The Composer

A Composer, author, and violinist, Michael Fan has composed numerous works for children of all ages. For the TSO Just for Kid’s series, Mr. Fan wrote and composed The Brementown Musicians, The Little Fiddle, The Ugly Duckling, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Magical Musical Story Machine, The Princess and the Frog, Happy Birthday, Wolfgang!, Beethoven’s Mouse, Case of the Missing Music, Mak and Millie, Follow Me and Cat with a Fiddle.

He was commissioned by TSO Flute, Viola, Harp Trio to compose three pieces for the TSO Just for Kids series, Sam and the Crazy Daisy, Emily and the Ghost Flute, and Mel and Mama Cholla. Additional children’s compositions include Kalimba-kee and A Different Song which were commissioned by the Brass Quintet Heavy Metal. Three of his compositions were performed as ballets by Dance Southwest, Goldilocks, The Ugly Duckling, and The Princess and the Frog. The Princess and the Frog was performed at the inaugural concert of the Imago Dei Orchestra. In October, 2009, A Bright New Day, or Dr. Solara and the Fossil Fools was performed on the Mall in Washington D.C. by a solar-powered Trio to accompany the University of Arizona’s entry in the Solar House Decathalon. In 2010 The Story, Mallory, The Solar Car was premiered at the Tucson Festival of Books

Mr. Fan has written numerous shorter pieces for various string quartet and piano trio. He composed a string arrangement for Bobby Ronstadt’s CD Shadows in the Dream which Bobby performed with his cousin, Linda Ronstadt.

As a performer, Mr. Fan experience is equally varied. He is Concertmaster of the Tucson Pops Orchestra and was Concertmaster for the Southern Arizona Light Opera Company. He is also a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of the Tucson Symphony Piano Trio.

Mr. Fan also works frequently as a studio musician. For the 2005-06 season of the Arizona Theatre Company, he recorded music for Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure and Pride and Predjudice. Other notable studio work has included work for for the CDs El Paso by Rich Hopkins and Los Luminarios, and Feast of Wire by Calexico.

Michael Fan plays violin in the Zenith Quartet and the the Klezmopolitans.