Conversations with Nathan Chan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Chan.

Hi Nathan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
My journey in the world of music began at an incredibly tender age, captivated by the magic of classical melodies and a love for the fascinating connection between physical movement and sound. As a young child at age three, I emulated legendary conductors I saw on TV with a chopstick, like Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan. It was a humble beginning that eventually led me to conduct a set of Mozart Variations at the age of three. This early connection to music ignited a lifelong passion that allowed me to start my cello studies at the age of five and would propel me through formal music education and The Juilliard School. Along the way, I had some incredible adventures, like playing for Ravi Shankar at the NAMM music convention or collaborating with Roberta Flack on a Beatles album. After my studies doing a double degree in Economics at Columbia and cello at Juilliard, I ended up taking a bunch of orchestral auditions and am so fortunate to have ended up in the Seattle Symphony as their Assistant Principal Cellist. Nowadays, I’m focused on bridging worlds between music and technology with social media, having the fortune to solo with great orchestras with the best cello repertoire, and diving into the fascinating world of chamber music as a wannabe cellist in a string quartet. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The life of any creative person has its ups and downs. When I was younger, a bit of naivete was extremely helpful in pushing past some of the limiting beliefs that one can encounter in this challenging career path. I’ve been told many times no, but thankfully the yeses have outweighed the nos. Sometimes, when somebody tells me no, it fires me up to prove that, yes, I want to do it even more. I also believe that you need a bit of stick to it perseverance to have a good shot to succeed. Whenever I experience a failure, I allow myself to mourn a bit, but it’s what you do next that matters the most. Also, you’re only as good as your most recent performance. On a personal note, the recent death of my father has given me perspective about my career and the future. Enjoy magical moments in the present because you never know whether they might disappear. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
While I am considered by trade to be a professional classical musician, one of the things that excites me the most is using social media to share the power and importance of it. My desire to become a content creator was kindled by pivotal moments in my life. Starting with the sheer brilliance of Leonard Bernstein’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” underscored the potent fusion of classical music and visual media. I thought the way Lenny drew audiences, new and old, into the world of classical music while really nurturing their love through education and passion was genius. At age eleven, I was lucky to be featured on HBO’s “The Music in Me”, a show spotlighting young musicians around the country, and got to witness the premiere and perform at Carnegie Hall. In the TV series, I performed The Swan by Saint-Saens on the cello and told a story of the Swan’s ultimate demise. These instances revealed to me the extraordinary power of combining sound and image, inspiring me to embrace the digital realm as a canvas for sharing the storytelling within classical music with the world. I eventually started editing my own movies on iMovie and saw that I could create my own musical creations. This led to a healthy relationship creating content for the internet and even resulted in the formation of my own cello ensemble called String Theory in college, where we got to create some of my favorite music videos. I’ve since transitioned to all sorts of platforms and like to mix a bit of humor and charm into music education and performance. 

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I am a risk-loving person, I would say. I believe that rules are meant to be broken and that people who take risks are the only ones who change the world. Risks as a musician come in many forms, whether it’s the subtlety of putting a slide in for a passage to be more expressive versus a safe fingering that is more accurate. Sometimes, it means programming lesser-known works like Gulda’s Cello Concerto, which I recently performed, which consists of a cello and big band. Overall, risk-taking is a mindset. You have to take risks to win in life. I love thinking about risk-taking often, and I apply it not only to my music-making and career but also to how I think about my own financial choices and sometimes in a game of poker! 

Contact Info:

• Website: nathanchan.com
• Instagram: @nathanchancello
• Facebook: on.fb.me/nathanchancello
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-chan-03510846/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nathanchancello

Image Credits
@mtwo.media
@BrandonPatoc
Kenneth Edwards