Proms star Elim Chan: ‘Being who you are is powerful. Not

Her conducting is so ravishing that it was claimed one audience member climaxed. Now the Hong Kong-born pioneer is set to give the Proms a spectacular start

Elim Chan emits a screech and cups her face in her hands, recalling an event at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA last spring. She was conducting Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony when the sound of a moan erupted from a concert-goer in the balcony.

“Everyone could hear it, I could also see it. The person was sitting to the left, next to the organ. Actually, at first I was really worried, thinking it was a heart attack,” she says. “I continued to conduct, trying to hold the Tchaikovsky together, signalling to the musicians that they should keep going, but knowing I had to be ready to stop at any moment.”