Published : Aug. 13, 2012 - 19:32
Cellist-and-conductor to perform with her teacher Mischa Maisky at annual music festival
Chang Han-na surprised the world’s music scene when she won the prestigious Rostropovich International Cello Competition at age 11.
Not many recognized her young but amazing talent before the contest. But it was Mischa Maisky who believed in her and led her to take classical music seriously.
“Maisky, my teacher, is the one who turned my life around. I was 10 when I first had a lesson with him and he taught me how to communicate with composers and understand their musical world, not just the music they wrote on scores, but also their anguish and ideas,” said Chang, who is now 30.
Mischa Maisky (Seongnam Arts Center)
Chang Han-na speaks at a press conference in Seoul on Thursday.
Chang, who has been expanding her career not only as a cellist but as a conductor in recent years, hosts “Chang Han-na’s Absolute Classic,” an annual musical event held in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul, starting Aug. 18. This year, she has invited her teacher Maisky to the two-week-long festival aimed at offering opportunities for young musicians in Korea.
“Just as he contributed so much to my life, for free, I also want to share my talent with young and aspiring musicians. I want to tell them what my teachers have taught me about music,” she told reporters on Thursday.
About 100 young musicians have been selected through a competitive audition process to perform at Chang’s event. Chang, who made her conducting debut in 2007, will be leading an orchestra ― named the Absolute Classic Festival Orchestra ― comprised entirely of young audition winners.
The orchestra is to hold three separate concerts for this third annual musical event, on Aug. 18, Aug. 25 and on Sept. 1 at Seongnam Art Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
At the second concert, Chang’s orchestra and Maisky will perform Richard Strauss’ “Don Quixote” Op. 35, one of Maisky’s favorites.
“My teacher (Maisky) used to tell me that he wants to die on stage while performing ‘Don Quixote.’ When I suggest that we perform together, he said he would love to play with me anywhere, anytime,” she said.
Under the slogan “Music and Story,” Chang will hold a discussion with the audience on her musical world and the stories behind the repertoires she selected for the three concerts.
Tickets for the Aug. 25 concert are free while others range in price from 10,000 won to 70,000 won. For more information, call 1544-8117 or visit snart.or.kr.
By Cho Chung-un (
christory@heraldcorp.com)