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Sarah Chang
Sarah Chang before performing.jpg
Chang before performing a 2005 concert
Background information
Native name
장영주
Birth name Young Joo Chang
Born (1980-12-10) December 10, 1980 (age 44)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres Classical
Instruments Violin
Years active 1984–present
Labels
  • EMI Classics
  • IMG Artists
Associated acts
Korean name
Hangul
장영주
Hanja
Revised Romanization Jang Yeong-ju
McCune–Reischauer Chang Yŏng-ju

Sarah Chang (born Young Joo Chang on December 10, 1980) is a famous Korean American classical violin player. She was known as a child prodigy because of her amazing talent at a young age. In 1989, she first played as a solo artist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She went to the Juilliard School to study music and finished her studies there in 1999. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Sarah Chang was a main solo performer with many of the world's biggest orchestras.

Early Life and Music Education

Sarah Chang was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Cherry Hill and Voorhees Township, New Jersey. Her mother, Myoung-Jun Chang, is a composer. Her father, Min-Soo Chang, was a violinist and music teacher. Sarah's parents moved to the United States from South Korea in 1979. They came so her father could get an advanced music degree. Her mother also took music classes. Sarah has said that even though she never lived in Korea, she feels strongly that it is where her family comes from.

When Sarah was 5 years old in 1986, she tried out for the Juilliard School. She was accepted after playing a difficult violin piece. Sarah spent her weekends going to music classes at Juilliard. She also enjoyed shopping in New York City with her parents. When she was 6, she started learning from the famous violinist Isaac Stern outside of school. In 1989, she began working with Dorothy DeLay in New York. Her father had also taken music lessons from Ms. DeLay.

After finishing high school in New Jersey in 1999, she went back to Juilliard for college. She continued to study with Dorothy DeLay. Because of her amazing musical skills, Sarah Chang is one of the few people known as a child prodigy.

Sarah Chang's Career Highlights

Starting Her Music Journey

Sarah's mother taught her to play simple melodies on the piano when she was 3. For her fourth birthday, she received a very small violin. A concertmaster from the Philadelphia Orchestra heard her play. He asked the music director, Riccardo Muti, to listen to her. When Sarah was 8, she tried out for Mr. Muti and Zubin Mehta. Mr. Mehta was the music director of the New York Philharmonic. Both of them immediately offered her chances to perform.

In 1991, at age 10, Sarah recorded her first album called Debut. It was released in 1992 and quickly became a best-seller in classical music. Sarah became famous around the world very quickly. She performed up to 150 concerts each year. In 2006, Newsweek magazine named her one of the top eight successful women in the U.S. She said that having a career so early helped her stay focused. She felt lucky to know what she wanted to do with her life.

Performances and Tours (2002–2005)

Sarah Chang performing outdoor
Chang performing outdoors in Italy at the 2005 Festival I suoni delle Dolomiti

In 2002, Sarah Chang performed in Pyongyang, North Korea. She described it as an "unbelievable experience." She felt that music is a universal language that everyone can understand.

Sarah also took part in a global ad campaign for the watchmaker Movado. She was chosen to carry the Olympic torch in New York for the 2004 Olympics. In 2005, the Yale School of Music honored her by naming a special chair in Sprague Hall after her. After that, Sarah toured for a year with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. They performed in many summer festivals.

Recent Performances (2007–Present)

Sarah Chang played a concert at Carnegie Hall on April 7, 2007. She was joined by British pianist Ashley Wass. She continued to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. They played at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2008. From May 2009 to June 2010, she went on concert tours across Europe, North America, and Asia. She performed with pianist Andrew von Oeyen. In February 2010, she gave a concert at the Barbican Hall in London. Sarah also performed at the University of Southern California in March 2010. She played a violin concerto by Max Bruch. She returned to the Hollywood Bowl in August 2010.

Her Violins and Bows

Sarah Chang owns several violins. Her main instrument is a very special 1717 Guarneri del Gesu violin. This violin was made by the famous Italian maker Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù. She bought it from her teacher, Isaac Stern.

Sarah uses different bows for different types of music. She prefers a Pajeot bow for music by Mozart and Bach. For concertos by Tchaikovsky and Sibelius, she likes a Sartory bow. She also uses two Dominique Peccatte bows for other kinds of music.

Discography

CDs

DVDs

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sarah Chang para niños

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