Donald Quan is a Canadian composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 of film and world music, best known for writing the score

Film score

A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...

s to television shows Relic Hunter

Relic Hunter

Relic Hunter is an anglophone Canadian television series, starring Tia Carrere and Christien Anholt. Actress Lindy Booth also starred for the first two seasons; Tanja Reichert replaced her for the third...

and Mutant X

Mutant X (TV series)

Mutant X is a science fiction television series that debuted on October 6, 2001. The show was created by Marvel Studios, and it centers around Mutant X, a team of "New Mutants" who possess extraordinary powers as a result of genetic engineering. The members of Mutant X were used as test subjects...

.

Career

Born in Toronto and schooled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Quan was the recipient of the Joe Venuti scholarship for stringed instrument performance. After Quan left college, he ventured into pop/rock music with the Canadian rock band Lighthouse and played with them for three years.

In 1998 Quan joined the Canadian rock group Eye Eye as a keyboardist and violinist. He also performed as a multi-instrumentalist with the performance artist Meryn Cadell

Meryn Cadell

Meryn Cadell is a Canadian writer and performance artist. He is an assistant professor of song lyrics and libretto writing in the Creative Writing Program at University of British Columbia.Cadell is a transsexual man who transitioned in 2003...

, the celtic-rock band Enter the Haggis

Enter the Haggis

Enter the Haggis is a Canadian Indie/Celtic/Folk Rock world-fusion band based in Toronto, Canada. Commonly called ETH, the band has been playing and recording since 1996. Their latest studio album, "Whitelake" is the band's ninth album....

, Juno nominated Afro-Canadian pop ensemble Kaleefah, and was featured guest for performances with The Tea Party

The Tea Party

The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s up until 2005 when the band broke up, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records...

 (1997).

Quan has been a long-time band member of Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...

 and has assisted in the production of several studio albums and recordings including the acclaimed The Book of Secrets

The Book of Secrets

The Book of Secrets is an album by Loreena McKennitt released in 1997. It reached #17 on the Billboard 200. Its single "The Mummers' Dance," remixed by DNA, was released during the winter of 1997–98, and peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #17 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.The album is...

.

Quan collapsed on Saturday, August 8, 2009 playing keyboards with Derek Miller

Derek Miller

-External links:* - Official Website* Derek Miller's MySpace...

 in Kitchener, Ontario for the Kitchener Bluesfest when he collapsed onstage. He was later said to be in stable condition.http://www.southwesternontario.ctv.ca/news.php?id=5371&PHPSESSID=d2a1c715ef5e70615001c68ee7f8448e

Music for film and television

Quan’s film music company Q Music Inc. has provided music services to hundreds of television, film, radio and multi-media productions including the popular television shows Relic Hunter

Relic Hunter

Relic Hunter is an anglophone Canadian television series, starring Tia Carrere and Christien Anholt. Actress Lindy Booth also starred for the first two seasons; Tanja Reichert replaced her for the third...

(starring Tia Carrere

Tia Carrere

Tia Carrere is an American actress, model, voice artist, and singer, perhaps most widely known for her role as Cassandra Wong in the feature films Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, Queen Tyr'ahnee in Duck Dodgers, and as Sydney Fox in the TV series Relic Hunter.-Early life:Carrere was born in...

 for Fireworks Entertainment), Mutant X

Mutant X (TV series)

Mutant X is a science fiction television series that debuted on October 6, 2001. The show was created by Marvel Studios, and it centers around Mutant X, a team of "New Mutants" who possess extraordinary powers as a result of genetic engineering. The members of Mutant X were used as test subjects...

(Tribune Entertainment), Tracker

Tracker (TV series)

Tracker is a 2001 Canadian science fiction television series starring Adrian Paul and Amy Price-Francis. The series is based on a short story by Gil Grant and Jeannine Renshaw...

(starring Adrian Paul

Adrian Paul

Adrian Paul Hewett , better known as Adrian Paul, is an actor best known for his role on the television series Highlander: The Series as Duncan MacLeod. In 1997, he founded The Peace Fund charitable organization.-Early life:...

 for Lions Gate), Starhunter

Starhunter

Starhunter is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired for two seasons. The series was produced in Canada by The Danforth Studios Ltd. in association with Alliance Atlantis with some photography in the United Kingdom. Grosvenor Park Productions UK Ltd...

, and The War Next Door

The War Next Door

The War Next Door is a short-lived American television series with only 13 episodes, created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi. The show had a dark and cartoonish humor, as one of the two main characters dies at the end of each show, only to reappear alive the following episode as if nothing had...

, the notable Aboriginal TV drama Moccasin Flats

Moccasin Flats

Moccasin Flats is a Canadian drama series that ran for three full seasons. This series, which has been aired on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and Showcase Television since 2004, is a co-produced by Big Soul Productions Inc. and Stephan Onda Productions inc....

as well as feature films Expecting, and Eve. Other notable projects include scoring the four-part documentary China Rises for CBC

CBC Television

CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...

, one of the first HD-TV projects for the network. Quan is also responsible for the current themes for Movie Television (City-TV), the cable network APTN and the well recognized theme for CBC Radio's Metro Morning.

Music style

Donald Quan is especially well known for his diverse work in the area of contemporary World Music. The Q Music studios house an instrument collection of over 400 indigenous instruments from all 7 continents. His CDs Tear of the Sun (with Ron Korb

Ron Korb

Ron Korb is a Canadian flautist, composer, songwriter, and record producer, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is also known as Dragon Flute in China, Thunder Blessing in Taiwan and Prince of Flutes in Japan-Musical style:Korb is known for writing culturally diverse...

