Sarah Chang ( ko, 장영주; born Young Joo Chang; December 10, 1980) is a Korean American classical

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist. Recognized as a child prodigy, she first played as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989. She enrolled at Juilliard School to study music, graduated in 1999, and continued university studies. Especially during the 1990s and early to mid-2000s, Chang had major roles as a soloist with many of the world's major orchestras.

Early life and education

Chang was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, and raised in Cherry Hill and Voorhees Township, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Myoung-Jun (her mother), a composer, and Min-Soo Chang (her father), who was a violinist and music teacher. Chang's parents moved to the United States from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in 1979 for her father's advanced music degree at Temple University. Her mother took composition classes at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

. Chang has said that although she "never actually lived in Korea... I do still feel very strongly it's where my roots are." Her younger brother Michael (born 1987) has a degree from Princeton University. In 1986, when Chang was 5 years old, she auditioned for and was accepted to the Juilliard School by performing the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor. Chang spent her weekends attending music classes at Juilliard and shopping in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

with her parents. When Chang was 6 years old, she started studying with Isaac Stern outside school. In 1989, she began working with Dorothy DeLay at her studio in New York where her father had received his musical lessons, and at the Aspen Music Festival and School. A former student and assistant to DeLay, Hyo Kang, also provided training to Chang. Following her 1999 high school graduation in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, she returned to Juilliard for university and studied with DeLay. Chang learned from a family environment to naturally speak Korean. Due to her musical accomplishments, Chang is among a very small number of professional figures recognized as a child prodigy.

Career

Early work

Her mother trained her to play one-finger melodies on the piano at age 3. For her fourth birthday, she was given a 1/16-sized violin. Upon hearing her play at a dinner party, Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster Norman Carol asked music director Riccardo Muti to listen to her. At age 8, she auditioned alongside Muti and Zubin Mehta, who was the music director of the New York Philharmonic. Both granted her immediate engagements. In 1991, when Chang was 10 years old, she recorded her first album, ''Debut''; it was released by EMI Classics on August 18, 1992 and quickly reached the Billboard chart of classical best-sellers. Chang quickly rose to fame and became known on an international scale, performing up to 150 concerts a year. In 2006, '' Newsweek'' ranked her as one of the Top Eight Achieving Females in the United States. In the interview accompanying the feature, she commented: "I think having a career at such an early age kept me focused. We schedule at least two to three years in advance in the classical industry. I felt so grounded and so grateful to already know what it was that I wanted to do with my life."

2002–2005

In 2002, she performed in Pyongyang, North Korea. Chang commented: "The concert was full of government officials. Every single last seat. It was invitation only, but it was an unbelievable experience. Frightening and exhilarating at the same time. And I just thought about how lucky I am. I am so fortunate to be a musician, and at that moment, I genuinely felt that music is the one and only universal language.""Sarah Chang: Playing in Pyongyang"
. May 11, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010. Chang took part in watchmaker Movado's global advertising campaign "The Art of Time" with Pete Sampras and composer Wynton Marsalis. For the 2004 Olympics, she was selected to carry the Olympic Torch in New York. In 2005,

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

dedicated a chair in Sprague Hall in Chang's name. Following this, Chang toured for a year with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a Sextet programme of summer festivals leading to a concert at the Berlin Philharmonie."EMI Classics – Sarah Chang"
''EMI Classics''. Retrieved October 31, 2010.

2007–present

Chang played a recital at Carnegie Hall on April 7, 2007, accompanied by the British pianist

Ashley Wass Ashley Wass (born 26 March 1977) is a British european classical music, classical pianist and director of music at the Yehudi Menuhin School. He was winner of the London International Piano Competition in 1997, a prizewinner at the Leeds Interna ...

. She has continued to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen and make appearances with the former at both the Hollywood Bowl and

Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...

throughout 2008. On March 27 and 28 2008 she played for San Antonio, Texas audiences at the Majestic Theater, a performance which was preceded by an appearance (to meet and inspire young as well as seasoned musicians at no charge) at Antonio Strad Violin in the same city. From May 2009 to June 2010, she held recital tours across Europe, North America and Asia with pianist Andrew von Oeyen; a July 2010 recording of the two was eventually released. In the February 12, 2010 program, she held her recital at the Barbican Hall in London. Chang made an appearance at the University of Southern California in March 2010, where she played Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26. She performed at the Hollywood Bowl in August 2010.

Instruments

Sarah Chang owns several violins, and her main violin is the 1717 Guarneri del Gesu by the Cremonese luthier, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù which she inherited from her mentor, Isaac Stern. In another interview in 2013, she told the reporter that she bought the violin from Stern, not received it. Chang uses a variety of bows: she has said that she prefers a Pajeot for Mozart and Bach; a Sartory for the Tchaikovsky and Sibelius concerti; and two Dominique Peccattes for other music.

Public image

Chang has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the

Montréal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orche ...

, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, orchestras in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Additionally, she has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the NHK Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, the Washington National Symphony Orchestra, the

Oslo Philharmonic The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in ...

, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the Honolulu Symphony, the

St. Olaf Orchestra The St. Olaf Orchestra, is the touring symphony orchestra of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. In addition to its annual domestic tours, the St. Olaf Orchestra has performed in Scandinavia, central and eastern Europe, China, and, most recen ...

, and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra amongst others. Chang has also been a soloist under the baton of conductors Mariss Jansons, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti,

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieve ...

