Young Pianist Program. She holds a doctorate in piano performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she earned both her B.M. and M.M. with high honors. She studied with Professor Luba Edlina-Dubinsky, renowned pianist of the Borodin Trio.
Chan currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana, where she is a sought-after collaborator for faculty and students at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She also maintains a private studio with students of all ages.