Sarah Chang

Chang was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Cherry Hill and Voorhees Township, New Jersey.Webster, Daniel. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063533/http://articles.philly.com/1995-07-07/entertainment/25679352_1_sarah-chang-chamber-music-tchaikovsky-concerto "Sarah Chang Soloist At Mann Concert"], The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 7, 1995, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 4, 2016. Accessed January 1, 2018. "Two days before her concert, she was sleeping in, luxuriating in the chance to open her eyes around 10 in the bedroom of her family's Cherry Hill home."Scher, Valerie. [https://archive.today/20130131150544/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sandiego/access/1246386711.html?dids=1246386711:1246386711&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+31,+1995&author=VALERIE+SCHER&pub=The+San+Diego+Union+-+Tribune&desc=Violinist's+key:+Just+be+a+minor+ |+Gifted+Sarah+Chang+still+a+teen+to+the+core&pqatl=google "Violinist's key: Just be a minor -| Gifted Sarah Chang still a teen to the core"], San Diego Union-Tribune, October 31, 1995. Accessed March 17, 2011. "'I never play anything the same way twice,' she says by phone from her family's home in Voorhees, NJ." Her mother Myoung-Jun Chang is a composer and her father Min-Soo Chang was a violinist and music teacher.[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/young-gifted-and-calling-the-tunes-743827.html "Young, gifted and calling the tunes"]. The Independent Music. August 12, 1999. Retrieved October 29, 2010. Chang's parents moved to the United States from South Korea in 1979 for her father's advanced music degree at Temple University. Her mother took composition classes at the University of Pennsylvania. Chang has said that although she "never actually lived in Korea... I do still feel very strongly it's where my roots are."[http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2925689 "Sarah Chang is back"]. Korea JoongAng Daily. September 8, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010. Her younger brother Michael (born 1987) has a degree from Princeton University.[http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/200912/10758/ "Violinist.com interview with Sarah Chang"]. Violinist.com. December 18, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2010.[http://www.princetoninfo.com/index.php?option=com_us1more&Itemid=6&key=04-23-2008-Chang "Sarah Chang – Me and My 1717 Guarneri"]. April 23, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2010.

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 with her parents.[http://broadwayworld.com/article/Violinist_Sarah_Chang_Pianist_Andrew_Von_Oeyen_Perform_at_Markham_Theatre_224_20100123 "Violinist Sarah Chang & Pianist Andrew Von Oeyen Perform at Markham Theatre 2/24"]. Broadway World. January 23, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.America's Intelligence Wire, May 9, 2004. 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{{cite news |first= Michael |last=Dervan |title=Living with the 'prodigy' tag|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0129/1232923371584.html |work=Irish Times |date=January 29, 2009 |access-date=January 29, 2009}} where her father had received his musical lessons, and at the Aspen Music Festival and School.{{cite web|last1=Oksenhorn|first1=Stewart|title=Sarah S=Chang Cherishes Aspen Experience|url=http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100808/ASPENWEEKLY/100809867|website=www.aspentimes.com}} A former student and assistant to DeLay, Hyo Kang, also provided training to Chang.[http://music.yale.edu/faculty/kang.html "Yale School of Music : Faculty (Hyo Kang, violin)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111121334/http://music.yale.edu/faculty/kang.html |date=2011-01-11 }}. Yale School of Music. Retrieved October 31, 2010.{{cite book |title=All music guide to classical music: the definitive guide to classical music |last=Woodstra |first= Chris|author2=Brennan, Scrott |year= 2006|publisher=Reed Business Information |isbn= 0-87930-865-6|pages= 1607|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nlDOICBmhbkC&pg=PA269}}

Following her 1999 high school graduation in New Jersey, she returned to Juilliard for university and studied with DeLay.[http://uanews.ua.edu/2004/02/noted-violinist-sarah-chang-to-perform-at-ua-with-alabama-symphony-orchestra-march-14/ "Noted Violinist Sarah Chang to Perform at UA with Alabama Symphony Orchestra March 14"]. UA News. February 24, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2010.

