Choong-Jin Chang, viola
A native of Seoul, Korea, Choong-Jin (C.J.) Chang joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as the associate principal viola in November 1994 and became principal viola in April 2006. He made his performance debut as a 12-year-old violinist with the Seoul Philharmonic as winner of the grand prize in Korea’s Yook Young National Competition. In 1981, at the age of 13, he moved to the United States to attend the Juilliard School of Music. He subsequently studied in Philadelphia at Temple University and at the Curtis Institute of Music, from which he received degrees in both violin and viola. His primary teachers were Jascha Brodsky and Joseph de Pasquale. As a soloist, Mr. Chang made his solo debut recital at Carnegie Hall along with numerous recitals in the U.S. and Far East in 2007. He also has appeared recently with the KBS Symphony of South Korea and the Temple University Symphony. In 2008 he has appeared as a soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra during its Asian Tour in Seoul, Korea and Shanghai, China, and its summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. An ardent chamber musician, Mr. Chang has performed in numerous chamber music festivals here and abroad, including Marlboro, Seattle, and Santa Fe. The list of distinguished musicians with whom he has collaborated includes Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Jaime Laredo, André Previn, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Yo-Yo Ma.
