Mei wah chan

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Australian-Chinese mezzo-soprano Mei Wah Chan graduated from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in 2022, supported by scholarships including the Ellinor Harris Bequest (2019), Murray Ormond Vagg Scholarship (2022) and Grace Durling Encouragement Award (2022). Her love for performing began with the Australian Girls’ Choir, where she was the recipient of the "June Bronhill Encouragement Scholarship" in 2018. After graduating, she joined the organisation’s staff as a tutor and conductor.

In 2025 Mei Wah was awarded the Bettine McCaughan Memorial Scholarship and performed the soprano solo in Gounod’s "Messe solennelle de Sainte-Cécile" with the Monash Chorale under conductor Lucas De Jong. In 2024 she was accepted as a Vocal Fellow at Opernfest Prague, where she made her orchestral debut at Smetana Hall conducted by Jaroslav Kyzlink alongside the Czech Virtuosi Orchestra. That same year she performed the "Qui tollis" in Rossini’s "Petite Messe Solennelle" with Opera Scholars Australia.

Her operatic and theatrical credits include Kim in "Miss Saigon" (Lyrebird Award for Best Actress in a Musical), Carmen in Bizet’s "Carmen", and Mustardseed in Britten’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream". She has also appeared in the chorus for Bowman’s "The Magic Pudding" and with Opera Scholars Australia from 2023–2024.

Mei Wah grew up studying violin, attaining her Associate of Music in 2018, and developed a strong connection to chamber and ensemble music. She continues to enjoy choral and consort work with ensembles including Vox Plexus, Divisi Chamber Singers, the Consort of Melbourne and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, appearing in events such as the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival. She has also collaborated with ensembles such as Bullet Heart Club and Early Music Ensemble e21, including performances in Paul Grabowsky’s "Immortal Diamond". At Christmas, her favourite tradition is carolling with the Melba Singers at the Langham Hotel’s Christmas Day Buffet.

Alongside performing, Mei Wah is an active educator and creative producer. In 2019 she established the vocal and choral program at her local primary school, with the combined choirs performing in their first eisteddfod in 2022. She currently teaches voice, violin, viola and piano at secondary schools across Melbourne’s south and south-eastern suburbs. Passionate about broadening representation within the arts, Mei Wah strives to diversify cast, crew and repertoire to engage wider audiences.

Her producing credits include the concert series "Songs of ShakesQueer" (2025), "Eat Your H-ART" for the Melbourne Fringe Festival (2025), and "The Thesbian Condition: Echoes of ShakesQueer" for the Midsumma Festival (2026), projects that celebrate the intersection of queerness and classical music. She has also worked as a vocal director within Melbourne’s amateur theatre community, including AMC Theatre’s "Firebringer" and the Australian premiere of "Alice By Heart" with FabNobs Theatre Inc.