A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / MusicARCHIVE № 074
1980 —   VIOLINIST

SARAHCHANG

Young Joo ChangDec 10, 1980United States

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

In 1986, the year she turned 6, she passed the entrance exam for the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School in New York.

The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 10, she debuted playing Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, and made her first Korean appearance at the Seoul Arts Center.

In 1991, she signed with EMI and recorded her debut album. In 1992, the album came out and placed high on the Billboard classical chart. In 1993, Gramophone named her Young Artist of the Year. In 1994, she debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic.

In 1995, she received an Avery Fisher Career Grant as its youngest recipient ever and began playing a Guarneri del Gesù violin that had belonged to her teacher Isaac Stern. In 1997, she released the album Simply Sarah and played Bach’s double concerto with Isaac Stern in Seoul. In 1999, she received the Avery Fisher Prize.

In 2002, she released the album Fire and Ice and joined the KBS Symphony Orchestra’s visit to Pyongyang as a soloist.

In 2004, she carried the Olympic torch in New York and became the youngest inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. She also released a sonata album with the pianist Lars Vogt. In 2005, Yale University dedicated a chair in her name in Sprague Hall.

In 2006, Newsweek in the U.S. named her one of its achieving women. In 2007, she gave a recital at Carnegie Hall. In 2008, the World Economic Forum named her a Young Global Leader. In 2009, she released an album of the Brahms and Bruch concertos and announced her first national tour in 10 years.

In 2011, she was appointed a U.S. State Department arts ambassador. In 2012, she held a national tour for the 20th anniversary of her debut and released a complete EMI recordings set.

In 2018, she played the Seoul Arts Center’s 30th anniversary concert. In 2019, she finished her first national tour in seven years. In 2022, she visited Korea for the first time in three years and gave a Baroque recital. In 2024, her first solo concert tour in five years took her to 13 cities across Korea.

Sarah Chang (born Dec 10, 1980) entered the Juilliard Pre-College Division in 1986, the year she turned 6, and became known when she debuted in a concerto with the New York Philharmonic in 1990, the year she turned 10. Her debut album came out in 1992, the year she turned 12.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 27 records1986 — 2024   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 6 · 1986
  2. 11 · 1991
    Label

    Recording contract with EMI

    Signed a recording contract with EMI Classics and recorded her debut album. Newsis and Hankyung describe her as the youngest artist in the world to make a recording.

    Source 08 · Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang marks her 20th debut anniversary · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s first recital in five years, Daegu on the 20th · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Hankyung (Korean) · [Violinist of the morning] Sarah Chang · opens in a new tab
  3. 12 · 1992
  4. 13 · 1993
  5. 14 · 1994
    Concerto

    Debuts with the Berlin Philharmonic

    Made her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic and went on to record three albums with the orchestra.

    Source 15 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · The original prodigy violinist Sarah Chang returns, relaxed · opens in a new tabSource 19 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Interview with Sarah Chang, who debuted as a child violinist 34 years ago · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s first recital in five years, Daegu on the 20th · opens in a new tab
  6. 15 · 1995
    Award

    Avery Fisher Career Grant

    Received an Avery Fisher Career Grant as its youngest recipient ever.

    Source 05 · Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s first recital in five years, Daegu on the 20th · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Violinist Sarah Chang to visit in December, with Baroque music · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Hankyung (Korean) · [Violinist of the morning] Sarah Chang · opens in a new tab Wikipedia gives 1992 for this award, so it differs.
  7. 15 · 1995
    Instrument

    Guarneri del Gesù violin

    Began playing the 1717 Guarneri del Gesù violin that had belonged to her teacher Isaac Stern.

    Source 01 · Namu Wiki (Korean) · Jang Young-joo · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Wikipedia · Sarah Chang · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Violinist Sarah Chang to visit in December, with Baroque music · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s 20 years with the violin, in a complete EMI recordings set · opens in a new tab English Wikipedia says she bought it from Stern, while Namu Wiki and Yonhap say she took it over, so the accounts differ. Newsis also gives 1718 for the year it was made. The year 1995 reads the age of 14 given by Namu Wiki as her actual age; it was not confirmed in news reports.
  8. 17 · 1997
  9. 17 · 1997
  10. 19 · 1999
  11. 22 · 2002
  12. 22 · 2002
    Concert

    Performs in Pyongyang

    Took part as a soloist in the KBS Symphony Orchestra’s visit to Pyongyang, playing at a solo concert on Sept. 20 and a joint concert with North Korea’s State Symphony Orchestra on the 21st. The Sept. 21 concert was broadcast live in both the North and the South.

    Source 11 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · KBS Symphony Orchestra performs in Pyongyang · opens in a new tabSource 12 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · North Korean TV broadcasts the joint concert live · opens in a new tabSource 13 · Media Today (Korean) · Will inter-Korean broadcasting exchange reopen? · opens in a new tab
  13. 24 · 2004
  14. 24 · 2004
    Honor

    Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame; Olympic torch relay

    Carried the Olympic torch in New York and was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame as its youngest member.

