Charlie Chan (composer)

Last updated

Charlie Chan
Born
Maryann Sook Kim Chan

Melbourne, Australia
Genres Jazz, classical, improvisation, world-music
Occupation(s) Musician, Composer, improvisation, world-music
Instrument(s) Piano
Guitar
Double Bass
Drums
Years active1982–present
Labels Sony Masterworks
Martian Music
Charlie Chan Music
Website charliechan.com.au

Charlie Chan, born Maryann Sook Kim Chan, is an Australian pianist and composer. They are co-founder and artistic director of the Global Orchestra, which aims to connects musicians from around the world.

Contents

Early life and education

Maryann Sook Kim Chan was born in Melbourne to a Chinese-Malay father and Scottish-Australian mother, growing up in Dandenong.[ citation needed ]

Their first instruments were ukulele, guitar, and drums, starting a band at age eight. At 12, they began work experience in a local Yamaha music store and began playing piano, then double bass. At 14, they began work as a music copyist for Young Talent Time .[ citation needed ] At 15, they began studying music at University High School and composing for the stage, including the score for a theatrical adaptation of They Shoot Horses Don't They? [ citation needed ]

Career

Chan moved to Sydney at 16, finding commissioned work with drama and dance groups plus stints playing keyboards and drums with successful bands Electric Pandas, The Allniters and the Stray Dags.[ citation needed ]

In the 1990s, Chan released three solo albums on their own label in partnership with Sony Masterworks: The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1993), East and West (1996) and Wild Swans (1998). They also opened for Deep Forest on an Australian tour.

In the early to mid 2000s, Chan expanded their own label, Martian Music, into am independent online music service. They continued to release solo albums throughout the 2000s.

They have composed for film and TV soundtracks, including that of Me Myself I , McLeod's Daughters and Killing Time .

Chan is co-founder and artistic director of the Global Orchestra, which aims to connects musicians from around the world, as well as the Museful Live series, released on YouTube during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.

In 2023, Chan released Constellation, a series of 52 albums released one per week throughout the year.

Recognition

Chan was awarded Best Music Performance at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 1997, and has also been nominated for two Australasian Performing Right Association Awards for Best Music for a Television Series and Best Film Score.

In 2001, Chan was nominated in two categories in the APRA Music Awards: Best Film Score, for Me Myself I, and Best Television Theme, for Last Warriors. [1]

They have also received three Australian Guild of Screen Composers nominations for Best Soundtrack Album, Best Music for a Feature Film, and Best Music for a Documentary.

Album discography

Soundtracks

References

  1. ↑ "AMCOS : Nominations". apra-amcos.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
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