Meet Our Artists
Ignace Jang
An active soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, Mr. Jang is the concertmaster of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. He has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia in concert halls such as the Th?©atre des Champs-Elys?©es in Paris, the Seoul Arts Center and the Sejong Cultural Arts Center in Korea. Recent guest solo appearances include the Honolulu Symphony under the baton of Music Director Samuel Wong, the Colorado Symphony with Music Director Marin Alsop, the Versailles Chamber Orchestra and L‚Äô Orchestre Provence-Alpes-C?¥te-d‚Äô Azur in France. As a chamber musician, he was been invited to the Colorado Music Festival, the Maui Chamber Music Festival, the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics Music Festival, Harvard University, Merkin Hall NY, the Modern Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado, Britt Festival in Oregon, and the Berlioz, Tri?®ves, Chirens Festivals in his native France. Jang has performed recitals in Istanbul, Turkey, and recently visited China with a rendition of the Brahms violin concerto. Since 1991, he has also been performing as member of the Equinox violin and harp duo, praised in the Washington Post for its excellent sense of style and impressive musicianship. The ensemble released their CD ‚ÄúUnder the Shooting Star‚Äù, a compilation of avant-garde music aimed at challenging the musical palate, produced by Doublemoon/EMI. In 2003, Jang premiered the Violin Concerto written for him by composer Donald Reid Womack, a work applauded for its brilliant vision of today‚Äôs world. He recently co-founded Trio Manoa, a group comprised of faculty members from the University of Hawai‚Äôi, where he has been teaching violin and chamber music. The trio, in addition to performing chamber music, is dedicated to the importance of education.
Jang was a grand prize winner at the 1989 Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition held in Italy, as well as the recipient of the Jury‚Äôs Special Prize for outstanding musical personality. He won earlier top prizes at the Lion‚Äôs Club of France Violin Competition and the Eastern Music Festival, NC. He received the early part of his training from Professor Flora Elph?®ge, before entering the class of G?©rard Poulet at the Paris Conservatory. In 1985, he obtained the Premier Prix as the youngest laureate of that year. Various grants from the Franco-American Commission and the French Ministry of Culture allowed him to further his studies under the tutelage of Franco Gulli at Indiana University. After receiving the Artist Diploma degree, he was invited the following year as a visiting scholar.
Born to Korean parents in Grenoble, France, Jang met the violin at the age of five. He grew up listening to the legendary violin virtuosos of the past, nurturing respect for the individuality of their artistry and mastery of their instrument. In his playing, he strives to express a spectrum of emotions while unfolding a unique color and depth of sound for which he has seen praise in the American, European and Asian press.
