Charlie Chan | Musician/band
Charlie Chan
Reviews
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25.01.2022 Sailor is feeling the holiday spirit. #dogsofinstagram #christmas
25.01.2022 Watch the incredible International Jazz Day Concert to see some of Australias incredible jazz folks and a then some do their amazing jazz thing. Its 1:40 mins of pure musical joy with a message for humanity about sharing, collaboration and generosity toward others to enable us to live in peace together on this beautiful planet. #InternationalJazzDay #music
25.01.2022 The Concert for the Planet Live Stream, enjoy! #GOLIVE2018 #concertfortheplanet #hotagc #connect2earth
25.01.2022 Just messing around. Today it’s about the black notes: ebony, not ivory, which incidentally always harmonise. No matter what you do, they sound good together. You can’t make a mistake (maybe). Debussy was right in 1903 to discover this pentatonic scale; in fact, my Happiness Project is inspired by the same five notes. - - - - - - - #bösendorfer #imperial290 #piano #pianist #womencomposers #womeninmusic
24.01.2022 A fun memory... writing film scores is such a great creative challenge. A scene from the 1999 film "Me Myself I" featuring music by me and a young Rachel Griffiths.
23.01.2022 Cuddle puddle with these incredible kids. Post-performance @unitednations for @unicefs #worldchildrensday #fridaysforfuture @theps22chorus
23.01.2022 Still not over the @unitednations extravaganza. So fortunate to have been able to play on one of the biggest and most politically charged stages in the world. #fridaysforfuture
23.01.2022 I still have so many people to thank for the wild week at the United Nations. It was a team effort and wouldnt have been possible without the help and support of some excellent individuals. Ive mentioned some of these names before, but I really want to take the time to express gratitude to each of them. This post goes out to Gregg Breinberg (PS22 Chorus Director), the Maestro behind the PS22 Chorus. Greggs passion for music and education is infectious. His top priority is to ensure that these kids are being recognised for their talent. Gregg and I clicked as soon as we met. We share the same values, and know that music can change lives for the better. Thank you Gregg, youre the best. Theres a gig waiting for you and the kids Down Under! #ThankYouThursdays
22.01.2022 Charlie Chan and the Gold Coast Philharmonic Orchestra Society on ABC Gold Coast radio this morning with host Julie Clift. Charlie and company discussing tonights Concert for the Planet and how you can play your part for the planet. #globalorchestra #concertfortheplanet #hotagc #connect2earth
22.01.2022 Rehearsals for Akwanso, Fly South for @adelaidefestival in 1988 with Eddie Quansah and @rhodaroberts. The show told the stories of four Black womenplayed by Aku Kadogo, Jigzie Campbell, Rhoda Roberts, and @dorindahafnerand their experiences of racism. Eddie and I co-wrote the soundtrack. Directed by Robyn Archer and choreographed by Mary Barnett from @alvinailey, written by Robyn and the women who performed the show; they were telling their own stories. It would be great ...to reprise Akwanso, Fly South. It seems even more relevant today than it was in 1988. --------- #FlashbackFriday #LiveMusic #LiveTheatre #AdelaideFestival #ComposerLife #Collaboration
21.01.2022 *UPDATE* event link here: UN Performance Stream Only eight days until we take "We The Children", inspired by 2040: The Regeneration, to the UN. Click "attending" to keep up to date with any information about the performance.
20.01.2022 This is what happened when a kid took over the United Nations in September. They should be our world leaders. Join the Global Orchestra and support children everywhere on #WorldChildrensDay, November 20th. #GretaThunberg
19.01.2022 Postponed.. due to site complexities. James and I are excited to play "Meet Me Under the Dome" as part of Janet Laurence's Requiem series for Sydney Festival on Monday, January 18th, in the beautiful Paddington Reservoir. It's free but you need to register; you can find all the info in the event below. Looking forward to seeing you there!
