Elim Chan
One of the most sought-after artists of her generation, conductor Elim Chan epitomizes modern orchestral leadership through her crystalline precision and zeal. She served as Principal Conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra between 2019-2024 and Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra between 2018-2023.
Having made her highly acclaimed debut at the BBC Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2023, Elim Chan returned with the orchestra for the First Night of the Proms 2024. The 2024 summer period also saw her reunite with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the opening of the Hollywood Bowl’s classical summer season and with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra at the Edinburgh International Festival, as well as her debuts with the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg for the opening of the Salzburg Festival and with the Kammerakademie Potsdam for the opening of Beethovenfest Bonn.
Highlights of her 2024/25 season include two tours with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra as well as return engagements with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Wiener Symphoniker, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, to mention a few; she also debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Previous debuts include those with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Staatskapelle Berlin, Staatskapelle Dresden, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Born in Hong Kong, Elim Chan studied at Smith College in Massachusetts and at the University of Michigan. In 2014, she became the first female winner of the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition and went on to spend her 2015-16 season as Assistant Conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra, where she worked closely with Valery Gergiev. In the following season, Elim Chan joined the Dudamel Fellowship program of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She also owes much to the support and encouragement of Bernard Haitink, whose masterclasses she attended in Lucerne in 2015.
