Grammy Laureate Lectures and Performs in Hangzhou

Hangzhou Grand Theater witnessed a big event in the evening of December 26， 2009. That evening， Angelin Chang staged her piano concert. In 2007， Angelin Chang won the Grammy award for the Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra of 2006 for her recording Olivier Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques (Exotic Birds) with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony. She is the only pianist in the world who is awarded Grammy in this field.

Angelin Chang’s visit in December 2009 was not her first visit to Hangzhou， capital of eastern China’s coastal Zhejiang Province. In December， 2007， Angelin and her father Professor Chang Teh-Kuang visited Hangzhou. During their stay， they visited the Hangzhou-based Cultural Dialogue. The honorary president of Cultural Dialogue and former Zhejiang Provincial Governor Shen Zulun met the father and daughter in Hangzhou. Yang Jianxin， the director of Zhejiang Administration of Culture， was present at the pleasant meeting. Shen and Yang said they would most happily attend Angelin Chang’s concert if she came to Hangzhou to perform.

Angelin Chang was born into a family of scholars. She had a passion and aptitude for piano when she was just a little girl. In 1985， an established piano master heard her play and predicted she would be a virtuoso of mainstream music in the future. Angelin has grown into a pianist who perfectly fuses poetry and technique in her piano performance.

Angelin Chang came to Hangzhou in December， 2009. Her father Professor Chang called me at the Cultural Dialogue informing me of her daughter’s schedule in Hangzhou.

I attended her concert. Pieces she interpreted that evening were Serenade by Schubert， Preludes and Fugues by Bache， Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat major， Op. 22 by Chopin， and Liuyang River， a Chinese folksong. In cooperation with Zhejiang Philharmonic Orchestra， Angelin performed First Piano Concerto by Shostakovich.

Angelin won the hearts of the Hangzhou audience with her grace， her unique understanding of music， and her superb technique.

It was not Angelin Chang’s first concert in China， though. From 1988 to 2008， she was invited to perform at some leading colleges of music in China as well as at CCTV and Shanghai.

Shen Zulun and Yang Jianxin attended the Hangzhou concert. After the performance， they went backstage and congratulated Angelin Chang on her successful concert. Shen and Yang also expressed their appreciation to Zhang Hui， the president of Zhejiang Hongyi， which hosted the concert.

During her visit to Hangzhou， she gave a speech at a local university. □