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

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

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 The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

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 ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and raised in

Cherry Hill Cherry Hill often refers to: * Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a township in Camden County, New Jersey * Cherry Hill, Prince William County, Virginia, a census-designated place Cherry Hill may also refer to: Places Canada * Cherry Hill, Nova Scotia, a ...

and Voorhees Township, New Jersey. Her mother Myoung-Jun Chang is a composer and her father Min-Soo Chang 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. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

in 1979 for her father's advanced music degree at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

. Her mother took composition classes at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. 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 Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. In 1986, when Chang was 5 years old, she auditioned for and was accepted to the

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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with her parents. When Chang was 6 years old, she started studying with

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Ukraine, Stern moved to the United States when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union a ...

outside school. In 1989, she began working with

Dorothy DeLay Dorothy DeLay (March 31, 1917 – March 24, 2002) was an American violin teacher, instructor, primarily at the Juilliard School, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Cincinnati. Life Dorothy DeLay was born on March 31, 1917, in Medic ...

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 located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, 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 ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' ranked her as one of the Top Eight Achieving Females in the United States. In the interview accompanying the feature, she said: "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, Chang performed in Pyongyang, North Korea. She said: "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, the Yale School of Music dedicated a chair in Sprague Hall in Chang's name. After that, Chang toured for a year with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a Sextet program 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 Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

on April 7, 2007, accompanied by the British pianist Ashley Wass. She continued to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen and appear with the former at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall throughout 2008. On March 27 and 28, 2008, she played for San Antonio, Texas audiences at the Majestic Theater, a performance 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. On February 12, 2010, she gave a recital at the Barbican Hall in London. Chang made an appearance at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in March 2010, playing 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. Her main instrument is the 1717 Guarneri del Gesu by the Cremonese luthier, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù which she purchased from her mentor,

. 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 Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, orchestras in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Additionally, she has performed with the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

, the NHK Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, the Washington National Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic, 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, 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, Sir Simon Rattle, Wolfgang Sawallisch,

Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...

, Michael Tilson Thomas, Plácido Domingo, David Lockington, David Zinman, Gustavo Dudamel,

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (, ; ; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conducting, conductor and opera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director o ...

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish conducting, conductor and composer. He is the music director of the San Francisco Symphony and conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Sw ...

, Jaap van Zweden,

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

, Steven Amundson, and others. Notable recital engagements have included her

debut and performances at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, 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,

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...

, Lynn Harrell, Lars Vogt, and the late

. 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, Chang disclosed in an interview with Evan Solomon of ''Power & Politics'' (CBC) that President Obama had appointed her to the Presidential Commission on Russian Relations and that she 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. She had 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 Pyongyang, North Korea, 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 was one of three women 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 Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

, Italy

Discography

CDs

* 1992: Debut includes Pablo de Sarasate,

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

, 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 Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

: 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 The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

(Vieuxtemps), Conductor: Charles Dutoit (EMI Classics) * 1997: Simply Sarah/ Show Pieces/ Piano: Charles Abramovic (EMI Classics) * 1998: Felix Mendelssohn,

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

: 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, 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. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, 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 Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

: 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, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) ''The Four Seasons'' () is a group of four violin concerto, violin concerti by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives musical expression to a season of the year. These were composed around 1718–1720, when Vivaldi was the court c ...

, and Violin Concerto in g, op.12 no.1, RV.317. Orchestra: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (EMI Classics) * 2009:

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic Music, Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin ...

Violin Concerto No.1,

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)