19.01.2022 Another take on an old Christmas favourite: this time, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". Hard to feel festive with all thats raging on outside; hope this instrumental track offers comfort to some. #HolidaySpirit #Christmas
19.01.2022 This was an amazing and special moment for both Angela Catterns and I. Being led to a rehearsal room by Irene and Hayden who are 5th graders at Primary School 22. They were so much fun and were as excited to meet us as we were them. But I reckon the best part was hearing sixty kids voices singing the song We the Children, which we wrote. The sound was literally pouring out the rehearsal rooms doors. A totally moving moment for both of us. Nothing better than the sound of childrens voices in unison. Love Gregg the conductor. First time Id ever met him and it was hugs all round. This performance with this wonderful group of kids at the UN is going to be really incredible on Wednesday. A link will follow for the live stream shortly. First rehearsal with Ps22 Chorus in Staten Island, NY.
19.01.2022 I met the amazing Damon Gameau a couple of years ago, together we came up with the idea of creating an anthem using the voices and words from his documentary 2040 to support climate action. Inspired by the childrens voices and courage this song maps the opportunities, hopes and wisdoms of future generations. "We the Children composed and produced by Charlie Chan with words by Angela Catterns.... With a little help from some great friends, Tenzin Choegyal (Tibetan Musician), Tony David Cray, Serina Peche, Ashley Turner, The Choir from Santa Sabina College & Shauna Jensen plus minke whales and the sounds of our beautiful blue planet. I stand with future generations and support the climate strike this Friday around the globe! #FridaysForFuture #WhatsYour2040 #JoinTheRegeneration #GlobalClimateStrike #CharlieChanComposer
18.01.2022 An amazing chance meeting with Herbie Hancock propels me to Melbourne today for International Jazz Day. Looking forward to tonights performance with many great Australian friends. James Morrison, Paul Grabowsky + many world musicians +++ You can watch international jazz day right here in facebook. ... https://www.facebook.com/intljazzday/ Also on youtube. Remarkable synergies musicians have around the same notes we all play together and separately. Probably one of the best metaphors for collaboration comes from music. A great roadmap for living together harmoniously and with a bit of that jazz to keep it all interesting. Happy International Jazz Day.
16.01.2022 En route to New York City, where I will be performing on a massive international stage at United Nations HQ. Im so lucky to spend my days making music, and to be backed by such a wonderful team.
16.01.2022 Very proud of the work I did on Last Drinks at Fridas. This review is best christmas present ever. For the musicians to be recognised as such a complimentary part of this wonderful little film. A giant of an idea directed by Bjrn Stewart & written by Kodie Dalayva Osborn, produced by Lois Randall of Magpie Pictures. Song performed by Ursula Yovich and performed by Andrew Robertson, Ashley Turner & Andrew Dickerson. Ill post a link to the track on soundcloud. Well done. Thanks for the lovely pic Lois.
16.01.2022 **UPDATE** running much later than scheduled... thank you for your patience. Im set to perform soon. The link is live and ready to go! I wont be playing for another two hours.
15.01.2022 One of my New Year’s resolutions is to spend even more time at the piano. Here I am almost five years ago now (!!!) improvising a new composition. When I’m making music, anything feels possible.
15.01.2022 Clowning around on the set of Cathy Henkel’s first short filmpretty amazing that we could shoot on George Street back then with no permits, walking around dressed that way with saxophone in hand. Wish I could remember the name of the film, or the name of the person applying my makeup! - - - - - - - - #flashbackfriday #womeninfilm #womeninmusic #creativity #collaboration
14.01.2022 Hello friends, Im performing for the first time in a VERY long time, and Im inviting you all of you to come along. Ill be playing with Ashley Turner with loops and other fun by the fantabulous Tony David Cray. Its all new and will be very special.... The new composition is titled The Happiness Index. Ill be on piano and other gorgeous sounds .. and there are also other fantastic performers doing their thing at this group show. Many thanks to Annette Shun Wah for making it happen. Thursday the 15th of Nov .. 6pm @Carriageworks Come see some exceptional contemporary Asian Australian performance - go on you know you want to!!
14.01.2022 I wrote the score for this incredible doco series. It speaks to a darker time in Australian history when we lived through the negative prism of communism - a differing point of view could be bad for our community. Thank you to the producer and great friend Haydn Keenan. Hes an amazing talent and a pleasure to collaborate with.
