SARAH CHANG
Violinist
I love being onstage. It is the most comfortable place for me. I travel all year long, and every week is a new city. So I'm always in extremely unfamiliar surroundings, living out of hotels and suitcases. And the only familiar place, really, even if you go from hall to hall, is the stage itself and the backstage area. For me, the stage is my home.
I love the adrenaline rush you get from having a live audience in front of you. There's nothing like performing live. I like to categorize classical music as one of those really beautiful, glamorous gems from the old era. The men are in tails onstage, the women are in beautiful dresses and the soloist comes out in a gorgeous evening gown. I really, really love that old-school glamour.
For me, concert days are always exciting. It doesn't matter if I give 100 concerts or 150 concerts that season. Every concert is magical. Every concert has a sparkle to it. The challenge is to keep myself fresh and to give a spontaneous performance every single night while maturing and growing as a musician every day. The whole art form of being onstage is so mysterious and magical, it fascinates me.
People assume I always wanted to be a violinist. It was actually just one of many other hobbies that I had. I had very enthusiastic parents. They gave me swimming lessons and horseback riding and gymnastics and ballet. My mom put me on the piano when I was about 3i. I asked for the violin when I was 4 because I wanted something that was smaller and more portable. I auditioned for the Juilliard School when I was about 6. During the week, I went to a regular school in Philadelphia so I could be with kids my own age. But on Saturdays, my mom would drive me to Juilliard in New York. I was by far the youngest person there. The majority of the students were 14, 15 and older. There were times when I was painfully aware of the age difference. But on a musical level, it was such a great environment to grow up in because the talent around me was just astronomical.
I started my career when I was 8 with two debuts in New York and Philadelphia, and then I started recording when I was 9. When you're so young, you don't realize the impact of a New York Philharmonic debut. You're told to do something and you go out and do it and you don't ask too many questions. I think the questions come later when you're in your teens. By the time I was 14, I was spending probably half the year in Europe. So I was out of school a lot. I did most of my homework by e-mail or fax. We made it work because my professors were incredible.
When you're a girl in your early teens, you've obviously got insecurities. You are beginning to form new friendships and relationships with people. And your clothes never quite fit right. On top of that, I had the career and then the photo sessions and having to be onstage and have every concert reviewed by the press. It was an added layer. But 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. So it was good to have that stability. I felt so grounded and so grateful to already know what it was that I wanted to do with my life.
Music takes me everywhere. A few years ago I had a chance to go to North Korea to do a joint concert with the North and South Korean orchestras in Pyongyang. That was totally, totally eye-opening. I am very much an American. I was born and brought up here with Korean parents. But this was beyond anything else I had ever seen before. You've got armed guards everywhere and you can't go anywhere or do anything. There's no communication with the outside world. 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.
我爱正在台前. 这是我最舒服的地方. 我旅行一年四季,每星期是一个新的城市. 所以我一直非常陌生,进出旅馆住行李箱. 而唯一熟悉的地方,真的,即使你从礼堂大厅 本身就是舞台幕后的地区. 对我来说,舞台就是我的家. 我爱你从一个肾上腺素赶往现场观众在你面前. 还有什么比表演活. 我喜欢古典音乐归类为一个真正的美丽,绚烂瑰宝旧时代. 男人都是尾巴台前, 在美丽的女性服饰及独奏出来的华丽晚袍. 我真的,真的爱老校风采. 对我来说,演唱会的日子总是令人兴奋. 不要紧,我给100或150演唱会,演唱会的季节. 每场音乐会是神奇. 每有音乐会生趣. 挑战是如何保持自己的新鲜和自发的表现给予每一夜而日趋成熟和音乐家为每天. 整个艺术形式正在台前如此神秘而神奇,我着迷. 人民负我就想是小提琴手. 它实际上只是多个其他嗜好我. 我曾经热心家长. 他们给我的游泳课、体操、芭蕾、骑骑马. 我妈妈就把我的钢琴在我差不多国与国关系. 当我问我的小提琴4点,因为我想这是较小和较便携. 我auditioned为茱莉亚在我差不多6. 在一周之前,我去了正规学校在费城等我的孩子能与自己的年龄. 但在星期六,我妈妈会使我在纽约茱莉亚. 我至今最年轻人. 大多数学生14日,15岁以上. 有些时候,我知道是心疼年龄差别. 但在音乐方面, 正是这种大环境的成长,因为人才是天文身边. 我开始我的事业在我八日在纽约和费城两面世, 然后我就开始录音,当我9. 当你这么年轻,你不知道影响了纽约爱乐乐团首演. 告诉你做什么你出去做,你不问太多问题. 我认为问题还在后面,当你在你几岁. 到了我14岁那年,我大概花了一年半在欧洲. 所以我出了很多学校. 我当时我国最功课通过电子邮件或传真. 我们成功了,因为我的工作是不可思议的教授. 如果你是一个十几岁的女孩,你早,你显然不安全. 你已开始形成新的友谊和关系,与人为善. 和你的衣服很适合从未权. 除此之外, 我的职业生涯,然后镜头将台前,并有演唱会审查新闻界. 据加层. 但我觉得有这样的职业使我从小焦点. 附表我们至少提前2至3年的经典产业. 所以有人说,有良好的稳定. 我觉得这样停飞等已经知道什么是感激,我要以我的生命做. 音乐带我四处. 几年前,我有机会前往北韩进行联合音乐会,南北韩在平壤举行的乐团. 这是完全令人瞠目. 我非常美. 我生于斯,长于斯,与韩国的父母. 但这是我所见过的任何东西以后才. 还得四处武装警卫或无处可去,你去做. 天下没有与外界沟通. 音乐会充满官员. 每个座位上. 有人邀请,而是这是一个令人难以置信的经验. 可怕,纵情在同一时间. 我只是想到我很幸运. 我很庆幸有这么一个音乐家,那时快, 我真正感受到音乐是唯一和通用语言.
