Chang, Li-Kuo (25th July 1949-Present)

He is a violist born in Shanghai, China who took studies in piano and violin at Shanghai Conservatory. He won the Chinese Young Artist Competition in 1978 and moved to the United States in 1979 after being awarded a young artist fellowship at the Music Academy of the West and being given a full scholarship at the Eastman School of Music.

He initially performed as a member of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and later became the Assistant Principal Viola at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1988 when he was appointed by Sir Georg Solti. Between 1998 and 1999 he served as Principal Viola.

For 7 years, between 2000 and 2007 he performed and toured by invitation as guest solo viola with Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin.

He took the position of Acting Principal Viola in The Paul Hindemith Principal Viola Chair with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2019. That same year he worked on the Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy in Ravenna.

In the recording studio he has performed on albums which include The Coming of Light by Chicago Chamber Musicians, Corigliano: Symphony No. 1, Wagner: Overtures and Preludes, Arnold Schonberg: Verklarte Nacht Piano & Orchestral Pieces and Brahms: Violin Concerto/Sonata No. 3 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Come On Up by Brian Culbertson, Duets by Jerry Fuller, Pilgrimage by Robert Gass, Shanghai Mozart Dream by Xao-Ming Han and Fresh Aire 7 and Yellowstone: The Music of Nature by Mannheim Steamroller.

In the field of musical education he was on the faculty of the Northwestern University from 1993, has been on the faculty of the Affinis Music Festival in Japan since 1992, Roosevelt since 1998, as an artist teacher at the Peabody Institute since 2011, is an artistic advisor at the Chinese Fine Arts Society and teaches at the Music Society of Chicago.

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Chang, Li-Kuo (25th July 1949-Present)

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