Hailed by The WholeNote Magazine for her “lyricism, resourcefulness, and strong personal commitment to the flute”, Canadian flutist Samantha Chang is a musical tour de force and rising young artist. Her mandate to perform, teach, and create opportunities for aspiring flutists is nothing short of astonishing for someone still in her twenties.
Along with her performing schedule, Samantha is the director of the Canadian Flute Association, a position she has held since 2009. Samantha is also assistant conductor of the Ontario Cross-Cultural Music Society Youth Symphony Orchestra (OCMS-YSO), and has just become the publisher of Yikewen International, a new publishing company focusing on rare flute sheet music. In 2009, Ms. Chang created Samantha Chang Productions Inc., a company devoted to promoting music development and education in Canada. She also collaborates with composers Mizi Tan and Tod Dorozio.
Samantha released her debut album, “Flute Sketches” in March 2009, and toured for the next twelve months in a tour entitled “Sketching with my Flute” across Canada performing in 11 cities, recitals in England and China, along with 11 performances in Taiwan. The tour concluded in New York City at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in March 2010. During her travels, Samantha was invited to be a Masterclass Instructor at the Shanghai Normal University. She also performed in the United States, Hungary, and Germany both as soloist and orchestra member and here in Toronto, continues an active performing schedule.
Recently Ms. Chang drew a full house to Koerner Hall, celebrating the release of her second album “Sentimentale”. This recital included her friends and colleagues, Mark Camilleri, Dona Jean Clary and Ka Kit Tam, pianists; Christopher Lee, Alheli Pimienta, Dmitriy Varelas and Sophia Wang, flutists; Adam Weinmann, oboist; Conrad Chow, violinist; Kevin He and Angel Ji, cellists; Tim Fitzgerald and Jon Maharaj, bassists; Mark Inneo, drummer; and Yiping Chao, vocalist.
Community involvement is a huge priority for Samantha. An important initiative for Samantha is Music Tutti, a bi-annual music series which showcases talent from across Ontario. All proceeds from this series goes to a charitable organization in the community. In 2012, Music Tutti’s cause will be the Toronto Public Library Foundation. Past events include a concert that raised $3,325 for the Dixon Hall Senior Program. Ms. Chang has been recognized for her excellence in volunteering, such as playing at numerous retirement homes across the city; she was awarded by the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto the Ontario Volunteer Award for ten years of service in the community. Also committed to education, Samantha visits many schools as workshop instructor and mentor for young flute students. She is also busy coordinating the details of the Canadian Flute Convention in 2013, which will be held in Toronto for the first time.
Samantha has a private teaching practice, and many of her students study to the advanced level, working towards their Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT) degrees. Her students have received awards at music festivals in the city, and many have gone on to music studies at the post graduate level.
Samantha Chang received her Postgraduate Diploma and Licentiate at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, and holds her Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto diplomas. Past teachers for flute include Clare Southworth, Kate Hill, Susan Hoeppner, Margot Rydall, and Mizi Tan; for piccolo, Patricia Morris and Philip Rowson; for Baroque flute, Lisa Beznosiuk; and for flute pedagogy, Janet Way. She has also performed in master classes for William Bennett, Peter Lloyd, Paul Edmund-Davies, Toke Lund Christiansen, Tadeu Coelho, Jeffrey Zook and Susan Hoeppner. Samantha has also studied cello and piano.
At a very early age, Ms. Chang started out as a visual artist, and eventually switched to music; she chose the flute so she could sit with her friends. Samantha is a huge fan of Jean-Pierre Rampal, Cirque du Soleil, and the music of Mussorgsky. When she takes a rare break from music activities, Samantha prolifically reads, organizes her home, and is a devoted World Cup fan. She speaks English, Mandarin, understands Taiwanese, and “mumbles through French, Cantonese, and Japanese”.
Samantha Chang plays on a Muramatsu DN Model Flute.
~ September 2011
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