Debussy… Dvořák for the finals. Before I went to Paris, he invited me to come a few days in advance to play for him in Brussels and also overcome jet lag. He was a very generous teacher. Looking back from the jury chair now, what is your advice to young musicians starting their careers? Be passionate, and don’t lose that passion. The world has gotten so much faster. In 1993 you would send an application by post, and then you had to wait for many weeks if not months. Today, everything happens in real time… We give young musicians less time to think and develop. But like every fine wine, every great work of art needs time and dedication. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. As a juror, what I appreciate most is seeing that “craziness” for the music. Show me how much you love it. That love forces you to study a score inside out, to care about every dot and accent. In those details, your character emerges. So don’t be afraid to show what you believe in—but you must know it deeply. Otherwise, you’re just faking it. A final question about aspiring conductors, particularly about young women. What’s your view on the current musical landscape? Personally, I think of myself as a conductor, not a female conductor. I just want to be a good musician. But the glass ceiling is a reality in every field. The positive change in the last decade is that organizations are now actively inviting women, which has sparked the necessary debate. However, we must not be used just to fill a quota. Our work must be evaluated with the same seriousness. We stand on the shoulders of pioneers like Marin Alsop. Her story—the repeated rejections, the resilience—is what we must learn from. It’s not about being a woman; it’s about the work, the dedication, the love for music that makes you fight for it. Take any challenge as extra motivation. Have courage and keep going. Striving against odds is where you find your inner strength. And one day, I have no doubt, female conductors will
be regarded as equally strong, precisely because of that journey.
Han-Na Chang first captivated the world at the age of 11 by winning the Grand Prix at the 1994 Rostropovich International Cello Competition. Building on this early success, she has crafted a uniquely multifaceted career. After establishing herself as a cellist, she devoted herself exclusively to conducting from 2007 onward, leading prestigious ensembles such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Munich Philharmonic, and the Vienna Symphony. Her artistic leadership, grounded in a Harvard philosophy education, extends far beyond the podium. She is a sought-after speaker on culture and leadership, addressing forums like the Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Centres and NAVER. In a pioneering move, she was appointed a Distinguished Visiting Professor at KAIST’s Graduate School of Culture Technology in 2025, collaborating on frontier research at the intersection of AI and the performing arts. Guided by profound musical insight and a conviction that music’s joy should be shared by all, Han-Na Chang continues to forge a distinctive artistic path, expanding the horizons of classical music with depth and vision.
Conducting Competitions
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