Joel Fan

Joel Fan (born July 29, 1969) is an American pianist and Steinway artist.^[1] The New York Times has described Fan as an "impressive pianist"^[2] with a "probing intellect and vivid imagination."^[3] Consistently acclaimed for his recitals and appearances with orchestras, Fan won two consecutive Billboard Top 10 Debuts with his solo CDs World Keys and West of the Sun,^[4] while Dances for Piano and Orchestra earned a Grammy nomination.^[5]

Joel Fan, pianist

Early life and education

Pianist Joel Fan was born in New York City to Taiwanese American immigrant parents.^[6] While attending Hunter College High School, he studied at the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School as a student of Kathryn Parker and Martin Canin.^[7] A child prodigy, Fan made his debut playing with the New York Philharmonic after winning the orchestra's Young People's Concert Auditions^[8] at the age of 11.^[9]

Fan graduated with a bachelor's degree from Harvard University, where his teachers included the composer Leon Kirchner. He then earned a Master of Music degree in piano university from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Leon Fleisher. He is also a prize winner of several international competitions, including the Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy. He was also the winner of the Kosciuzko Foundation's Chopin Prize, and named a Presidential Scholar by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.^[10]

Career

Joel Fan is described as a pianist who plays with "eloquence and sensitivity",^[11] and a "rhythmic acuteness and broad tonal palette.”^[12] Fan's “commanding technique and the passion he brings to his performances”^[13] have been noted in his appearances as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. In addition, Fan “not only embraces classical music in his repertoire, but has commissioned new works and is also passionate about world music.”^[14]

As a concerto soloist, Joel Fan brings “vibrant, passionate, tender, sparkling life”^[15] to over 40 different concertos he has performed from the traditional classical repertoire, as well as works such as Messiaen Turangalila Symphony, Szymanowski Symphony-Concertante No. 4, and Bernstein's Age of Anxiety. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras worldwide including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, Odesa Philharmonic, and London Sinfonietta.^[16] Among the conductors he has worked with include Keith Lockhart, David Zinman, Alan Gilbert, Zubin Mehta, David Robertson and many others.^[17]

As a recitalist, critics have reported that Joel Fan "has a huge dynamic range and tremendous facility",^[18] and his performances sound “freshly conceived and full of character”.^[19] With his “willingness to juxtapose traditional and unexpected repertory”,^[20] Fan’s solo concerts are designed to be “exciting and fun, capturing the ears of classical music lovers as well as more-casual listeners.”^[21] Fan has been presented as a solo recitalist on the stages of the Kennedy Center, the Ravinia Festival, Jordan Hall, Calgary Celebrity Series, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Internationally, Fan’s recitals have been heard on four continents including his tours of China, Cuba and South America.^[22]

Silk Road Ensemble

In 1998, cellist Yo-Yo Ma established the Silk Road Ensemble.^[23]  As a member, Joel Fan’s performances appear on their first album, Silk Road Journeys, which was released in 2001 and with the ensemble in their initial tour of China^[24] and their concerts at the Kennedy Center later that year.^[25] His history of performances with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble include concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Concertgebouw, and television programs such as Good Morning America.^[26] Along with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Wu Man on pipa, and Wu Tong on sheng, Fan also performed premieres such as Bright Sheng’s concerto The Song and Dance of Tears with the London Sinfonietta at the BBC Proms.^[27] Joel Fan is noted for his work with Yo-Yo Ma^[28] performing repertoire that includes works drawn from the traditional cello repertoire,^[29] contemporary works,^[30] the music of cultures outside the classical tradition,^[31] and in performances of traditional chamber music^[32][33] and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto.^[34]

Discography

Joel Fan’s discography illustrates his highly creative musical persona.^[35] His albums have scored two consecutive Billboard Top 10 Debuts^[36] and a Grammy nomination.^[37] His music airs on radio on stations such as WQXR in New York City^[38] and WCLV in Cleveland^[39] among many others. Fan's live performances and interviews are also featured in broadcasts on radio stations including KING in Seattle,^[40] and Houston Public Media.^[41]

World Keys: Virtuosic Piano Music

Fueled by his touring around the world with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble,^[42] Joel Fan recorded his debut solo piano recital album for Reference Recordings, World Keys: Virtuoso Piano Music.^[43] Featuring ten composers from ten different countries, Fan juxtaposes virtuosic works from the Classical tradition by Prokofiev, Liszt and Schumann, with five World Premieres from composers and cultures not usually associated with piano music: Dia Succari (Syria), Halim El-Dabh (Egypt), Qigang Chen (China), Peteris Vasks (Latvia) and A. Adman Saygun (Turkey).^[44] The album debuted at No.3 on the Billboard Charts.^[45]

West of the Sun

The second solo piano album by Joel Fan, West of the Sun, contains "nine stunningly brilliant renditions drawn from a wide range of styles and sources,"^[46] by nine composers from North and South America.^[47] From South America, works of Nazareth, Piazzolla and Villa-Lobos are juxtaposed with the first piano sonata of Ginastera. Two little-known works by Amy Beach and the African-American composer Margaret Bonds surround the Barber Sonata and a world premiere recording from William Bolcom from North America. The album offers fresh discoveries and classics told through Latin rhythms, European and American compositional techniques, the Negro spiritual and voices of women and further solidifies his reputation for innovative programming.^[48]

Leon Kirchner : Revelations

Joel Fan’s album, Revelations, is an homage to his mentor and teacher, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Leon Kirchner.^[49] An "admirable interpreter of his music", Fan's "sympathetic readings bring its emotional content to the fore"^[50] in works that piques the interest and heightens appreciation of Kirchner, the man.^[51] Fan offers an intimate portrait^[52] of the American master composer.^[53] "The album is an important recording of diverse works — piano pieces, songs, choral works, most of them little known, with music that is alluring, pungent, and intelligent."^[54]

Dances for Piano and Orchestra

The concerto album, Dances for Piano and Orchestra, reflects Joel Fan’s ongoing commitment to international music^[55] and interests that extend well beyond the standard repertoire.^[56] The wide-ranging journey focuses on the intersection of music and dance in an almost-forgotten genre - the single-movement dance piece for piano and orchestra.^[57] These virtuoso novelties, which are probably known to few musicians,^[58] offer "vitally engrossing pianism"^[59] in rarely heard compositions by Chopin, Saint-Saëns, Pierné, Weber-Liszt, Castro, Gottschalk, culminating in a world premiere recording of Charles Cadman’s Dark Dancers of the Mardi Gras.^[60]

Joel Fan has recorded for Reference Recordings, Sony Classical, Verdant World Records, and Albany Records.^[61]

Awards and critical acclaim

In addition to winning the Philharmonic'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 was the winner of the Kosciuzko Foundation's Chopin Prize and named a Presidential Scholar by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.^[62]

Joel Fan is a Steinway Artist.^[63]

Seattle Post-Intelligencer has described him as "a superb musician, able to cross one style into another without any diminution in musical sophistication." The Los Angeles Times says he is a " soaring talent - Fan's facility makes his playing a technical wonder." The Washington Post noted him as "a versatile and sensitive pianist – an impressive talent." ^{[citation needed][64]}