, Sir

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal ...

, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Plácido Domingo, David Lockington, David Zinman, Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jaap van Zweden, John Williams, Steven Amundson, and others. Notable recital engagements have included her Carnegie Hall debut and performances at the Kennedy Center, Orchestra Hall, Symphony Hall, Barbican Centre, Philharmonie, and Concertgebouw. As a chamber musician, Chang has collaborated with Pinchas Zukerman, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yefim Bronfman, Martha Argerich, Leif Ove Andsnes,

Stephen Kovacevich Stephen Kovacevich (born October 17, 1940) is an American classical pianist and conductor. He is particularly celebrated for his recordings of works by Beethoven, Bartók and Schubert, and is known for technical skill, clarity of playing and an ...

, Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, Lars Vogt, and the late Isaac Stern. She has made several chamber recordings with current and former members of the Berlin Philharmonic, including the Sextet and Piano Quintet of Dvořák and the ''Souvenir de Florence'' of Tchaikovsky. In January 2011, Sarah Chang was interviewed by Evan Solomon of ''Power & Politics'' (CBC) where it was revealed that she had been appointed by President Obama to the Presidential Commission on Russian Relations, and also was taking on a new role as State Department Special Cultural Envoy.''Power & Politics'' with Evan Solomon
aired on February 21, 2011 (view at 30:00 -> 49:00 of the clip). Retrieved 24 Feb 2011. Chang has already been promoting and supporting childhood musical education for many years. She has also been a cultural ambassador for the U.S.; for instance, she was invited to play in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, with a South Korean orchestra in 2002.

Awards

Chang has received a number of awards, including: * 1992: Avery Fisher Career Grant * 1993: Gramophone Magazine Young Artist of the Year (1993) * 1993: Newcomer of the Year for "Echo" (Germany) * 1993: Nan Pa (South Korea) * 1994: Newcomer of the Year at the International Classical Music Awards * 1999: Avery Fisher PrizeAvery Fisher Prize rarely grants this distinction. Chang is one of three females to be selected for the award that year, along with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Pamela Frank. For more information
''The New York Times''
* 2004: Hollywood Bowl's Hall of FameTo date, Chang is the youngest person on record to receive this title; see thi
''Los Angeles Times'' article
* 2005: Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy

Discography

CDs

* 1992: Debut includes Pablo de Sarasate, Edward Elgar, Nicolo Paganini (EMI Classics) * 1992: Concert for Planet Earth, Live Recording/ Placido Domingo/Sarah Chang/ Wynton Marsalis (Sony Music) * 1993: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Op 35. Conductor: Sir Colin Davis / Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dances 1, 2, 4, 7 (EMI Classics) * 1994: Nicolo Paganini: Concerto No. 1 in D for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 6 / Camille Saint-Saëns: Havanaise for Violin and Orchestra, Op.83, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso for Violin and Orchestra, Op.28. Orchestra: The Philadelphia Orchestra. Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch (EMI Classics) * 1995: Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending. Conductor: Bernard Haitink (EMI Classics) * 1996: Édouard Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole/ Henri Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 5. Orchestra: Concertgebouw Orchestra (Lalo) / Philharmonia Orchestra (Vieuxtemps), Conductor: Charles Dutoit (EMI Classics) * 1997: Simply Sarah/ Show Pieces/ Piano: Charles Abramovic (EMI Classics) * 1998: Felix Mendelssohn, Jean Sibelius: Violin Concertos. Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker, Conductor: Mariss Jansons (EMI Classics) * 1999: Sweet Sorrow/ Compilation Album includes Chaconne by Tomaso Antonio Vitali (EMI Classics) * 1999: Richard Strauss: Violin Concerto and Violin Sonata.

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (german: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchestr ...

, Conductor and Piano: Wolfgang Sawallisch (EMI Classics) * 2000: Karl Goldmark: Violin Concerto op. 28. Orchestra: Gürzenich-Orchester, Conductor: James Conlon (EMI Classics) * 2002: Fire & Ice. Pablo de Sarasate, Massenet, Maurice Ravel,

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

, Johann Sebastian Bach, Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker, Conductor: Plácido Domingo (EMI Classics) * 2002: Antonín Dvořák, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Sextets (with Berlin Philharmonic Members) (EMI Classics) * 2003: Antonín Dvořák: Violin Concerto Op. 53, Piano Quintet (with Leif Ove Andsnes), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis (EMI Classics) * 2004: French Violin Sonatas includes. César Franck, Camille Saint-Saëns, Maurice Ravel Piano: Lars Vogt (EMI Classics) * 2005: Andrew Lloyd Webber: Phantasia (with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber) (EMI Classics) * 2006: Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No.1 / Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concert No.1. Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker, Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle (EMI Classics) * 2007:

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread ...

: The Four Seasons (Vivaldi), and Violin Concerto in g, op.12 no.1, RV.317. Orchestra: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (EMI Classics) * 2009: Max Bruch Violin Concerto No.1, Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto Kurt Masur, Dresdner Philharmonie (EMI Classics)"EMI Classics UK , Release , Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 / Brahms: Violin Concerto"
''EMI Classics''. September 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009.

DVDs

* 1995: Niccolò Paganini Violin Concerto Berliner Philharmoniker, Zubin Mehta * 2003: Spanish Night: Sarasate Carmen Fantasie, Zigeunerweisen, Thais Meditation, Berliner Philharmoniker, Plácido Domingo (Conductor)