Deux fois lauréate du prix Juno de la meilleure composition classique, les œuvres de Chan Ka Nin ont été interprétées par des ensembles et des artistes tels que l'Orchestre symphonique de Toronto, l'Orchestre national des Arts, l'Orchestre de CBC Vancouver, l'Orchestre philharmonique de Calgary, l'Orchestre Esprit, l'Orchestre philharmonique de Hamilton, la Chambre du Manitoba. Orchestra, Orchestra London Canada, Symphony Nova Scotia, Amici, Mirò Quartet, Purcell Quartet, Rivka Golani et Lawrence Cherney. Ses nombreux prix internationaux incluent le Concours international de compositeurs Béla Bartók, le Concours international de Barlow, le Concours de composition de l'International Horn Society, le Prix Jean Chalmers, le Concours des jeunes compositeurs PROCAN et le Concours de composition du Quatuor de saxophones Amherst.

Chan est né à Hong Kong et a déménagé avec sa famille à Vancouver en 1965. À l'Université de la Colombie-Britannique, il a étudié la composition avec Jean Coulthard tout en poursuivant un baccalauréat en génie électrique. Après avoir obtenu son diplôme, il décide de poursuivre ses études de composition avec Bernhard Heiden à l'Université d'Indiana, où il obtient finalement sa maîtrise et son doctorat en musique. Depuis 1982, il enseigne la théorie et la composition à l'Université de Toronto.

Characteristically luminous in texture and exotic in instrumental colors, Chan’s music has been described by critics as “sensuous,” “haunting,” and “intricate.” The composer often draws his inspiration directly from his personal experiences: for example, the birth of one of his daughters, the death of his father, his spiritual quests, or his connection to nature and concern for the environment. In 2001, his opera Iron Road, written with librettist Mark Brownell, won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical. In 2002, his chamber work Par- çi, par-là, which was recorded by Ensemble Contemporain du Montréal, won the Juno Award for Best classical composition.

In 2017, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra recorded the composer’s My Most Beautiful, Wonderful, Terrific, Amazing, Fantastic, Magnificent Homeland on their CD Canada Mosaic SESQUIES. In 2018, The Dragon’s Tale was awarded the Kathleen McMorrow Award, which recognizes the presentation of contemporary classical music by Ontario composers. His new composition Viral, for four acoustic guitars and six electric guitars, has been accepted for inclusion at The 21st Century Guitar in Lisbon, Portugal in 2021. In the same year, his Moods of Couchiching will be premiered by the AsianArt Ensemble in Berlin, Germany.