Scribd
Upload
17 views3 pages

Portrait of The Artist: Sarah Chang, Violinist, Interviewed by Laura Barnett - Music - The Guardian

Uploaded by

Laura Souto Bravos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
17 views3 pages

Portrait of The Artist: Sarah Chang, Violinist, Interviewed by Laura Barnett - Music - The Guardian

Uploaded by

Laura Souto Bravos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Sarah Chang, violinist

'When I auditioned for the Juilliard, aged five, I realised I was on to something'
Interview by Laura Barnett
Tue 20 Nov 2007 00.00 GMT

What got you started?

Asking my parents for a violin when I turned four. I'd been learning the piano since I was
three, but I wanted something I could carry around with me.

Did you know you had talent straight away?

Not really. It was only when I auditioned for the Juilliard arts school in New York at age five
and a half that I realised I was at least eight years younger than everyone else, so I knew I
was on to something. Before that, music was just one hobby among many.

What was your big breakthrough?

Making my debut with the New York Philharmonic, aged eight. The day after my audition,
they rang and asked if I could perform the Paganini concerto the next day without rehearsal.
I said yes because I didn't know any better. There's no way I'd have that sort of fearlessness
now.

What one song would feature on the soundtrack to your life?

Right now I'm young and temperamental, so it would be something by Shostakovich: full of
drama and emotion. By the end of my life, I'd like it to be a work by Brahms: calm, serene, at
peace.

Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?

A normal upbringing. I missed a lot of parties.

If someone saw one of your performances in 1,000 years' time, what would it tell them
about the year 2007?

It would tell them more about the composer's time than the modern world. The purpose of
classic music is to serve the composer, and to stay as true and honest to the music as
possible. That's what makes it timeless.

Are you fashionable?

I love fashion, and when you're a soloist, there are no limits to what you can wear. But I'm
aware that classical audiences are aged 16 to 60. I wouldn't want to rub someone up the
wrong way by wearing a skirt with a thigh-high split.

What's the greatest threat to music today?

The internet. It puts everything at your fingertips, so people want instantaneous


entertainment. It's much better to dress up and go out for the whole live, sensory
experience.

What advice would you give a young musician just starting out?

Make sure you really want it, because it will take over your entire life. I already know where
I'll be in November 2010.

Complete this sentence: At heart I'm just a frustrated ...

Teenager.

Do you read your reviews?

Very rarely. I judge my concerts by the way I feel the second I get off stage. If I had a good
rapport with the conductor and the orchestra, and the audience got involved, then I know it
went well.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The violinist Isaac Stern once said to me: "Wake up every day and be grateful that you're a
musician, because you're meant to do this." There are days when I'm so exhausted I can't
walk straight, I don't know which city I'm in. But I try to keep this in my mind, and I know
I'm lucky.

Born: Philadelphia, 1980

Career: Started learning the violin aged four, and became the youngest violinist ever to
record at the age of nine. Her 17th recording, Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, is out now on EMI.
Performs at the Hexagon Theatre, Reading (0118-960 6060), next Tuesday, then tours.

High point: "Right now. I'm having the most fun I've had in a long time."

Low point: "My mid-teens. I was no longer a child prodigy, but I wasn't yet an adult. It was a
confusing time."

We made a choice…
… and we want to tell you about it. We made a choice which means our journalism now
reaches record numbers around the world and more than a million people have supported
our reporting. We continue to face financial challenges but, unlike many news
organisations, we have chosen not to put up a paywall. We want our journalism to remain
accessible to all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford.

This is The Guardian’s model for open, independent journalism: available for everyone,
funded by our readers. We depend on contributions from our readers. Will you support our
choice?
Readers’ support powers our work, safeguarding our essential editorial independence. This
means the responsibility of protecting independent journalism is shared, enabling us all to
feel empowered to bring about real change in the world. Your support gives Guardian
journalists the time, space and freedom to report with tenacity and rigour, to shed light
where others won’t. It emboldens us to challenge authority and question the status quo.
And by keeping all of our journalism free and open to all, we can foster inclusivity, diversity,
make space for debate, inspire conversation – so more people have access to accurate
information with integrity at its heart.

Guardian journalism is rooted in facts with a progressive perspective on the world. We are
editorially independent, meaning we set our own agenda. Our journalism is free from
commercial bias and not influenced by billionaire owners, politicians or shareholders. No
one steers our opinion. At a time when there are so few sources of information you can
really trust, this is vital as it enables us to give a voice to those less heard, challenge the
powerful and hold them to account. Your support means we can keep investigating and
exploring the critical issues of our time.

Our model allows people to support us in a way that works for them. Every time a reader
like you makes a contribution to The Guardian, no matter how big or small, it goes directly
into funding our journalism. But we need to build on this support for the years ahead.
Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

Support The Guardian

We're available for everyone


Funded by our readers
Topics
Classical music

You might also like