Best known as one of the most accomplished violinists of his generation, David Chan is fast making a name for himself as a conductor too. The 2019-20 season marks not only his 20th as concertmaster of New York’s MET Orchestra, but also his third as the inaugural Music Director of New Jersey’s Montclair Orchestra, with which he has already earned high praise for innovative and adventurous programming, and his second as Music Director of Camerata Notturna, one of New York City’s foremost chamber orchestras. As a soloist, he has appeared under the baton of such conductors as James Levine and Fabio Luisi, with orchestras including the MET Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, and Moscow State Symphony. He is also a dedicated chamber musician who performs regularly in the New York area and at all the leading summer festivals.

Increasingly in demand on the podium, Chan has conducted Belgium’s l’Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, and l’Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne in France; the student orchestras at New York’s Juilliard and Mannes conservatories; at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan; and at Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot, where the festival orchestra comprises musicians from the Metropolitan Opera, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and all of the top orchestras in Paris. His guest conducting appearances this season include his debut performances at the Grant Park and Classical Tahoe summer festivals as well as return engagements with the Malta Philharmonic and l’Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne.

In addition to his concert appearances, Chan is active as an entrepreneur and creative director.  In 2008, combining his interest in wine with his passion for music, he co-founded the Musique et Vin au Clos Vougeot festival in Burgundy, France. As artistic director of the festival, which pairs wine tastings with music, he has overseen its growth from a small, intimate gathering to a two-week extravaganza attracting many of the biggest names in classical music, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Joyce Di Donato, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Matthew Polenzani, Emmanuel Pahud, Menahem Pressler, Cho-Liang Lin, Gary Hoffman, Marlis Petersen, and Ildar Abdrazakov.

A native of San Diego, Chan began his musical education at the age of four. After winning prizes at the Tchaikovsky and Indianapolis international violin competitions, he made his New York debut in 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall, and his Carnegie Hall debut in 2003, performing the Brahms Double Concerto with the MET Orchestra. A student of Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, and Michael Tseitlin, he received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his master’s from the Juilliard School. He is currently on the faculty of both Juilliard and the Mannes School of Music, and lives in the New York City area with his wife, violinist Catherine Ro, and their children Annalise, Micah, and Arianna.

Nathan Hughes is Principal Oboe of the Metropolitan Opera and is a member of the faculty at The Juilliard School.  He previously served as Principal Oboe of the Seattle Symphony and has made guest appearances as Principal Oboe with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony.  A prolific chamber musician, Hughes has performed with the Met Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall as well as with the Philadelphia and Seattle Chamber Music Societies.  He has also made appearances at the Aspen, Bridgehampton, Lucerne, Mainly Mozart, Marlboro, Salzburg, Santa Fe, Sarasota, Spoleto, Tanglewood and Verbier festivals.  A dedicated teacher, his students hold positions in numerous major symphony orchestras.  He has presented master classes at institutions such as the Cleveland Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, National Orchestral Institute, New World Symphony, Oberlin Conservatory, Round Top Festival Institute, Toronto’s Royal Conservatory, and the Poznań Academy in Poland.  He has earned degrees from The Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music, from which he is a recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award.