14.01.2022 Special thanks go to the one and only Angela Catterns. My partner in creativity and life. And boating... Angela is the Chair of Global Orchestra Foundation which we jointly founded with close friends Justin Bairdand Nathan Waks. The Foundations tenets are environmental and musical. We believe that everyone has a part to play towards a sustainable future for the planet. A little-known fact about Angela: she is a great writer and was included in an anthology of Australian Wom...en Poets. Shes also my lyricist on quite a few songs which have appeared in films such as Last Drinks at Fridas for mates Kodie Bedford and Bjorn Stewart, and the song We the Children which recently had an outing at the United Nations and is from Damon Gameaus documentary 2040: The Regeneration. Angela brings a deeply considered point of view to our shared projects with writing, board matters and by using her actual voice, which we all know from radio and television. Ange and I met October 7th 1998 in her radio studio at triple j. I was a bit clueless as to who Angela was or what show I was being interviewed for because I came from the world of Art Music. But I was told by my publicist that she was kind and very popular, and it was quite a thing to get on her show. My record company had put a piano in her studio for our interview and I played a combination of improvisation and pianistic noodling by audience request. I was supposed to be there for about 10mins but ended up playing out her entire shift. I loved it, we had an amazing creative chemistry and riffed off each other both musically and intellectually. There was something quite magical in our meeting, and off-air we enjoyed further conversation about our love of sailing and music. Plus shes also great fun, so we just kept chatting. Weve been friends on and off for 21 years, sharing our adventures for the greater good. Thank you Angela for the words, the voiceovers, the patience with all the crazy ideas, and for being available at midnight to write one last thing for a media release or website update.
13.01.2022 Video of the United Nations performance of Charlie Chans song "We the Children", co-written by Angela Catterns. It was a humbling experience working with the children from the Ps22 Chorus (Public School 22 from Graniteville, Staten Island). They were all committed, friendly, and fun. Choir master Gregg Breinberg (PS22 Chorus Director) was someone Ill never forget. Passionate about music and about education. Im so grateful for his energy and dedication. Thank you Gregg, yo...ure the best! Endless thanks, too, to David Ohana and Angus Ingham from UNICEF, whose generosity and insight into all the diplomatic goings-on made the whole day especially meaningful. A big shout-out to Tony, Prince, and Michaela, our stage production maestros. Music has the power to switch on the best part of us. It can rewire, allowing for fresh emotional and intellectual investigation. Ive been on a massive exploration of myself and my creativity through this project, from original inspiration to performance. There is still a lot we can do. If youve felt that the world is on fire (which it is) or you feel you cant do anything and are losing hope, have a look at the kids in this video and realise that their future is close at hand; they will soon be able to vote and infiltrate the hallowed halls of government and assume leadership. We adults may have made lots of mistakes, but there is definitely still a chance life on earth will renew and repair with these guys soon to be in charge. Happy World Childrens Day.
13.01.2022 Somewhere between improvising and composing and being in the harmony of nature is Happiness. Recent rehearsal for my musical work in progress, The Happiness Index. with Ashley Turner and Tony David Cray.
12.01.2022 Charlie Chan is an Australian composer, pianist, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist. She has written soundtracks, scores and themes for feature films, tv series and theatre productions.
12.01.2022 Kayaking into the week ahead (and a pic of Sailor just for fun). Hoping for clearer, less moody skies. #mondaymood @ Balmain
12.01.2022 It’s the one-year anniversary of #worldchildrensday when I performed at the @unitednations with the brilliant @theps22chorus. It was a beautiful and inspiring experience, and for such an important cause. #livemusic #musicislife #composer #newyork #whatsyour2040 #wethechildren @ United Nations
11.01.2022 Our Charlie was on ABC Sydney radio this afternoon discussing the Global Orchestra Foundation and the Concert for the Planet. #GOLIVE2018 #globalorchestra #concertfortheplanet
10.01.2022 This is a great and local way to help those affected by the heartbreaking bushfires.
10.01.2022 Ive been thinking a lot in the new year about how lucky I am to do what I love for a living, especially in this time of crisis and loss. Looking forward to (hopefully) positive change in 2020, and continuing to use music to make a difference. Photo by @mrbenjaminwilliams
09.01.2022 Meet Me Under the Dome Digital Edition. Live Stream from the incredible Requiem Series as curated by friend, neighbour and acclaimed Australian Artist, @janetlaurence Monday 16th Jan from 5pm (Sydney). We are at COVID capacity at the venue but I'd love you to join us. Tune in for a pre-concert chat. Look forward to seeing you. #music #cello #doublebass #crearivity #livestream #sydfest #newmusic
09.01.2022 All systems are go... Sigma Series lecture at Virginia Air & Space Center. #charliechan #globalorchestra #sigmaseries
08.01.2022 Dont worry about the video link error. That should go away once the event is live.
08.01.2022 A video from a few years ago of tuning the Bosendorfer. Its something I find quite soothing, and thought it could offer some respite to those who are struggling to look away from the horrific events around the world. Music is one of the tools we can harness to make these awful times easier.
