Early life and studies

Li-Kuo Chang, born in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China, on January 25, 1949, began his studies at the

Shanghai Conservatory The Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCMusic) is a municipal public college in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the City of Shanghai and is part of the Double First-Class Construction. The college was founded on November 27, 1927. The Sh ...

in piano and violin. In 1978, his playing gained him the first prize in the Chinese Young Artist Competition. He traveled to the U.S. in 1979 to study at

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

in New York where he was awarded a full-tuition scholarship. He also received a young artist fellowship to study at California's

Music Academy of the West The Music Academy of the West is a summer classical music training program in Montecito, California, and festival with performances in the County of Santa Barbara. Overview The academy annually enrolls 136 pre-professional musicians in their ...

. Li-Kuo has studied with renowned teachers such as Francis Tursi, Paul Doktor, Donald McInnes, William Magers, Milton Thomas, and has also played in master classes led by

William Primrose William Primrose (23 August 19041 May 1982) was a Scottish violist and teacher. He performed with the London String Quartet from 1930 to 1935. He then joined the NBC Symphony Orchestra where he formed the Primrose Quartet. He performed in v ...

Career

In his early career, Li-Kuo was a member of the

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra in Shanghai, China. Its music director is Long Yu. Founded in 1879, the SSO is the oldest List of symphony orchestras#China, Chinese symphony orchestra. Originally, it was known as the ...

. Winning the audition in 1988, he has held the position of assistant principal violist in the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

, and between 1998-1999, he served as the viola section principal. He has been on the faculty at many prestigious schools, including

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

's Bienen School of Music (1993–2008),

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university enrolls arou ...

(1998-), and

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music and dance music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliat ...

(2011-), and he presently teaches at the

Music Institute of Chicago Music Institute of Chicago (formerly the Music Center of the North Shore) is a community music school in Illinois with campuses in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire,and Winnetka. Founded in 1931, MIC has expanded over t ...

in Illinois. He has also been an affiliate of the faculty at Affinis Music Festival in Japan since 1992. He is also the Artistic Advisor of the Chinese Fine Arts Society. Many of his students were awarded various positions in well-known orchestras, including the

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...

St. Louis Symphony The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony o ...

, and

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...

Performances and collaborations

Li-Kuo has performed alongside and worked with many well-known artists, including

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Moses Barenboim (; born 15 November 1942) is an Argentines, Argentine-Israeli classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin, who also has Spain, Spanish and State of Palestine, Palestinian citizenship. From 1992 until January 2023, Bare ...

Pinchas Zukerman Pinchas Zukerman (; born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor. Life and career Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zukerman. He began his musica ...

, Gabor Rejto, Christoph Eschenbach, and Henry Tamianka. He has given performances in many locations, including the Ravinia Music Festival, Staatsoper in Berlin, Orchestra Hall in Chicago's

Symphony Center Symphony Center is a music complex located at 220 South Michigan Avenue in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO); Chicago Symphony Chorus; Civic Orchestra of Chicago; and the Institute for Learning, ...

, Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, and Lucerne Music Festival. His instrument is a G.B. Guadagnini viola, which was made in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

in 1770.

Personal life

Li-Kuo lives in Chicago with his wife, Maggie, and their son, Daniel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Li-Kuo 1949 births Living people Musicians from Shanghai Chinese classical violinists 21st-century classical violinists