Mary Byrne
She was a track and cross-country runner and an aspiring marathoner. She was a competitive figure skater, a self-published author, and a fan of K-pop. She loved spending time with her family.
However, perhaps what Dana Chang will be remembered most widely for is her legacy as a violinist. Though accomplished in the competition scene, Chang, who died unexpectedly this spring, was most confident on stages where she could perform for the joy of it.
“She practiced very hard,” recalled her mother, Belmont resident June Song. “She really enjoyed it. We never pushed her … She loved school, and she loved the violin.”
At the age of 3, Dana began violin lessons. Within the year, her natural talent as a violinist was clear to all those around her. At 8, she entered her first competition. By 16, she had won first prize at the Boston Civic Concerto competition, earning the chance to perform as the solo violinist with the orchestra at the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall— an achievement her parents point to as her proudest.
Song and Dana’s father, John Chang, who owns a dental practice on Concord Avenue, said their 17-year-old appeared perfectly healthy at the time she died—she was active and ate well. What they didn’t know, however, was that she was born with an undiagnosed heart anomaly. On April 11, she shared a meal with her family before going downstairs to the exercise room, where she fell asleep and never woke up.
“Nobody expected it,” Chang said.
A Rising Star
As a student at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Dana planned to compete in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in May with the Highland Horn Trio. She studied with Isabelle Durrenberger and Soovin Kim at the New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory School. In the last several years, she participated in many seminars and workshops, music festivals, and orchestras.
“She never complained to me … she just wanted to do everything,” Song said. “Her academics were incredible. She was a perfectionist.”
As a rising senior at Walnut Hill, she had her sights set on applying to the Juilliard School in New York City or the New England Conservatory in Boston.
Beyond her contributions as a musician, Song emphasized her daughter’s ability to befriend others from all walks of life and her relationship with her older sister, Dayoon Chang, an accomplished figure skater whom she looked up to.
“Even though she had this heart condition … she had a normal life,” she said. “So many accomplishments. She never gave up.”
Continuing the Legacy
In recognition of Dana’s impact on others, the Walnut Hill School renamed one of its annual senior awards for this year and the years to come. The Dana Chang Friendship Award recognizes a student whose “interest and consideration of others is genuine and constant.”
Her family, too, hopes to honor Dana’s legacy through the creation of the Dana Chang Foundation, which will provide opportunities and resources to support young musicians. It also aims to raise awareness about the importance of the early diagnosis of heart anomalies. This year, in collaboration with the Walnut Hill School, two Walnut Hill students were awarded scholarships to cover the cost of New England Conservatory Prep fees this fall.
“They have been really supportive of us,” said Song, referring to the Walnut Hill School.
Though many events are expected in the future—including a 5K race next spring—the family first plans on a memorial concert at Jordan Hall on Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Performers will include Dana’s friends and classmates at Walnut Hill and Dana’s aunt, Youngsook Song—a renowned Korean gayageum player— in addition to the school’s Grammy Award–winning musicians-in-residence, the Parker Quartet.
The family also plans to publish a new color edition of the book Dana wrote with the help of a tutor when she was 8.
Finally, the family plans to convert the space above Chang’s dental office in Cambridge into a recital space and classroom. Song said the classroom space would be a nod to Dana’s interest in reading and writing.
“This is a celebration of Dana’s life,” Song said. “We have to remember Dana. We have to do something.”
Tickets to the Dana Chang Foundation Inaugural Concert can be purchased online at: https://danachangfoundation.org/buy-ticket/.
[…] Story continues […]