) and Invocata (recorded at Real World Studios

Real World Studios

Real World Studios is a residential recording studio in Box, Wiltshire, England associated with the Real World Records Ltd. record label founded by rock musician Peter Gabriel...

) have garnered acclaim worldwide. Quan has toured China and Japan with longtime collaborators Ron Korb

Ron Korb

Ron Korb is a Canadian flautist, composer, songwriter, and record producer, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is also known as Dragon Flute in China, Thunder Blessing in Taiwan and Prince of Flutes in Japan-Musical style:Korb is known for writing culturally diverse...

 and George Gao

George Gao

- History :George Gao was born in 1967, in Shanghai, China. Gao began studying the erhu at the age of six. In 1982, he won First Prize at the Shanghai Junior Instrumental Soloist Competition and a Silver Medal at the China National Junior Instrumental Soloist Contest. His performance skill exempted...

 playing music dubbed New Chinese Jazz, a blend of jazz improvisation and traditional Chinese melodies.

Quan has left his mark on the Canadian world music scene by collaborating with organizations such as the Toronto Tabla Ensemble, Brazilian-influenced percussion group Samba Squad

Samba Squad

Samba Squad is a Canadian World Music Fusion group. The Squad was formed in 1999 by percussionist Rick Shadrach Lazar. The band incorporates world rhythms performed on Brazilian Bateria drums and percussion. Their musical style combines Samba with other styles such as Salsa, Soca, Reggae and...

, and M-Do Kathak Dance Company.

Aboriginal music has always been a passion of Donald Quan and he has contributed greatly to the Canadian Aboriginal music scene. He has collaborated with theatrical company Red Sky Performance

Red Sky Performance

Red Sky Performance is a Canadian indigenous dance, theatre, and music company, founded by artistic director Sandra Laronde in 2000. Red Sky Performance creates, produces and tours original work for adult and family audiences on local, national and international stages.The company has been part of...

, Santee Smith, Kahawii Dance Theatre, created theme music for APTN and has composed numerous film scores for Big Soul Productions including the series By The Rapids and Moccasin Flats

Moccasin Flats

Moccasin Flats is a Canadian drama series that ran for three full seasons. This series, which has been aired on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and Showcase Television since 2004, is a co-produced by Big Soul Productions Inc. and Stephan Onda Productions inc....

, for which he was nominated for a Gemini award

Gemini Award

The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...

 for "Best score in a dramatic series". He has worked intimately with Aboriginal recording artists for 10 years as musical director for the annual Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. He is also a current member of the Derek Miller Band and has recently taught a course on film music composition on Manatoulin island as part of the Weengushk organization. As acknowledgement for his contributions, Quan was honoured in 2007 with the Music Industry Award at the 9th annual Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards.

Awards and nominations

Gemini Award Nomination 2002:
Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Series: Relic Hunter
Gemini Award Nomination 2003:
Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Series: Mutant X
Gemini Award Nomination 2006:
Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Series: Moccasin Flats Season III – The Other Side

Gemini Award Nomination 2006:
Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series: The In between World of M.G. Vassanji

SOCAN International Television Series Award (2007/2006/2004):
Relic Hunter

Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards:
Music Industry Award (2006)

Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards Nomination:
Best Score in an Aboriginal film/television program (2008)

Selected discography

Solitudes – “Zen of Sleep”
Somerset 2007

Donald Quan - Composer, Performer

Solitudes – “Zen Relaxation”
Somerset 2006

Donald Quan - Composer, Performer

Hallmark - Feng Shui
Somerset 2006

Donald Quan - Composer, Performer

Ron Korb

Ron Korb

Ron Korb is a Canadian flautist, composer, songwriter, and record producer, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is also known as Dragon Flute in China, Thunder Blessing in Taiwan and Prince of Flutes in Japan-Musical style:Korb is known for writing culturally diverse...

/ Donald Quan - "Seasons"
Humble Dragon 2005

Donald Quan - Composer, Performer, Producer (with Ron Korb

Ron Korb

Ron Korb is a Canadian flautist, composer, songwriter, and record producer, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is also known as Dragon Flute in China, Thunder Blessing in Taiwan and Prince of Flutes in Japan-Musical style:Korb is known for writing culturally diverse...

)

Solitudes - "Asian Spa"
Somerset 2004

Donald Quan - Composer, Performer

Ron Korb

Ron Korb

Ron Korb is a Canadian flautist, composer, songwriter, and record producer, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is also known as Dragon Flute in China, Thunder Blessing in Taiwan and Prince of Flutes in Japan-Musical style:Korb is known for writing culturally diverse...

- "Celtic Heartland"
Humble Dragon 2000

Donald Quan - Producer

Loreena McKennitt - "Live In Paris And Toronto"
Quinlan Road 1999

Donald Quan - Multi-Instrumentalist

Loreena McKennitt - "Book of Secrets"
Quinlan/Warner 1997

(Recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios)

Donald Quan - Multi-Instrumentalist/Assistant to Producer

Loreena McKennitt - "A Winter Garden"
Quinlan/Warner 1996

Donald Quan - Multi-Instrumentalist

"Myakudo Taiko" (Traditional Japanese Music)
Independent 1992

Donald Quan - Producer

Donald Quan - Invocata
Oasis 1990

Donald Quan Composer, Performer

Carol Lipson - "Try And Imagine"

Donald Quan - Producer/Arranger

External links

• Donald Quan on IMDB
• Donald Quan on Myspace