Chang learned from a family environment to naturally speak Korean.[http://www.newsweek.com/1999/08/08/a-violin-prodigy-sees-the-world.html "A Violin Prodigy Sees The World"]. Newsweek. August 9, 1999. Retrieved October 31, 2010.{{cite web |title=Twitter Q&A: Sarah Chang |url=http://www.barbican.org.uk/media/events/sarah_chang_qanda.pdf |page=3 |publisher=Barbican |access-date=February 24, 2012 |date=January 2, 2010}}

Due to her musical accomplishments, Chang is among a very small number of professional figures recognized as a child prodigy.[https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/05/143_56802.html "Sarah Chang Aims to Cast Off Prodigy Label"]. Korea Times. December 7, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2010.{{cite journal|last1=Reel|first1=James|title=Interview with Violinist Sarah Chang: Adulthood is offering a new world of opportunities for this former child prodigy|journal=Strings Magazine|date=January 2004|issue=115|url=http://www.allthingsstrings.com/News/Interviews-Profiles/Interview-with-Violinist-Sarah-Chang|access-date=22 March 2015}}

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.Heisler, T (September 15, 2004). Rocky Mountain News, p. 3.[http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/philpedia/artist-detail.cfm?id=676 "ABOUT THE PERFORMER: Sarah Chang"]. Hollywood Bowl. Retrieved October 31, 2010.[http://www.louisvilleorchestra.org/?page_id=6762 "Sarah Chang, violin"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102053158/http://www.louisvilleorchestra.org/?page_id=6762 |date=2011-01-02 }}. Louisville Orchestra. February 2, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2010.

In 1991, when Chang was 10 years old, she recorded her first album, Debut;San Jose Public Library [http://mill1.sjlibrary.org/search~S1?/aChang,+Sarah./achang+sarah/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/frameset&FF=achang+sarah&1%2C%2C7 catalog entry] for Debut [sound recording] it was released by EMI Classics on August 18, 1992 and quickly reached the Billboard chart of classical best-sellers.[https://www.amazon.com/Debut/dp/B000002RSJ Debut] at amazon.com 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 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."{{cite web |title=For me, the stage is my home: violinist Sarah Chang |url=http://www.kncolorado.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=korea_town_news&wr_id=59 |work=Colorado KoreanNetwork |publisher= kncolorado.com |access-date=October 31, 2010}}

Image:Sarah Chang performing outdoor.jpg

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."[https://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/05/11/sarah.chang/index.html "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.{{Cite web | url=http://www.opus3artists.com/artists/sarah-chang |title = Sarah Chang}} 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.[http://www.emiclassics.com/artistbiography.php?aid=66 "EMI Classics – Sarah Chang"]. EMI Classics. Retrieved October 31, 2010.[https://pittsburghsymphony.org/pso_home/biographies/guest-artists/chang-sarah "Bio for Sarah Chang"]. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved October 31, 2010.

Chang played a recital at Carnegie Hall on April 7, 2007, accompanied by the British pianist Ashley Wass.New York Times, Steve Smith [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/arts/music/12chan.html?_r=1 "Strong Expression, Delivered With Spirit and Teamwork"] April 7, 2007 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.[http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/music/artist_detail.cfm?id=676 About the Performer] at Hollywood Bowl 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.{{cite web|title=Antonio Strad Violin|url=http://www.stradviolin.com/spotlight-events/sarah-chang-violin.html|access-date=2012-11-20}} 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.Lee Hyo-won (12 July 2009) On February 12, 2010, she gave a recital at the Barbican Hall in London.[http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=8563 "Sarah Chang – Brahms, Theofanidis and Franck"]. Barbican Hall. February 12, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010. Chang made an appearance at the University of Southern California 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.[http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/w_apa/showarticle.aspx?articleID=14808&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 "Inside the Violin: an interview with Sarah Chang"]. Asia Pacific Arts. March 19, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/08/leonard-slatkin-and-sarah-chang-return-to-the-hollywood-bowl-for-shostakovich.html "Music review: Leonard Slatkin and Sarah Chang return to the Hollywood Bowl for Shostakovich [updated]"]. Los Angeles Times. August 25, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.