    Source 09 · Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s 20 years with the violin, in a complete EMI recordings set · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Jang Young-joo · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Opus 3 Artists · Sarah Chang official profile · opens in a new tab The torch relay was not confirmed in Korean news reports and is based on Wikipedia and the Opus 3 Artists official profile.
  15. 25 · 2005
  16. 26 · 2006
  17. 27 · 2007
  18. 28 · 2008
  19. 29 · 2009
  20. 31 · 2011
  21. 32 · 2012
  22. 32 · 2012
  23. 38 · 2018
  24. 39 · 2019
    Concert

    Finale of her first national tour in seven years

    Held the Seoul concert that closed her first national recital tour in seven years at the Seoul Arts Center. She played works including César Franck’s Violin Sonata.

    Source 16 · Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s national tour finale in Seoul, Dec. 29 at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall · opens in a new tabSource 15 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · The original prodigy violinist Sarah Chang returns, relaxed · opens in a new tab
  25. 42 · 2022
  26. 44 · 2024
    Concert

    First solo concert in five years, a 13-city tour

    Gave recitals in 13 cities across Korea, from Seongnam to Seoul, in her first solo concert tour in five years.

    Source 05 · Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s first recital in five years, Daegu on the 20th · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Edaily (Korean) · World-class violinist Sarah Chang’s solo concert in Goyang · opens in a new tabSource 19 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Interview with Sarah Chang, who debuted as a child violinist 34 years ago · opens in a new tab

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1986–2024 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Sarah Chang when she debuted?
In 1990, the year she turned 10. She played Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic under conductor Zubin Mehta.
How old was Sarah Chang when she became famous?
In 1990, the year she turned 10, the same year as her debut. Several outlets say she became known through that concerto with the New York Philharmonic. They give her age at the time as anywhere from eight to 10, however, and a 2012 Newsis article dates the concerto to December 1989.
How old was Sarah Chang when she released her first album?
In 1992, the year she turned 12. She signed with EMI and recorded it in 1991. Newsis and Hankyung describe her as the youngest artist in the world to make a recording.
Has Sarah Chang performed in North Korea?
Yes. In 2002, the year she turned 22, she took part as a soloist in the KBS Symphony Orchestra’s visit to Pyongyang in September. After a solo concert on Sept. 20, a joint concert with North Korea’s State Symphony Orchestra on the 21st was broadcast live in both the North and the South.
How old is Sarah Chang?
Born in 1980, she turns 46 in 2026 (45 as of Sep 22, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION074Sarah Chang / SARAH CHANG

