Violinist Sarah Chang Graces Singletary Stage
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 15, 2010) − Violin prodigy Sarah Chang is recognized the world over as one of classical music’s most captivating and gifted performers. Chang will bring her talents to the Singletary Center for the Arts (SCFA), performing with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of John Nardolillo, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, in the SCFA Concert Hall.
Chang and the UK Symphony will perform Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 and Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" at the Lexington concert.
One of the most remarkable prodigies of any generation, Chang has matured into a young artist whose musical insight, technical virtuosity and emotional range continue to astonish.
Born in Philadelphia to Korean parents, Chang began her violin studies at age 4 and promptly enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied with the late Dorothy DeLay. Within a year she had already performed with several orchestras in the Philadelphia area. Her early auditions, at age 8, for Zubin Mehta and Riccardo Muti led to immediate engagements with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
In 1999, Chang was presented with the Avery Fisher Prize, one of the most prestigious awards given to instrumentalists. In 2005, Yale University dedicated a chair in Sprague Hall in Chang’s name. For the 2004 Olympics, she was given the honor of running with the Olympic Torch in New York, and that same month, became the youngest person ever to receive the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame award. In March 2008, Chang was honored as a Young Global Leader for 2008 by the World Economic Forum for her professional achievements, commitment to society and potential in shaping the future of the world. Other music honors garnered by Chang include Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year award, the German "Echo" Schallplattenpreis, Newcomer of the Year honors at the International Classical Music Awards in London, and Korea’s "Nan Pa" award.
As a chamber musician, Chang has collaborated with such artists as 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.
To see a selection of videos of Chang performing and discussing music, check out the musician's Web site at http://sarahchang.com/video.
Since Nardolillo took the conductor's podium of the UK Symphony Orchestra, it has enjoyed great success racking up recording credits, performing on prestigious stages at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall and sharing the stage with such acclaimed international artists as Arlo Guthrie, Lynn Harrell, Gil Shaham and Mark O'Connor. Among its recording credits are: "In Times Like These," recorded live with Guthrie in March 2006 at the Singletary Center for the Arts; the premiere cast recording of Thomas Pasatieri's "The Hotel Casablanca" with UK Opera Theatre; "Music of the Horse," a collection of equestrian-inspired music sponsored by UK School of Music and the Keeneland Foundation; and most recently a critically acclaimed recording of composer George Frederick McKay's "Epoch: An American Dance Symphony" with UK Women's Choir.
Tickets for the Sarah Chang concert featuring the UK Symphony Orchestra are based on seating location and range from $32 to $25. A processing fee will be added upon completion of transaction. Tickets can be purchased through the Singletary Center Ticket Office at (859) 257-4929, online at www.singletarytickets.com, or in person at the ticket office.