Choong-Jin Chang

Choong-Jin (C. J.) Chang became principal viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2006 after joining the Orchestra in 1994 as associate principal viola. He made his performance debut as a 12-year-old violinist with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1981, at the age of 13, he moved to New York City to attend The Juilliard School. He went on to study in Philadelphia at Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he received degrees in both violin and viola. His primary teachers were Jascha Brodsky and former Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Viola Joseph de Pasquale.

Chang made a successful solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 2007, and since then he’s appeared in numerous recitals in the United States and South Korea. In 2008, he was a featured as a soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra during its Asia tour, performing in Seoul and Shanghai, and during the orchestra’s summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. He made his Philadelphia Orchestra subscription solo debut in 2009, and he’s been a frequent soloist with the ensemble since then, including performances of Ke-Chia Chen’s viola concerto, The Desires, in January 2022 and Bruch’s Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra in December 2022. As a chamber musician, he performs with the world’s great musicians at many prestigious festivals throughout the United States and Asia.

Chang was a founding member of the acclaimed Johannes Quartet, whose debut performances at Philadelphia’s Ethical Society and at Carnegie Hall in New York City received glowing reviews. In 2008, the ensemble gave the world premiere performances of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Homunculus and, with the Guarneri Quartet, William Bolcom’s Octet: Double Quartet.

Alongside his extensive performing activities, Chang is a respected teacher on both violin and viola. Among his former pupils are members of the Philadelphia and Cleveland orchestras and many winners of major competitions. He currently serves as a viola professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute and, during the summer, as an artist and faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival and School.