Elim Chan

Elbphilharmonie Talk with Elim Chan

The young star conductor shares insights into her career, her rehearsal discipline and why some prejudices can actually be helpful.

»It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me. I just suddenly knew that this was what I wanted to do,« recalls the conductor Elim Chan, in this »Elbphilharmonie Talk«. With self-effacing humour and plenty of anecdotes from her life, she talks about her career thus far, prejudices that can sometimes come in handy, tai chi, and the quirks and challenges of conducting. She also explains why she sometimes prefers to conduct without a baton, and tells the story of how the legendary conductor Bernard Haitink coaxed her to come out of her shell. Born in Hong Kong in 1986, Elim Chan received most of her musical training in the United States. After a meteoric rise to international acclaim, she now conducts leading orchestras across the globe, especially in Europe and North America. She has performed at the Elbphilharmonie several times and makes her debut with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in April 2025.

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