York doctoral student in music Heidi Chan has been chosen to participate in the highly competitive International Doctoral Workshop in Ethnomusicology, held at the Center for World Music at the University of Hildesheim and Hanover University of Music, Drama & Media in Germany.
The workshop will take place June 18 to 22. Chan is one of 16 participants from nine different countries who will present their research and participate in discussions and workshops to develop their ideas and writing.
Chan is a fourth-year PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at York University. Her doctoral research focuses on the role of virtual “world” instruments in the globalization of music of the past four decades. In 2004, while completing her master’s degree in music under the supervision of South Indian master percussionist Trichy Sankaran, she received the Saint Thyagaraja Award for Excellence in the Study of South Indian Music.
As a performer, Chan has studied Japanese taiko drums, drum kit, Japanese and Chinese bamboo flutes and Balinese gamelan, and she performs with a combination of traditional instruments and modern synthesizers and electronics. She is currently a member of Japanese folk ensemble Ten Ten, she performs live electronic music under the name “Bachelard,” and is a sound designer and composer for theatre, dance and film.