Hsia-Jung Chang: Biography

Hsia-Jung Chang is a distinctive and important new voice in the annals of pianism: I'll be watching her with keen anticipation.
— New York critic Harris Goldsmith

. . . Hsia-Jung Chang's touch, her own personal atmosphere of artistry and musical honesty. I compare her more readily to yesterday's pianists, in a good sense, like Moriz Rosentahl, Ignaz Friedman or even Emil von Sauer, than to contemporary players.
— Swedish critic Ingvar Loco Nordin

Pianist/composer Hsia-Jung Chang lives in New York City, where she has performed frequently on the Piano Lunch Series. In 2002 she formed the independent record label Mandala Studio LLC with her mother: composer/ yodeler/guitarist/TV star Ho Lan , and her sister: singer/pianist/Grammy-nominated recording engineer  Hsi-Ling Chang . Since then the three artists have combined their talents to produce first-rate recordings and mind-bending music videos. Chang's albums of close to 60 works by Frédéric Chopin include the Complete Preludes, Etudes Op. 10 & Op. 25, and the complete Impromptus, Ballades & Berceuse. These recordings have been showcased on WQXR’s Reflections from the Keyboard with David Dubal, CBC Radio’s As It Happens, and in interviews on KPBX, WNYE, WJFF and WKCR radio stations. Her album  Debussy received enthusiastic approval from music critic Marvin J. Ward: Hsia- Jung Chang channels Debussy. . . this recording easily places itself among the best interpretations, those that serve as benchmarks for Debussy's sound world... Chang’s composition album  Inside the Piano –  21st Century Improvisations uses the strings and resonating surfaces inside the piano to produce sublime and sometimes harrowing soundscapes. This innovative recording has become a favorite of Experimental DJ's across the US. It was featured in an hour-long interview as part of the New York Alive series on WKCR.

Most recently Mandala Studio has been releasing Chang’s songs in the varied styles of Funk, Gospel, and Pop, in which Chang sings and plays all of the parts. Chang composed most of these works for her small, dedicated volunteer choir at Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church, where she is the Music Director. Her 1st Pop song “It’s Like A Mirror-Mob Scene,” set in the trial of Jesus, addresses bullying and the obfuscation of truth. It was featured in an interview with Zan Agzigian of Soundspace.  During the lockdown, Chang decided to release these devotional songs on streaming services such as Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, Hungama, Amazon, etc. so that music lovers around the world can sing along from home.

Chang’s musical training began in Taiwan with her famous mother  Ho Lan , whose eclectic repertoire includes Yodeling, Flamenco, Folk, Mexican Ranchera, and Phillipino ballads; to name a few.  At an early age, Chang was admitted to a special class for musically gifted children at the Kwang Ren Conservatory of Taiwan. After immigrating to the U.S. with her family, Chang received her Bachelors and Masters degree in Piano Performance from the University of Houston, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music.  Her piano teachers include Mary Toy, Nelita True, Ruth Tomfohrde, Abbey Simon, and Constance Keene. She also received musical coachings from noted musicians Anton Kuerti, Christoph Eschenbach, Ilana Vered, Seymour Bernstein, Kenneth Cooper, Anthony Elliot, Elena Nikolaidi, and Kenneth Goldsmith.

Chang’s witty lectures on music has delighted and inspired audiences of all ages. She and her colleagues from the Metropolitan Opera Guild Outreach introduced opera to children age 4-9 in schools of the greater New York area. She was guest lecturer/recitalist at Duke University, Manhattan School of Music, Prince George's Community College, College of the Mainland, Friends University, Manhattan Country School, Seattle Young Artist Music Festival, Spokane Symphony, Shengyang Music Conservatory and Dong Bei University of China, Chopin Society of Bangkok, Elly Lim Festival of Jakarta, and at Piano Levens of France, where she premiered 5 of her compositions with Soprano Amy Blake in a program celebrating American composers. Her program “Keys to Happiness with Hsia-Jung Chang” was broadcasted in 2022 on KSPS-PBS TV. In this one-woman show, she uses her compositions as well as music of Debussy, Bach, Chopin, and Sousa to illustrate some of the simple keys to the pursuit of happiness.