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Wesleyan alumna and internationally accomplished pianist Chenny Gan's incredible journey began twenty-five years ago in the city of Nanning in China's Guangxi Province. As an eight-year-old girl, Gan immigrated to the United States with her family. She later attended Wesleyan College on a full scholarship, earning double degrees in Music and Studio Art in May 2002. Gan received additional scholarship assistance as the recipient of the prestigious Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship Award in 2002 and completed two Masters degrees in Music at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro—one in Piano Performance and the other in Piano Accompanying.
As a pianist, Gan strives to explore new territories in all areas of her performing and often collaborates with other musicians in various styles and genres of music. In addition to an active schedule of teaching through private instruction and summer camp programs, Gan’s recent individual achievements include four solo appearances with orchestras, collaboration with jazz musicians and bands, and the release of two self-produced CDs. Her last album was featured on Georgia Public Radio for its integration of oil paintings inspired by solo piano repertoire. A third CD is under way.
"Like the college itself, I knew the Wesleyan music program would be personal and offer many opportunities for performance and growth rarely found at other schools," said the summa cum laude graduate. "The faculty members are accomplished and internationally recognized in their respective fields."
During her years at Wesleyan, Gan won numerous awards and accolades and she credits her preparation at Wesleyan for her quick acceptance into the UNC at Greensboro’s graduate music program.
"Because the program is small, I received numerous performance opportunities without a pressured and competitive atmosphere," said Gan. "These opportunities helped build confidence as well as my resume. Class instruction was almost always in a casual, seminar-style setting, where topics and concepts were explored holistically so that students not only absorbed raw knowledge, but they actually gained insight into context. Professors were immensely generous with their time outside the classroom for anyone who needed help."
The Wesleyan alumna has performed in China, Canada, Austria, Germany, and the United States. She was recently invited as a guest lecturer and performer in her birth city of Nanning, at the Guangxi Arts College. In the Fall of 2006, Gan entered into doctoral studies for music in the United States. She presented a paper on Chinese Daoist Music in Hawaii for the Society of Enthomusicology. For her myriad accomplishments, Gan’s biography may be found in the 2006 Edition of Who’s Who in the World and in the 2006-07 edition of Who's Who in America. She speaks fluent English and Mandarin, and has recently begun a quest to acquire proficiency in German. Besides music and languages, she is interested and involved in painting, swimming, yoga, and learning about world cultures.
Because of her experience at Wesleyan, Gan recommends her alma mater to any woman, but especially one who wants to study music.
"If you have the motivation, there are so many opportunities at Wesleyan waiting to be explored," Gan advised. "Dig them out and create your own accomplishments. And when you do accomplish, you’ll get noticed." |
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