Music · United States
Dec 10, 1980 —

Sources and method20 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1980: the year of the event minus 1980, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Namu Wiki (Korean) · Jang Young-joo ↗Basis for items not confirmed in news reports: began violin at age 4, received the 1717 Guarneri del Gesù from her teacher Isaac Stern at 14
  2. Wikipedia (Korean) · Jang Young-joo ↗Basis for items not confirmed in news reports, such as the 2004 Olympic torch relay and Sprague Hall at Yale in 2005. Its awards list gives the Avery Fisher Career Grant (1992) and the Avery Fisher Prize (1999)
  3. Wikipedia · Sarah Chang ↗Basis for items not confirmed in news reports: birth name Young Joo Chang, entered Juilliard Pre-College in 1986, Newsweek in 2006, Carnegie Hall recital in 2007, bought her main instrument, the 1717 Guarneri del Gesù, from her teacher Isaac Stern
  4. Opus 3 Artists · Sarah Chang official profile ↗Official biography from her agency. Olympic torch relay in June 2004 and youngest inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame; Sprague Hall at Yale in 2005; Newsweek’s 20 in 2006; World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2008; U.S. State Department arts ambassador in 2011; Harvard leadership award in 2012; the album Fire and Ice (Plácido Domingo, Berlin Philharmonic)
  5. Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s first recital in five years, Daegu on the 20th ↗Dec. 16, 2024. Debuted in 1990 at age eight in a concerto with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic; the next year signed with EMI and set the record as the world’s youngest to record; debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1994 at 13; youngest winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant (1995); a 13-city tour in December, with Chungryong Hall in Daegu on the 20th
  6. Hankyung (Korean) · [Violinist of the morning] Sarah Chang ↗Dec. 12, 2024. Debuted in 1990 at age eight in a concerto with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic; signed with EMI in 1991 and set the record as the youngest to record; debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1994; won the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Gramophone Young Artist of the Year and Germany’s ECHO Klassik; visiting 13 cities across Korea from Dec. 10 to 29
  7. Edaily (Korean) · World-class violinist Sarah Chang’s solo concert in Goyang ↗Dec. 11, 2024. Aram Concert Hall at Goyang Aram Nuri on Dec. 14, her first solo concert in Korea in five years; national tours in 2019 and 2022 sold out; program of Brahms and Prokofiev with the pianist Julio Elizalde
  8. Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang marks her 20th debut anniversary ↗Nov. 29, 2012. Recorded her debut album at EMI in 1991 at age nine, the youngest recording artist in the world; an eight-stop national tour starting at the Gwangju Culture and Arts Center on Dec. 1, then Daegu, Suwon, Changwon, Gunpo, Daejeon and Busan, ending at the Seoul Arts Center on the 16th
  9. Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s 20 years with the violin, in a complete EMI recordings set ↗Dec. 18, 2012. Zubin Mehta invited her to the New York Philharmonic’s New Year’s concert in December 1989, six curtain calls; released her debut album at 11 in 1992 and recorded 18 concertos and more in 20 years; Avery Fisher Prize in 1999; youngest inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in June 2004; plays a 1718 Guarneri del Gesù. The complete EMI recordings, 19 discs and a 70-minute DVD, mark the 20th anniversary of her debut album
  10. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Violinist Sarah Chang to visit in December, with Baroque music ↗Oct. 27, 2022. Dec. 27 at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, three years after the 2019 tour; an 18th-century Baroque program including Vitali’s Chaconne, Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons; plays again in Korea the Bach double concerto she played with Isaac Stern in 1997; debuted at eight in 1990 in a concerto with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic, signed with EMI the next year, youngest-ever Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1995, plays the violin she took over from Isaac Stern
  11. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · KBS Symphony Orchestra performs in Pyongyang ↗Sept. 20, 2002. The broadcaster reported that the KBS Symphony Orchestra gave a solo concert in Pyongyang with the violinist Jang Young-joo, the soprano Park Jung-won and the tenor Kim Young-hwan
  12. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · North Korean TV broadcasts the joint concert live ↗Sept. 21, 2002. Jang Young-joo played Massenet’s “Méditation” from Thaïs and, in the joint concert, Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy; the concert was broadcast live across South Korea from the Bongwha Art Theater; the KBS Symphony Orchestra ended its six-night trip to North Korea and returned on the 22nd
  13. Media Today (Korean) · Will inter-Korean broadcasting exchange reopen? ↗Sept. 16, 2002. KBS announced a solo concert by its symphony orchestra at the Bongwha Art Theater in Pyongyang on the 20th and a joint concert with North Korea’s State Symphony Orchestra on the 21st, Chuseok, and named the violinist Jang Young-joo among the joint concert’s soloists
  14. Money Today (Korean) · Sarah Chang on the Seoul Arts Center she played at nine, glad about the 30th anniversary concert ↗Feb. 12, 2018. Says she met the audience at the Seoul Arts Center at nine in 1990 for her first Korean stage, with her own remarks; the Seoul Arts Center 30th anniversary concert Sarah Chang and 17 Virtuosi on Feb. 13, without a conductor, with 17 younger soloists in their 20s and 30s, playing Vitali’s Chaconne, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons; also joined the center’s 20th and 25th anniversary concerts; first visit home in four years
  15. JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · The original prodigy violinist Sarah Chang returns, relaxed ↗Dec. 30, 2019. Review of the Dec. 29 concert at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. Passed the Juilliard Pre-College exam in 1986, played with the New York and Philadelphia orchestras in 1990, first album in 1991, Berlin Philharmonic debut in 1994, the album Simply Sarah in 1997, the album Fire and Ice in 2002, first solo recital in Korea in seven years since 2012, played Franck’s sonata and Ravel’s Tzigane, last album in 2009
  16. Newsis (Korean) · Sarah Chang’s national tour finale in Seoul, Dec. 29 at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall ↗Dec. 27, 2019. National tour finale at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on Dec. 29; among the 25 best violinists picked by Classic FM in 2018; a 30th debut anniversary the following year
  17. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Sarah Chang, ahead of her first visit in 10 years ↗Dec. 7, 2009. Photo from a press conference at the Shilla Hotel in Jangchung-dong for her national recital tour and new album
  18. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · (Same press conference) Sarah Chang and Andrew von Oeyen ↗Dec. 7, 2009. Her 18th album, released last month (November), has the Brahms Violin Concerto and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1; recital tour with the pianist Andrew von Oeyen
  19. JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Interview with Sarah Chang, who debuted as a child violinist 34 years ago ↗Dec. 9, 2024. Debuted in 1990 with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta in Paganini’s Concerto No. 1 (not yet 10 at the time); recorded three albums after her Berlin Philharmonic debut at 13; sonata album with Lars Vogt in 2004; recorded Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons in 2009; the 35th debut anniversary next year (2025); press conference Dec. 9 and Korean tour from the 10th
  20. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · <Review> ’97 Gala Concert for Peace and Harmony ↗June 26, 1997. Review of the ’97 Gala Concert for Peace and Harmony at the Sejong Center Grand Theater in Seoul on the evening of June 25. Isaac Stern and Jang Young-joo played Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins together

Fact-checked: 2026.09.22 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.