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"Perhaps the conundrum is this – why does the most unnatural of singing voices sound so natural? Years of intense and strenuous training have brought Chan to the point where his voice sounds remarkably pure and his vocal delivery looks completely effortless." (The Straits Times, Singapore)
Chan Wei En is a Singaporean countertenor whose singing is lauded for its “time-stopping” beauty and technical finesse. He leads an active career in Asia and North America performing the major works of Bach and Handel. Wei En has appeared in leading roles with numerous organizations including the Singapore International Festival of Art (SIFA), The Opera People (Singapore), Bachfest Malaysia, Red Dot Baroque, First Lutheran Church of Boston, Boston Opera Collaborative, the NEC Philharmonia and Concert Choir, the American Bach Soloists, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and others. Highlights include the title role in Handel’s Oreste with SIFA, conducted by Tian Hui Ng, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Bachfest Malaysia, conducted by Dr. David Chin, and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms with the NEC Philharmonia and Concert Choir, conducted by Hugh Wolff. Wei En has had the privilege of performing a wide variety of music beyond his work with the standard repertoire. He has premiered many contemporary works and gave the Boston premieres of Stephan Weisman’s The Scarlet Ibis as Doodle, Ligeti’s virtuosic Nouvelle Aventures, conducted by Efstratios Minakakis, and workshopped Pulitzer Prize winner, Cerise Jacob’s videogame opera, Permadeath. Wei En has garnered awards at numerous international competitions and was most recently nominated for “Best Solo Performer – Vocal” at the 17th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. Wei En earned his Master’s degree in Voice Performance from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Dr. Ian Howell, and his Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from Ithaca College, where he studied with Professor Carol McAmis. Wei En started his vocal training in Singapore with Toh Ban Sheng, and then Tay Cheng-Jim. As a chorister, Wei En sang with numerous professional choirs in Boston and is currently on the board of Carduus, directed by Holly Druckman. Wei En sings with the professional music ministry of First Lutheran Church of Boston, directed by Dr. Jonathan Wessler, where they perform mass settings, Bach cantatas, and plenty of polyphony. He has also sung with groups such as the St. Paul Choir School (Harvard Square), Parish of All Saints (Ashmont), Canto Armonico, Henry Purcell Society of Boston, Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra, M.I.T Concert Choir, ATCECM (Toronto), and the Hong Kong Bach Festival. Wei En's love for music began with community choirs in Singapore. He was a member of the Hallelujah Oratorio Society and sang with the Amoris Singers. Follow Wei En on facebook@ChanWeiEnCountertenor and Instagram@weiencountertenor |