新聞周刊"Top Women On Leadership"之一Sarah Chang (圖)

SARAH CHANG
Violinist

I love being onstage. It is the most comfortable place for me. I travel all year long, and every week is a new city. So I'm always in extremely unfamiliar surroundings, living out of hotels and suitcases. And the only familiar place, really, even if you go from hall to hall, is the stage itself and the backstage area. For me, the stage is my home.

I love the adrenaline rush you get from having a live audience in front of you. There's nothing like performing live. I like to categorize classical music as one of those really beautiful, glamorous gems from the old era. The men are in tails onstage, the women are in beautiful dresses and the soloist comes out in a gorgeous evening gown. I really, really love that old-school glamour.

For me, concert days are always exciting. It doesn't matter if I give 100 concerts or 150 concerts that season. Every concert is magical. Every concert has a sparkle to it. The challenge is to keep myself fresh and to give a spontaneous performance every single night while maturing and growing as a musician every day. The whole art form of being onstage is so mysterious and magical, it fascinates me.

People assume I always wanted to be a violinist. It was actually just one of many other hobbies that I had. I had very enthusiastic parents. They gave me swimming lessons and horseback riding and gymnastics and ballet. My mom put me on the piano when I was about 3i. I asked for the violin when I was 4 because I wanted something that was smaller and more portable. I auditioned for the Juilliard School when I was about 6. During the week, I went to a regular school in Philadelphia so I could be with kids my own age. But on Saturdays, my mom would drive me to Juilliard in New York. I was by far the youngest person there. The majority of the students were 14, 15 and older. There were times when I was painfully aware of the age difference. But on a musical level, it was such a great environment to grow up in because the talent around me was just astronomical.

I started my career when I was 8 with two debuts in New York and Philadelphia, and then I started recording when I was 9. When you're so young, you don't realize the impact of a New York Philharmonic debut. You're told to do something and you go out and do it and you don't ask too many questions. I think the questions come later when you're in your teens. By the time I was 14, I was spending probably half the year in Europe. So I was out of school a lot. I did most of my homework by e-mail or fax. We made it work because my professors were incredible.

When you're a girl in your early teens, you've obviously got insecurities. You are beginning to form new friendships and relationships with people. And your clothes never quite fit right. On top of that, I had the career and then the photo sessions and having to be onstage and have every concert reviewed by the press. It was an added layer. But I think having a career at such an early age kept me focused. We schedule at least two to three years in advance in the classical industry. So it was good to have that stability. I felt so grounded and so grateful to already know what it was that I wanted to do with my life.

Music takes me everywhere. A few years ago I had a chance to go to North Korea to do a joint concert with the North and South Korean orchestras in Pyongyang. That was totally, totally eye-opening. I am very much an American. I was born and brought up here with Korean parents. But this was beyond anything else I had ever seen before. You've got armed guards everywhere and you can't go anywhere or do anything. There's no communication with the outside world. The concert was full of government officials. Every single last seat. It was invitation only, but it was an unbelievable experience. Frightening and exhilarating at the same time. And I just thought about how lucky I am. I am so fortunate to be a musician, and at that moment, I genuinely felt that music is the one and only universal language.

我愛正在台前. 這是我最舒服的地方. 我旅行一年四季,每星期是一個新的城市. 所以我一直非常陌生,進出旅館住行李箱. 而唯一熟悉的地方,真的,即使你從禮堂大廳 本身就是舞台幕後的地區. 對我來說,舞台就是我的家. 我愛你從一個腎上腺素趕往現場觀眾在你麵前. 還有什麽比表演活. 我喜歡古典音樂歸類為一個真正的美麗,絢爛瑰寶舊時代. 男人都是尾巴台前, 在美麗的女性服飾及獨奏出來的華麗晚袍. 我真的,真的愛老校風采. 對我來說,演唱會的日子總是令人興奮. 不要緊,我給100或150演唱會,演唱會的季節. 每場音樂會是神奇. 每有音樂會生趣. 挑戰是如何保持自己的新鮮和自發的表現給予每一夜而日趨成熟和音樂家為每天. 整個藝術形式正在台前如此神秘而神奇,我著迷. 人民負我就想是小提琴手. 它實際上隻是多個其他嗜好我. 我曾經熱心家長. 他們給我的遊泳課、體操、芭蕾、騎騎馬. 我媽媽就把我的鋼琴在我差不多國與國關係. 當我問我的小提琴4點,因為我想這是較小和較便攜. 我auditioned為茱莉亞在我差不多6. 在一周之前,我去了正規學校在費城等我的孩子能與自己的年齡. 但在星期六,我媽媽會使我在紐約茱莉亞. 我至今最年輕人. 大多數學生14日,15歲以上. 有些時候,我知道是心疼年齡差別. 但在音樂方麵, 正是這種大環境的成長,因為人才是天文身邊. 我開始我的事業在我八日在紐約和費城兩麵世, 然後我就開始錄音,當我9. 當你這麽年輕,你不知道影響了紐約愛樂樂團首演. 告訴你做什麽你出去做,你不問太多問題. 我認為問題還在後麵,當你在你幾歲. 到了我14歲那年,我大概花了一年半在歐洲. 所以我出了很多學校. 我當時我國最功課通過電子郵件或傳真. 我們成功了,因為我的工作是不可思議的教授. 如果你是一個十幾歲的女孩,你早,你顯然不安全. 你已開始形成新的友誼和關係,與人為善. 和你的衣服很適合從未權. 除此之外, 我的職業生涯,然後鏡頭將台前,並有演唱會審查新聞界. 據加層. 但我覺得有這樣的職業使我從小焦點. 附表我們至少提前2至3年的經典產業. 所以有人說,有良好的穩定. 我覺得這樣停飛等已經知道什麽是感激,我要以我的生命做. 音樂帶我四處. 幾年前,我有機會前往北韓進行聯合音樂會,南北韓在平壤舉行的樂團. 這是完全令人瞠目. 我非常美. 我生於斯,長於斯,與韓國的父母. 但這是我所見過的任何東西以後才. 還得四處武裝警衛或無處可去,你去做. 天下沒有與外界溝通. 音樂會充滿官員. 每個座位上. 有人邀請,而是這是一個令人難以置信的經驗. 可怕,縱情在同一時間. 我隻是想到我很幸運. 我很慶幸有這麽一個音樂家,那時快, 我真正感受到音樂是唯一和通用語言.