Barry Tan

Biography

Remarked in the Boston Globe for his 'mesmerizing performance,' Canadian pianist Dr. Barry Tan enjoys a multifaceted career as an active soloist, collaborative artist, and educator based in Los Angeles. He is the recipient of the Best Performance of a Canadian Work Prize at the 2021 Vancouver International Music Competition and the Grand Prize Winner of the 2024 Concert Artists International Competition based in New York. Dr. Tan has performed as a concerto soloist with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, the University of Southern California Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Philharmonic, the University of Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Harmonia Chamber Ensemble. His collaborative endeavors has led him to perform and work alongside members of the LA Philharmonic, the LA Opera Orchestra, and the LA Master Chorale.

Dr. Tan has performed at notable venues worldwide, including the Chan Center of the Arts (Vancouver, Canada), the Tanglewood Music Center (Massachusetts, USA), Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria), Banff Center Rolston Recital Hall (Banff, Canada), War Memorial Opera House (San Francisco, USA), Gilles-Lefebvre Concert Hall (Quebec, Canada), Herbert Zipper Concert Hall (Los Angeles, USA), and Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall (New York City, USA). His performances have been broadcasted on IPR Radio WIAA 98.7FM at Interlochen's Studio A, featured performances with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra on the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO Now) streaming platform, and collaborative performances at the Colburn School through the Violin Channel.

Dr. Tan was appointed Assistant Professor of Music in Piano, Theory, and Chamber Music at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. Prior to this, he held positions on the piano faculty at California Baptist University, and served as a staff pianist at the Colburn School. Dr. Tan earned his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles, where he was recognized as the Most Outstanding Graduate in the Keyboard Studies Department.  Dr. Tan has also completed summer studies and residencies at Canada’s National Arts Center Young Artist Program, the Mozarteum’s Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria, the Banff Arts Center Fall Residency Workshop, and the Tanglewood Music Center as a piano fellow. 

Education

• BM, Piano Performance, University of Victoria, 2014
• MM, Piano Performance, McGill University, 2016
• DMA, University of Southern California, 2022