Sarah Chang owns several violins.{{Cite news|url=http://wkar.org/post/violinist-sarah-chang-surviving-her-crazy-world-tour-schedule#stream/0|title=Violinist Sarah Chang on surviving her crazy world-tour schedule|last=Paisley|first=Jamie|date=Jan 14, 2017|work=wkar.org|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en}} Her main instrument is the 1717 Guarneri del Gesu by the Cremonese luthier, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù which she purchased from her mentor, Isaac Stern.{{Cite news|url=http://english.khan.co.kr/khan_art_view.html?code=710100&artid=201212271648017|title=Sarah Chang "Proud Twenty Years Yet with Moments When I Wanted to Hide, They All Make Up Who I Am"|last=Hak-su|first=Mun|date=27 December 2012|work=Kyunghyang Shinmun|language=ko}}{{dead link|date=June 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfcv.org/events-calendar/artist-spotlight/sarah-chang-and-a-ges%C3%B9-string-the-sun-across-cultures|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002031405/https://www.sfcv.org/events-calendar/artist-spotlight/sarah-chang-and-a-ges%25C3%25B9-string-the-sun-across-cultures|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 2, 2017|title=Sarah Chang and a Gesù String the Sun Across Cultures|last=Kaliss|first=Jeff|date=February 26, 2013|work=San Francisco Classical Voice|language=en}}

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.{{Cite news|url=http://stringsmagazine.com/interview-with-violinist-sarah-chang/|title=Interview with Violinist Sarah Chang|last=Reel|first=James|date=1 January 2004|work=Strings Magazine|language=en-US}}

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, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 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 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, 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, 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, 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.[http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/TV_Shows/Power_&_Politics_with_Evan_Solomon/1308697887/ID=1808367142 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.

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, [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/30/arts/music-olympians-with-lessons-to-impart.html?ref=sarah_chang The New York Times].
• 2004: Hollywood Bowl's Hall of FameTo date, Chang is the youngest person on record to receive this title; see this [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/08/leonard-slatkin-and-sarah-chang-return-to-the-hollywood-bowl-for-shostakovich.html Los Angeles Times article].
• 2005: Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy[http://eng.chigiana.it/accademia-musicale-chigiana-international-prize/ Accademia Musicale Chigiana International Prize: Winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115222638/http://eng.chigiana.it/accademia-musicale-chigiana-international-prize/ |date=2019-11-15 }} chigiana.it

• 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, 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, 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: 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)[http://www.emiclassics.co.uk/release.php?id=5099996700426 "EMI Classics UK | Release | Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 / Brahms: Violin Concerto"]. EMI Classics. September 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2009.

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

{{Reflist|group=fn}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Wikiquote}}

{{Commons category|Sarah Chang}}

• {{official website|http://www.sarahchang.com/}}
• [http://www.emiclassics.com/artistbiography.php?aid=66 EMI Classics biography page]
• [http://www.opus3artists.com/artists/sarah-chang Sarah Chang] with Opus 3 Management
• [http://imgartists.com/artist/sarah_chang Sarah Chang] with IMG
• {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=q17012}}
• [http://www.changvivaldi.com Sarah Chang Vivaldi: The Four Seasons]
• [http://www.changbruchbrahms.com Sarah Chang Bruch/Brahms Concertos]
• {{youTube|ObxzdawhM-8|Sarah Chang plays Massenet's "Meditation from Thais"}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Accademia Musicale Chigiana International Prize laureates}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Sarah}}

Category:American women violinists

Category:American classical musicians of Korean descent

Category:Aspen Music Festival and School alumni

Category:Child classical musicians

Category:Juilliard School alumni

Category:Musicians from Camden County, New Jersey

Category:Musicians from Philadelphia

Category:People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Category:People from Voorhees Township, New Jersey

Category:1980 births

Category:Living people

Category:Women classical violinists

Category:21st-century American women musicians

Category:21st-century American classical violinists