Toby Chan

Hong Kong bassoonist Toby Chan was appointed Co-Principal Bassoon of the Hong Kong Philharmonic in 2016 by Maestro Jaap van Zweden. An active orchestral musician, he has performed with ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Macau Orchestra, and Evergreen Symphony Orchestra. He has also participated in extensive tours with the Cleveland Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Throughout his career, he has worked under the batons of world-renowned conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Andris Nelsons, Charles Dutoit, Lorin Maazel, and Fabio Luisi. During the summers of 2015 and 2016, he was an orchestral fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival, and he was a member of the Asian Youth Orchestra in 2010 and 2011.

Chan remains active in the international bassoon community; he served on the advisory committee for the 2025 International Double Reed Society (IDRS) Norma Hooks Young Artist Competition, advising on competition repertoire and judging panels. As a soloist, Chan won The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) Concerto Trial in 2011, subsequently performing with the Academy Symphony Orchestra. He was also named one of the "2012 Young Music Makers" by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), for which he recorded an album and appeared in various radio and television programs.

After receiving his Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours from the HKAPA, Chan pursued a Master of Music at The Juilliard School in New York, supported by the Bernard van Zuiden Music Fund Scholarship and the Juilliard Scholarship. A devoted educator, Chan is currently a faculty member for the bassoon and chamber music programs at the HKAPA. In recent years, he has also served as the bassoon coach for the Greater Bay Area Youth Orchestra.