The Gladys Frisch Harris Piano Festival at Hastings College is scheduled for Saturday, March 25, and will feature guest clinician Dr. Wan-Chin Chang, who will give a recital and brief lecture, as well as work with high school and college students in master classes.
Chang, a graduate of the University of Southern California, is on faculty at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, California, and Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California. She is also the assistant concertmaster of Dana Point Symphony and principal second violin at Orchestra Collective of Orange County.
The festival is set for Saturday, March 25, in Fuhr Hall (927 N. Ash Avenue), and is free and open to the public. A full schedule and link to a form for students in grades 8-12 to register for a class, is at hastings.edu/pianofestival.
Hastings College piano professor Dr. Jonathan Sokasits will also provide classes for students. These master class sessions are a great way to coach literature for upcoming solo recitals, Guild Auditions, contests or NMTA District Festivals.
The festival begins at 9:00 a.m. and includes a duet recital with Sokasits, followed by a brief talk by Chang at 10:00 a.m. Classes with students follow beginning at 10:30, with brief solo recitals by Chang and Sokasits wrapping up the day at 1:00 p.m.
About Dr. Wan-Chin Chang
Dr. Wan-Chin Chang appears regularly as a soloist with orchestras such as the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra, Dana Point Symphony, Southern California Philharmonics, MiraCosta College Symphony, La Mirada Symphony, Southland Symphony, Temecula Valley Symphony, Orchestra Collectives of Orange County, Orange County Symphony, and Orange County Wind Symphony. Besides concerto and solo performances, she also frequently collaborates with other musicians in chamber recitals.
She had been invited to perform at the Fallbrook Music Society, Piano Day at Saginaw Valley State University, Grand Valley University, Fullerton College, White Lake Chamber Music Festival, Blodgett Faculty Recital Series at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, The Gladys Frisch Harris Piano Festival, Orange Women’s Club and Music Teachers Association of California.
Chang attended the University of Southern California and Aspen Music Festival with full scholarships, and was the winner of the Leni Fe Foundation Scholarship, Pi Kappa Lambda Award, Chamber Music Award, and Outstanding Graduate Award. She also served as an assistant lecturer while completing her DMA in piano performance with a minor in violin performance from USC under the guidance of Antoinette Perry on the piano, and Eudice Shapiro on the violin. She is currently the assistant concertmaster of Dana Point Symphony, and principal second violin at Orchestra Collective of Orange County.
As an educator, Chang’s students consistently receive top ratings and prizes in MTNA and MTAC evaluations and competitions. Several of her students have been accepted into music schools at University of Southern California, California State Universities (Fullerton, Long Beach, and San Marcos), and Chapman University. She is currently on faculty at MiraCosta College in Oceanside and Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo. During the summer, she is the piano department chair at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan.
