Early life and studies

Li-Kuo Chang, born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, China, on January 25, 1949, began his studies at the

Shanghai Conservatory The Shanghai Conservatory of Music () was founded on November 27, 1927, as the first music institution of higher education in China. Its teachers and students have won awards at home and abroad, thus earning the conservatory the name "the crad ...

in piano and violin. In 1978, his playing gained him the first prize in the Chinese Young Artist Competition. He traveled to the U.S. in 1979 to study at

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

in New York where he was awarded a full-tuition scholarship. He also received a young artist fellowship to study at California's

Music Academy of the West The Music Academy is a classical music training program in Montecito in Santa Barbara County, California. Overview The academy hosts an annual eight-week summer music festival, highlighted by concerts and workshops directed by famous composer ...

. Li-Kuo has studied with renowned teachers such as Francis Tursi, Paul Doktor, Donald McInnes, William Magers, Milton Thomas, and has also played in master classes led by

William Primrose William Primrose CBE (23 August 19041 May 1982) was a Scottish violist and teacher. He performed with the London String Quartet from 1930 to 1935. He then joined the NBC Symphony Orchestra where he formed the Primrose Quartet. He performed in ...

Career

In his early career, Li-Kuo was a member of the

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra in Shanghai, China. Its music director is Yu Long. Founded in 1879, the SSO is the oldest Chinese symphony orchestra. Originally, it was known as the Shanghai Public Band, expanding in 1 ...

. Winning the audition in 1988, he has held the position of assistant principal violist in the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

, and between 1998-1999, he served as the viola section principal. He has been on the faculty at many prestigious schools, including

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

's Bienen School of Music (1993–2008),

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The unive ...

(1998-), and

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

(2011-), and he presently teaches at the

Music Institute of Chicago The Music Institute of Chicago, known informally as MIC (formerly the Music Center of the North Shore), is a nonprofit community music school in Illinois with campuses in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, and Winnetka. ...

in Illinois. He has also been an affiliate of the faculty at Affinis Music Festival in Japan since 1992. He is also the Artistic Advisor of the Chinese Fine Arts Society. Many of his students were awarded various positions in well-known orchestras, including the

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is an American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown Indianapolis on Monument Circl ...

St. Louis Symphony The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...

, and

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

Performances and collaborations

Li-Kuo has performed alongside and worked with many well-known artists, including

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

Pinchas Zukerman Pinchas Zukerman ( he, פנחס צוקרמן, born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor. Life and career Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zuk ...

, Gabor Rejto, Christoph Eschenbach, and Henry Tamianka. He has given performances in many locations, including the Ravinia Music Festival, Staatsoper in Berlin, Orchestra Hall in Chicago's

Symphony Center Symphony Center is a music complex located at 220 South Michigan Avenue in the Chicago Loop, Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus; Civic Orchestra of Chicago; and the Institute for Learnin ...

, Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, and Lucerne Music Festival. His instrument is a G.B. Guadagnini viola, which was made in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

in 1770.

Personal life

Li-Kuo lives in Chicago with his wife, Maggie, and their son, Daniel. Music Institute of Chicago. "Li-Kuo Chang." Accessed October 29, 2015. https://www.musicinst.org/li-kuo-chang/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Li-Kuo 1949 births Living people Musicians from Shanghai Chinese classical violinists 21st-century classical violinists