Sunmi Chang

Korean-born violinist Sunmi Chang, laureate of the 2007 International Markneukirchen and Sion-Valais International Violin Competitions, has earned wide acclaim across North America and Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. At just 17, she toured with the Yehudi Menuhin School Orchestra, performing Bach’s Double Concerto for Two Violins under Lord Menuhin at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and Guildford Cathedral in England. She later appeared as soloist with the Yale Philharmonia on its tour to Seoul, Beijing, and Shanghai, performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, and returned to Yale to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary with a performance of the Triple Concerto alongside Paul Watkins and Melvin Chen, conducted by Peter Oundjian.

An avid chamber musician, Chang has appeared at leading festivals including the Rising Stars Series at Caramoor, Vivace Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Music in the Vineyards, and Chamber Music Northwest. She is also the Founder and Artistic Director of the Summit Chamber Music Series, dedicated to bringing world-class chamber music to West Virginia.

Her recent album, Mother Tales (Parma Recordings, 2023), created with pianist Clara Yang, pays tribute to four pioneering women composers—Florence Price, Gabriela Lena Frank, Liliya Ugay, and Amy Beach.

Chang holds a bachelor’s degree from the Hanns Eisler Musikhochschule in Berlin, Master’s and Artist Diploma degrees from the Yale School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan. Her principal teachers include Eberhard Feltz, Peter Oundjian, Soovin Kim, and Ani Kavafian. She is currently Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance and Director of the University of Oregon String Intensive Summer Camp.