Ivy Yee Chang's Rise to International Musical Prominence

A music career is long and difficult. Often, one has to start training very early on, and the amount of time and effort required is a big challenge for any youngster. Luckily for Ivy Yee Chang, an internationally renowned violinist, musician, and musical director, her parents set her on the right path with proper training and excellent teachers from a very young age after realizing her fervent passion for music.

As Ivy Yee Chang says, "I feel an inexplicable tie towards music, and it brings not only great joy but also deep satisfaction for both the audience and the musician. I also feel a strong responsibility to pass on my passion for music to the next generation. Because the best reward for me is to share this most wonderful art form with the world."

Ivy began learning music when she was only three years old and she debuted the E Minor Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in Taiwan at twelve. She received several First Prizes in music competitions and many awards as a child performer. Still, at seventeen, the year before applying to college, she had to make a definitive decision. Ivy says, "I thought about my future long and hard. As a person of many interests who excelled musically and academically, I asked myself, 'Is music what I want to do for the rest of my life?'"

She ultimately decided to embrace her love of music and moved to the US to pursue her passion. Upon relocating to the US, Ivy was accepted into the most prestigious conservatories in the world and studied with the best musicians.

One of the biggest challenges that Ivy faced in becoming a professional musician and musical director was overcoming the fear of failure. This fear drove her to initially doubt herself when attempting to decide whether or not to pursue music in college. "The fear of making mistakes on stage. The nerves, the expectations from myself and others. All of these things might hold me back from achieving greatness. I had to learn to understand myself, what works and what doesn't work," Ivy says.

She has overcome this fear by realizing that all she can do is her best while preparing for the worst. Most importantly, she always strives to learn from any mistakes she makes to prepare herself for the next time.

After moving to the US and overcoming her fears, Ivy has become a highly acclaimed performer internationally and nationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra concertmistress. She has been invited by organizations around the world to perform at prestigious concert venues in Austria, France, Germany, China, Greece, Italy, Spain, Taiwan, USA, and Venezuela, playing with prestigious orchestras such as the Taipei Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Rutgers Symphony Orchestra, Rondo Chamber Orchestra, and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.

Academically, Ivy received scholarships from both pre-college and college divisions of the Manhattan School of Music, and she was the recipient of the "President's Award for Achievement" when she graduated from SUNY Purchase College. For postgraduate studies, Ivy earned a scholarship to a prestigious university and received an Artist Diploma in Music from Mason Gross School of Music after being accepted with a full fellowship into the DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) program.

Looking forward, Ivy Yee Chang is passionate about further pursuing her own greatness in music while also spreading her joy and knowledge to others through her teaching and leadership. Ivy concludes, "I love music. I think music is the greatest thing in the world. That always comes first. The rest just follows."