In 1992, the year she turned 10, she says she first played on the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall stage. The next year she moved to the United States and entered the Juilliard pre-college on scholarship.
The breakthrough yearIn 1994, the year she turned 12, she won the top prize and the contemporary music prize among 83 cellists at the fifth Rostropovich Cello Competition in Paris, one year after entering Juilliard.
In spring 1995 she made her Seoul debut with the Staatskapelle Dresden and received a donated Guadagnini cello. In 1996 she released her debut album, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra under Rostropovich. In 1997 the album won her an Echo Klassik award and a gold disc in Korea. In 1999 she gave her first recital tour in Korea.
In 2003 she entered Harvard to study philosophy, and her fourth album was named Gramophone’s best concerto recording. In 2004 she toured Korea for the 10th anniversary of her debut. In 2006 Gramophone included her among 20 Classical Superstars of Tomorrow.
The year she turned 25, she made her conducting debut at the Seongnam International Youth Orchestra Festival. In 2009 she began Absolute Classic at Seongnam Arts Center and led it until 2014. In 2012 she conducted her cello teacher Maisky as soloist.
In 2013 she became music director of the Qatar Philharmonic. In 2014 she made her BBC Proms debut and resigned from the Qatar Philharmonic the next day. In 2016 she was named chief conductor of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra in Norway. In 2019 she led the Trondheim Symphony on a tour of Korea.
In 2022 she became principal guest conductor of the Hamburg Symphony and stepped in for the Vienna Symphony’s Korea concert. In 2025 she conducted the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for the first time and became an adjunct professor at KAIST. The year she turned 44, she was named president of the Seoul Arts Center, the first woman from a music background to hold the post and the youngest ever.
Han-na Chang (born Dec 23, 1982) became known as the youngest winner of the Rostropovich Cello Competition in Paris on Oct 16, 1994, the year she turned 12. She made her conducting debut in 2007, the year she turned 25, and became president of the Seoul Arts Center in 2026, the year she turned 44.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
02 / QUICK ANSWERS
Q & AFrequently asked
- How old was Han-na Chang when she debuted?
- In 1994, the year she turned 12. Hankook Ilbo and Money Today describe her win at the fifth Rostropovich Cello Competition on Oct 16, 1994 as her debut. She says she first played on the Seoul Arts Center stage at age nine, in 1992.
- How old was Han-na Chang when she became famous?
- In 1994, the year she turned 12, with her win at the Rostropovich Cello Competition. Yonhap describes it as the start of her recognition as a prodigy, and Segye Ilbo as her emergence as a rising star. Articles give her age at the time as 11 or 12.
- How old was Han-na Chang when she became a conductor?
- In 2007, the year she turned 25, she made her conducting debut at the closing concert of the Seongnam International Youth Orchestra Festival on May 27, 2007. In 2013, the year she turned 31, she took her first professional orchestra, the Qatar Philharmonic, and from 2017 she was chief conductor of the Trondheim Symphony.
- When did Han-na Chang become president of the Seoul Arts Center?
- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the appointment on Apr 6, 2026, and she began a three-year term on Apr 24, 2026. In 2026, the year she turned 44, she became the youngest president and the first woman from a music background.
- How old is Han-na Chang?
- Born in 1982, she turns 44 in 2026 (43 as of Sep 22, 2026).