Sarah Chang Tickets

Sarah Chang in Concert

An American violinist with a global approach, Sarah Chang has been turning out rhapsodic readings of the classics since the 1980s. Born in 1980 in Philadelphia, Chang is the daughter of composer Myoung-Jun and violinist and music teacher Min-Soo, who moved to the U.S. in 1979. Unsurprisingly, her parents encouraged her to study music at a young age. They moved to New Jersey early in Chang's life, putting her right next door to that essential classical music city, New York. Indeed, she got into a Juilliard program at age five (after performing the Bruch Violin Concerto), then attended music classes on the weekends while returning to high school in New Jersey during the week. She worked with revered violin instructor Dorothy DeLay and also studied with Isaac Stern, then made her debut with the New York Philharmonic when she was only nine years old. 

Chang recorded her first album, Debut, in 1992 when she was just 10. It was released by EMI Classics — one of her primary labels going forward — and soared on the Billboard charts, becoming a bestseller and catapulting Chang to the world stage. Before long, she was performing over 100 concerts a year. At only 13 years old, Chang was awarded Gramophone Magazine Artist of the Year. 

Since her prodigal arrival on the classical music scene, Chang has gone on to play with the greatest orchestras in the world, from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra to the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics and the Royal Concertgebouw. She's performed under the baton of such conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Bernard Haitink and Michael Tilson Thomas. Additionally, she often performs chamber music, and has played with musicians like Yo-Yo Ma and Martha Argerich. Her primary violin is a 1717 Guarneri del Gesu, which she purchased from her former mentor, Isaac Stern.