Ms. Amy Chang is a distinguished musician with a versatile talent that spans both violin and viola, enriching audiences worldwide over her 25-year professional career. She has performed with esteemed conductors and soloists while touring both in the US and Europe with the Houston and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras. Ms. Chang’s musical journey began in Houston, where she contributed to the Houston Ballet Orchestra, the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, and the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and later with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, and the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, serving as Acting Viola Principal.
During her musical career, Ms. Chang has contributed numerous recordings with the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, several of which have been honored with Grammy Awards. In addition to her performances with nationally recognized orchestras, her talents have delighted audiences across the United States and the globe in a variety of guest appearances.
As an active chamber musician, Ms. Chang has made significant contributions to the field. She was a regular guest artist at the Texas Music Festival, performing in numerous chamber music concerts across Atlanta, Houston, Michigan, and Hong Kong. Her expertise led her to serve as violin faculty at the Interlochen Music Festival in Michigan, viola faculty at the Asian Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong, and as a viola coach at the Harpa International Music Academy in Reykjavik, Iceland. Ms. Chang was also invited to conduct a viola masterclass at the College of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts School of Music in Singapore. At the music department of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, Ms. Chang excelled as a violin and viola teacher and served as director of the String Chamber Ensemble.
In 2014, Ms. Chang and her husband, William Pu founded the William Pu Music Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia, a successful pre-college music school dedicate to providing high quality lessons to students of all playing levels and of all ages ranging from K-12, the Atlanta Youth Orchestra in 2016, a premium summer youth ensemble that provide professional orchestra training and performance opportunities for young musicians throughout metro Atlanta, and the Atlanta Festival Academy in 2019. The Atlanta Festival Academy is a non-profit organization, the first of its kind-international classical music festival to be hosted in the U.S Southeast. Every summer, it has attracted young musicians, renowned instructors, and world-class performers from around the globe. The Atlanta Festival Academy offers a myriad of resources and opportunities for helping to develop the next generation of Atlanta’s artists. In 2022, they founded the Atlanta Festival Orchestras, the Atlanta Festival Chamber Orchestra and the Atlanta Festival Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Festival Virtuosi (2023) to offer young musicians the opportunity to explore the rich and challenging literature of the orchestra repertoire.
Ms. Chang’s dedication to music education has empowered numerous violin and viola students to achieve remarkable success. Her mentorship has guided students to win prestigious national and international competitions, secure principal position in the National Youth Orchestra, gain acceptance into the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program, attain principal and section positions in local youth orchestras and all-state orchestras, and earn scholarships at renowned university music conservatories and programs.
Ms. Chang was honored with an invitation to perform the Taiwanese National Anthem at the 28th Annual World Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce Conference in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in October 2022. The prestigious event was attended by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen, Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-Mai, various government officials, and distinguished guest former Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo. The opening ceremony, highlighted by Ms. Chang’s performance, was broadcast live on national news across Taiwan.
Ms. Chang achieved distinction as a winner of the Taiwan National Music Competition. She earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees, both on a full scholarship, from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.