07.01.2022 James and I, ever so candid and unstaged, during Sydney Festival rehearsals. Excited for the 18th at Paddington Reservoir! Register for your free ticket here: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/events/requiem
07.01.2022 In denial that its already that time of year... but a good excuse to listen to my spin on a Christmas classic. #FeelingFestive #HolidaySeason
07.01.2022 Music brings us together. Im incredibly excited to perform "We The Children" with Ps22 Chorus at the United Nations on November 20th in NYC, the song inspired by Damon Gameaus film 2040: The Regeneration. The track represents the collective voice of the next generation, and the potential for a sustainable future. Grateful to Angela Catterns, Serina Pech, Tenzin Choegyal and the Santa Sabina Choir for their invaluable creative contributions. #Music #ClimateActionNow #WhatsYour2040
05.01.2022 A video from a few years ago of tuning the Bosendorfer. It’s something I find quite soothing, and thought it could offer some respite to those who are struggling to look away from the horrific events around the world. Music is one of the tools we can harness to make these awful times easier.
04.01.2022 A delicious Monday lunch with views and company to match. Celebrating some great friends who have been invaluable to keeping the Charlie Chan Music operation running smoothly over these frantic few months! @ The Fenwick
04.01.2022 Merry Christmas to all... Drummer Boy .. may way. As legend has it our drummer boy is a cool cat from central africa. #merrychristmas #charliechancomposer #charliechan #drummerboy
03.01.2022 Another post of gratitude for #ThankYouThursdays. I have one person in particular I want to thank for many personal and professional connections: my friend Ann Sherry. Weve bonded over our love of nature, border collies, music (accordions) and saving the world one project at a time. Earlier this year, she invited me to an event where I met my hero, pianist Herbie Hancock: a man who cares deeply about the future of the world, and is working hard to change hearts and minds wi...th music. He shares his creativity in the most inspiring ways. I thought Id be there with about 300 other people, but it was a really small event and I got to have the one of the most important conversations of my life. Using music as an agent for social change is a real thing which Id forgotten, and talking to Herbie allowed me to track back to it. None of this would have happened without Anns invitation and support. Thats the thing about great friends: they can guide you somewhere with so much care you dont even notice. Thank you to Ann, a legend in her own right; the extent of which I am still learning of as our friendship deepens. Without you, Id never have made it to the United Nations with a song that will bring about deeper change! #womeninbusiness #musicislife Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz
03.01.2022 I’ve been thinking a lot in the new year about how lucky I am to do what I love for a living, especially in this time of crisis and loss. Looking forward to (hopefully) positive change in 2020, and continuing to use music to make a difference. Photo by @mrbenjaminwilliams
03.01.2022 It is a privilege to be a creator and to then view another creator’s output; to see so much time and intense productivity culminate in a beautiful exhibition. Being half-Chinese, and only being taught that old white guys painted scenes of early Australia, is a far cry from the power of @mca_australia, which supports Australian contemporary art for all the people that cluster here, and is great at showcasing women artists too. How lucky I am with all that’s going on in the world to be out and about, experiencing @lindyleestudio’s Moon in a Dew Drop, and great to be out with these two as well! #CAAP #fineart #exhibition #nightout @ Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
02.01.2022 Riffing at UN sound check with @theps22chorus. Thank you Yamaha Music Australia - Music Products for the keys! #fridaysforfuture #music
01.01.2022 One of my New Years resolutions is to spend even more time at the piano. Here I am almost five years ago now (!!!) improvising a new composition. When Im making music, anything feels possible.
01.01.2022 Contemplating the last full week of the decade, and looking forward to the New Year! Any good resolutions? #2020
