Joel Fan
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Joel Fan (b. United States, July 29, 1969) is a New York-based pianist noted for his work with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project, as well as his solo virtuosity and eclectic repertoire.
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[edit] Life and career
Fan was born in the United States to parents from Taiwan. He began studying piano seriously at the Juilliard School and has received both a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the Peabody Institute. His performing career began with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 11 after having won the Philharmonic's Young People's Concert Auditions. He has since made appearances internationally in recital and with orchestras such as the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, New Symphony Orchestra of Bulgaria, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
In January 2006 Fan recorded his first solo album World Keys: Virtuoso Piano Music which was released the following June under Reference Recordings. The album includes pieces from all over the globe by both famous composers such as Prokofiev, Liszt, and Schumann, as well as lesser known ones from countries not usually associated with piano music, for example Halim El-Dabh (Egypt), Qigang Chen (China), Peteris Vasks (Latvia), and A. Adnan Saygun (Turkey).
[edit] The Silk Road Project
Fan is a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project with whom he performed at the BBC Proms for the first time in 2004 alongside Wu Tong, Wu Man and the London Sinfonietta. His other performances with the ensemble range from venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Concertgebouw to television appearances on Good Morning and David Letterman.
[edit] Awards and critical acclaim
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Other than winning the Philarmonic’s Young People’s Concert Auditions, Fan has been awarded by several international competitions, notably the D’Anglo Young Artists International Competition and Busoni International Piano Competition. He has also been named a Presidential Scholar by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.
He has been mentioned in some of America's best-known publications:
- "A superb musician, able to cross one style into another without any diminution in musical sophistication." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- "A soaring talent - Fan's facility makes his playing a technical wonder." - Los Angeles Times
- "An extraordinary pianist." - The Village Voice
- "A superb pianist." - The Boston Globe
- "A versatile and sensitive pianist – an impressive talent." - The Washington Post
