Chan Ka Nin
Chan Ka Nin is a music theory and composition professor at the University of Toronto whose many international honors for composition include two Juno Awards for Best Classical Composition and a Béla Bartók International Composers’ Competition prize.
He was born in Hong Kong in 1949 and moved with his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1965. At the University of British Columbia he studied composition with Jean Coulthard while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. After graduation he decided to continue studying composition with Bernhard Heiden at Indiana University, where he eventually obtained his master’s and doctoral degrees in music. Since 1982 he has taught theory and composition at the University of Toronto. His trio for clarinet, cello and piano, Among Friends, a Canadian Broadcasting Corp. commission for the Amici Chamber Orchestra, won the Barlow International Competitions in 1991. In 1992, his Saxophone Quartet won the Amherst Saxophone Quartet’s International Composition Competition. His String Quartet No. 2 won the Béla Bartók International Composers’ Competition in 1982; the winning work was published by Editio Musica Budapest. His music has been performed by ensembles such as the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra London Canada, Kodály Quartet, Purcell Quartet, Manhattan String Quartet, Thirteen Strings, the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec and New Music Concerts.
FROM THE COMPOSER
"To God of All Nations"
Dr. Chan wrote this four-movement composition at a time when he was searching for spirituality and was troubled by the conflicts between religious groups in the world. To reflect his personal view, he selected passages from the Bible (Psalms 96 and 95, in that order), Koran (42:1) and Buddhist writings (for the Admission and Ordination Ceremonies) as the text for the first three movements, respectively. He then combined and adapted the passages in the fourth movement to symbolize a universal God. The musical style reflects to some extent the influence from the cultures associated with the passages. The language is fused with a contemporary sound in the choral writing. The composer hopes this piece will increase the acceptance of each other’s beliefs.
