Elaine Wan Chan

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Elaine Wan Chan is an award-winning music composer and music director in Singapore.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Elaine started her first composition at the age of eight. She made her mark at 18, when she wrote her first full length musical score and toured South New Zealand with it, winning songwriting awards, including The Wong Yee Hua Memorial Award for musical excellence. Elaine later studied music composition in the University of Texas at Austin.[1]

[edit] Credits

In 2005, Elaine was invited to write and direct original music for the National Day Parade, 2005 (NDP'05) for the celebration of the Singapore's 40th anniversary of Independence, and is to date the first female composer ever to do so.[1] Collaborating with long time friend Selena Tan, she wrote the song "Reach Out For The Skies",[1] which was performed at the 2005 event by Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah and actress Rui En.

Elaine has also collaborated with Selena Tan to write hits for W!LD RICE's musical productions including Aladdin (2004), CinderellaH! (2003) and the first 3 installments of Dim Sum Dollies amongst many other corporate projects.[1][2]

Elaine is also a choral music and music theatre composer, arranger and director. Her credits in 2005 include Toy Factory’s Spring Singing, Selena Tan’s Wedding Concert, Singapore Management University’s Anything Goes, the Wild Rice Ball, a performance tour to conduct the NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House Chorus at the Forbidden City Concert Hall and W!LD RICE’s Sleeping Beauty[1] in December 2005.

Other notable credits include a commissioned Temasek Medley which was performed in the June 1998 Singapore Arts Festival by the Singapore Youth Choir. This piece was published by the Boosey & Hawkes publishing company in New York. More theatre credits includes recording and performance of school and church musical productions, Singapore Airlines Flight Fever & Hearts over Heels, Dream Academy Productions’ Island Magic, iTheatre’s 3 men & a boot (2003), Toy Factory’s Morning People (2001), Action Theatre’s Chang and Eng (2000), Rainbow Theatre’s Sayang (2001), Temptations (2000), Drama Box’s Mr Beng & Singapore Lyric Opera’s Grand Opera Gala (1999/2000), I Have a Date with Spring (1999), Singapore Repertory Theatre’s They’re Playing Our Song (1999), Into the Woods (1994) and Godspell (1993, 2002).

She also composed a musical, titled Haven, which premiered on August 4 and 5, 2006 at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), where she is a music teacher.[3] She also taught in Fairfield Methodist Secondary School as a music teacher.

[edit] Reach Out for the Skies

Music by Elaine Wan Chan
Lyrics by Selena Tan
Arranged by Joshua Wan

At a time when hope was low
The journey seems unsure
But through it all
We’ve kept the flame alive

Now standing proud and tall
Our spirit strong and free
Building on hopes and dreams
It’s here we want to be

Let’s reach out for the skies
With wings we soar up high
Our dreams we’ll all achieve
We’ll make our destiny

Let’s reach out for the skies
With wings we soar up high
Our dreams we’ll all achieve
Let’s soar and reach for the skies

When I think about my dreams
The future it may be
The time has come for me
To strive and achieve

With hopes within our hearts
As one hand in hand
For family and our friends
Let’s do the best we can

Let’s reach out for the skies
With wings we soar up high
Our dreams we’ll all achieve
We’ll make our destiny

Let’s reach out for the skies
With wings we soar up high
Our dreams we’ll all achieve
Let’s soar and reach for the skies

Our dreams we’ll all achieve
Let’s soar and reach for the skies

We can touch the skies

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e Reach Out For the Skies: ACSPress Interview: Mrs Elaine Wan (PDF). ACSPress (August 2005). Retrieved on October 12, 2006.
  2. ^ Sistic
  3. ^ Principal Circular for Term 3 2006 (PDF). Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (2006-06-27). Retrieved on October 12, 2006.