Han-Na Chang

Conductor

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“…confident, astute, inspired. Ms Chang is the epitome of the incredible lightness of being: agile, nimble and bang on the beat.”
(The Liverpool Echo)

Chief Conductor & Artistic Leader: Trondheim Symfoniorkester

The 2017/18 season marks Han-Na Chang’s first year as the Artistic Leader and Chief Conductor of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester.

As a guest conductor, she has worked with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Gothenburg Symphony, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Bamberger Symphoniker, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cincinnati, St Louis, Indianapolis and Seattle Symphony orchestras, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestra del Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli amongst others. Chang made an acclaimed conducting debut at the BBC Proms in September 2014, and held the post of Principal Guest Conductor of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester from the 2013/14 to the 2016/17 season.

Her professional music career started at the age of 11, when she won the Rostropovich International Cello Competition in 1994. Chang went on to perform with orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchner Philharmoniker, Philadelphia Orchestra, l’Orchestre de Paris, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago, Boston and San Francisco Symphony orchestras. Her recordings, exclusively for the former EMI Classics, have received ECHO Klassik, Caecilia and Cannes Classical awards, as well as a Gramophone Concerto of the Year accolade among others, and remain world-wide bestsellers.

Han-Na Chang studied Philosophy at Harvard University and currently serves as the Roving Goodwill Ambassador for the Korean Red Cross.

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Trondheim Symfoniorkester Announcement

“Chang is graceful, strong, charismatic and deeply musical, and she seemed to have total rapport with the musicians of the orchestra….Chang, conducting without a score, showed an impressive command of the material from the opening phrases to the dynamic finale, with a thrilling reading…. she kept firm and inspired control of the orchestra, and of the music’s direction, throughout the symphony. The audience rewarded the performers with a thunderous and well-deserved ovation. Chang’s a conductor on the way up.”

(St Louis Post-Dispatch, November 2016)

“The quite sensational interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s 4^th Symphony proved that she’s not any ordinary conductor… Here Chang once more brought across the story through brave transitions and brisk tempi…Brava, maestra!”

(Johanna Paulsson, Dagens Nyheter, April 2016)

“With the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, she found the spiritual depth of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. At 33-years-old, Han-Na Chang is simply one of this generation’s most exciting conductors. She shaped Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in a way that gave new insight into one of the most regularly performed orchestral works. She dared to make unexpected choices related to the form of the work, but everything still fitted in very clearly with the meticulously shaped whole.”

(Lars O. Flydal, Vårt Land, January 2016)

“Under guest conductor Han-Na Chang’s leadership on Friday morning, the orchestra’s performance was as fresh and exciting as one could wish for… it was intriguing to witness her gifts again… a rising star conductor…Chang has a clear and dynamic style on the podium. Leading ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ without a score, she vividly conveyed the mood and character of each painting, yet never lost the arc of the entire work… ‘The Great Gate of Kiev’ was a stunning summation. Here, Chang did not push ahead, but held back the tempo, taking full advantage of the splendor of the brass in Music Hall’s magnificent space. Best of all, her leadership allowed orchestral soloists to shine.”

(Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer, February 2015)