Spotlight: Vox Audio Visual Specialist!

Introducing Keith Chan, Vox Culture's Audio Visual Specialist! As we seek to continue to bring our audience quality events, Keith is our expert on addressing technical issues pertaining to the audio and visual resources used by Vox. Be sure to come check out upcoming Vox events and see how Keith is helping give both vision and sound to what we do!

I am an Architecture and Environmental Design graduate from the University of Houston, and I went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for grad school to get my Masters in Architectural Acoustics. Right now, I work in architecture doing multi-family housing. When I’m not working, I enjoy playing music, watching sports and eating out. Oh and I’m a total sucker for musicals. I joined Vox a few months after moving back to Houston in 2011. I was immediately drawn to what they stood for and thought to myself, “This is totally something I could get behind.” With Vox, I have the opportunity to use something as simple as my A/V skills to help make an impact on the community around us.

What is your favorite icecream? I am actually lactose intolerant; so don’t eat too much ice cream (if at all). However, I really love froyo. Although it’s still dairy, yogurt is cured of lactose, which makes it a much more pleasant experience for me (and everyone around me =X). But if I do eat ice cream, I really like Mexican Vanilla from Amy's Ice Cream.

What is your favorite type of music? Yeesh. Tough question. I like a lot of different genres, but it’s really a toss-up between classic rock and musicals. I really like the combination of the depth of lyrics and the musical compositions of classic rock artists. However, I love the story-telling combined with the scores and awesome voices of musicals. I would absolutely love to sing in a musical some day.

What is your favorite instrument and what do you love most about it? My favorite instrument can change based on my mood at any given moment. Normally, it’s the acoustic guitar. But there’s something about the drums that’s just totally therapeutic. It’s probably just the ability to hit things and call it music. But yeah, I’ve been playing the guitar for well over 10 years now. I think it’s the instrument I play the best. It’s just so versatile—you can play loud, exciting music or something mellow and relaxing.

What is it about architecture that interests you the most and what is one structure in the world that you find absolutely fascinating? I enjoy architecture because it is really an art form that affects people's lives. From buildings as large as museums and skyscrapers to something as simple as an apartment unit, it is design that changes lives. Right now, I am working in multi-family residential architecture, and I would like to think that at least some of the work I do helps future occupants' daily lives, even if they may not notice it too much. One space that I really like, but haven't had the chance to see yet is Tadao Ando's Church on the Water in Hokkaido, Japan. Ando is one of my favorite architects. His use of water, texture, scale, and even how the building changes with the seasons are just incredible. Actually, Ando also designed the Modern Art Museum in Ft. Worth, TX, which I think is one of the coolest spaces I've had the privilege to see.