Rising music arranger from Hong Kong shares what set the stage for his path to working in Broadway musicals
- Ian Chan, who graduated from Harvard last year, says he never expected to work in musical theatre, but he has discovered a passion for telling stories
- Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we’ve written
As a linguistics and mathematics scholar at Harvard University, Ian Chan thought he was destined for a conventional career in engineering or academia. Photo: HandoutAs a linguistics and mathematics scholar at Harvard University, Ian Chan thought he was destined for a conventional career in engineering or academia – never had he imagined himself working in musical theatre.
The Hong Kong-born 23-year-old had spent his student years being recognised for his academic feats: a perfect score on the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, admission to a prestigious US university, and concurrently finishing bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
“I always loved school. I loved research. So, another possibility was becoming a professor,” Chan said.
However, Chan’s path took an unexpected turn after joining a week-long programme at Harvard meant to help first-year students adjust to campus life by exploring themselves through art. Chan, who completed secondary school in Canada, remembered how in just two days, the students put together a one-hour show, and he wrote his first musical theatre song.
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“I thought it was one of the most fun things that I had ever done,” he said. “So, I was like: ‘How do I continue doing this in school? If this is what Harvard is like, Harvard is going to be so fun.’”
While he was a student, he orchestrated seven musicals and directed the music for 13 productions. In 2022, he made his Broadway debut as the music assistant and rehearsal pianist for the revival of 1776 and became the score supervisor for the musical extravaganza, The Heart of Rock and Roll on Broadway.
After graduating from Harvard last year, Chan is now a rising composer and music director in New York City.
“Musical theatre really spoke to me – to be able to create stories through music. And I told myself, I told my parents, I owe it to myself to at least try,” he shared.
Weaving together art and identity
The composer’s musical journey started at the age of three when his parents enrolled him in a group music class. His knack for rhythm impressed the teacher, who suggested that he could start taking piano lessons. By the age of nine, Chan had also taken up the violin.
But it was his time at Harvard that ignited his passion for music and helped him find his voice: singing a cappella jazz, making music in the university choir and crafting a musical inspired by his experiences.
“For the first time ever, I found a real, personal passion and purpose in telling stories that represent and advocate for people ... who are like me,” said the music artist, who spent his formative years in Canada.
In 2021, while he was a student, Chan composed the music for a theatre production titled OUT: An Asian American Musical, drawing inspiration from his life. The coming-of-age drama and comedy weaves together the tales of three queer Asian youths.
“I wrote it with two of my very good friends, and the three of us [are] Asian people who grew up in North America,” Chan explained. “We wanted to figure out a way to tell the complex stories of having these split identities. How do we feel about ourselves? How do we feel about our families? The different obligations that we hold, and the dichotomies that come with that.”
Chan also incorporated the Cantopop style he grew up with into the musical theatre show.
In his master’s thesis, Chan even integrated his love for his mother tongue by investigating mathematical relationships between tones and melodies in Cantopop and Mando-pop. “As someone who grew up speaking Cantonese and English, there’s so much that Cantonese has to offer,” he pointed out.
Challenges on Broadway
Besides his current work on The Heart of Rock and Roll, Chan is also a music associate for a new production of the beloved musical Cats.
His goal is to become an arranger and music supervisor on Broadway. However, he admitted it could be challenging to find a stable career in the arts.
“That was something that I had to figure out: how am I going to make money? I took the time to try to build as many connections as possible,” he shared.
He added that since musical theatre requires a working knowledge of many styles, including jazz, pop, and rock, it was a learning curve for Chan, who grew up playing classical music.
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Another challenge was the limited representation of Asians on Broadway. “It’s very, very few of us,” he said. “It’s weird to not see people who look like you.”
“But I’m really thankful that people are getting opportunities, and that there are networks to expand on Asian communities on Broadway. For example, on The Heart of Rock and Roll, there’s another person from Hong Kong who’s working with me. That’s the first time that has ever happened.”
Chan urged aspiring artists to build connections and collaborations with their peers, and to give their all in everything they do: “It’s important to care about what you do even if it’s minor.”
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