Hank Chang, Conductor 

Conductor Hank Chang's education in violin, viola performance, and orchestral conducting spans the globe, with training in South Korea, Europe, and the USA under the tutelage of distinguished mentors such as Professor Dolezal (Prague Conservatory), Professor Yossi Gutman (Eisenstadt Conservatory, Austria), Dr. Susan Dubois (University of North Texas), and Maestro Anshel Brusilow (University of North Texas).

With a musical career spanning about 30 years, Mr. Chang has an extensive background that includes a decade of performing viola with the Daegu Symphony Orchestra in South Korea (1995-2005), teaching viola at various Korean universities, conducting orchestras at multiple levels, and organizing international music festivals.

In 2012, Mr. Chang established the Sunsim Benedict Youth Orchestra in Korea and served as its conductor for five years, paving the way for the orchestra's European tour. In 2019, two years after returning to Texas, he founded the Youth Symphony of Denton. In the summer of 2023, he led the orchestra on a concert tour to South Korea, collaborating with the Daegu International Youth Symphony for a highly successful performance. Additionally, he founded the Denton Philharmonic Orchestra with local musicians in 2021.

In 2022, he launched a New Orchestra Movement at Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, aiming to revitalize the string orchestra program, which had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through dedicated networking and strategic recruiting, Mr. Chang transformed the program from a handful of students into a thriving entity with multiple ensembles. His leadership has not only revived the program but also established a vibrant community of young musicians, offering numerous performance opportunities and setting a new standard for excellence in music education at the college.

During his tenure as conductor of the Keimyung University Concert Orchestra, Mr. Chang founded the ASCOLTI Korean Chamber Orchestra in South Korea with professional string players in 2010. Over the past 15 years, he has conducted this orchestra, recorded a live CD, and led an international concert tour to Kobe, Japan. The ASCOLTI Korean Chamber Orchestra's live performances on YouTube have attracted a substantial global audience, demonstrating his ability to connect with listeners worldwide.

Specializing in the interpretation of string orchestra repertoire, Mr. Chang's expertise includes works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Respighi, Elgar, Dvořák, and Bartók.

In addition to his conducting and teaching roles, Mr. Chang has excelled as an international music festival organizer, collaborating with musicians from the Czech Republic, South Korea, Japan, and Texas. Most recently, he brought the Denton Campus Theater musical team to South Korea to perform Singin' in the Rain at the 18th Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF), the largest musical production in Asia, in July 2024. Their five performances at the festival were met with great acclaim.