“…The TSO was able to present the composer Richard Strauss in a way that undoubtedly created new fans. Besides star soloist [Mischa] Maisky, I must praise both Neher and, not least, concertmaster Daniel Turcina, who excelled in Ein Heldenleben. Presenting precisely Don Quixote (1897) and Ein Heldenleben (1898) on the same evening is a very good choice by the TSO. .. If you don't know Strauss before, this is a great place to start! The TSO's conductor, Han-Na Chang, opened the season by proclaiming her love for Strauss: "He modernized the orchestra!" The symphonic poems Don Quixote and Ein Heldenleben communicate what all life is about - not only in the highs, but also in the lows. It is precisely this that I am also left with. Both tone poems are made up of a number of individual parts, but these slide into each other in a way that makes you enter a completely separate time pocket. It's as if time stands still...The orchestra was absolutely wonderfully precise, and while the weaving power of the conductor reminds me of a swan in the swan lake, the legendary transitions from symphonic blanket of sound to the sudden transverse flute, tripping on top of it all, is an experience that makes me think of the greatest art experiences in my own life. On artists I have collaborated with, and the passion that drives them. All this I can read in the orchestra and its soloists tonight. Churchill is often credited with saying that we cannot cut funding for culture in wartime. For what else shall we fight for? Now, while more and more people are forced to flee from war and natural disasters, this was truly an evening that reminded me of the importance of music. It will not become less important, but more important. Listening to Strauss' portrait of himself in Ein Heldenleben as conductor Han-Na Chang and the TSO lift Strauss to new heights reminds me how lucky I am. I can only recommend letting yourself be carried away, inspired by the art. By the breath of the orchestra and the symphony!” - MARIA VEIE SANDVIK, Adresseavisen, 5 September 2022 on the Trondheim Symfoniorkester’s 2022-23 Season Opening Concert

“…Credit must also go to Korean guest conductor Han-Na Chang, former child prodigy cellist, for her mastery of fine orchestral detail, which would also influence the performance of Grieg’s evergreen Piano Concerto in a minor that followed. It is often said that all conductors will sleepwalk through this work. Not so this evening, as her astute marshalling of the orchestral forces paved the way for Singaporean pianist Churen Li’s showcase… The 52 minutes of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony might seem long-drawn or dragged out, but it did not feel that way. Under Chang, who conducted from memory, the overall pacing was very well judged. The emphatically punched-out two opening chords set the tone; this was not going to be a routine run through. Although brisk and bristling with urgency, the tempos never felt hectic or forced. The ever-pervasive sense of surging forward came in waves, symbolic of the impetuous Napoleonic inspiration, except that Beethoven had angrily scratched out his original dedication. He was not going to honour an emperor and tyrant, but the memory of a hero that was. To that end, the second movement’s funeral march became all the more inevitable. Again, the pacing was just right; not too lugubrious, and the build up to its powerful climax proved to be the highlight. Spurts of premature applause from newbies in the audience seemed like the right response to relieve the tension. To contrast the symphony’s shorter and far lighter second half with the very serious first, the mood softened considerably. The Scherzo was clockwork in its delivery, capped by the trio of French horns who were in sync throughout. The finale, playing on the comedic Creatures of Prometheus theme, revelled in its humour and busy counterpoint, without being frivolous. This was a nuanced reading which took its time in the quieter bits, which made the furious coda all the more exciting as the symphony drew to its triumphant close. There must have been many first-timers to this concert, and judging by the applause accorded to Chang and her charges [Singapore Symphony Orchestra], it certainly will not be their last.” - Chang Tou Liang on Bachtrack, 18 July 2022

“…However, the performance was full of fresh tension. Beethoven's Violin Concerto, performed in the first half, was a great performance. Han-Na Chang and Gil Shaham led the music flexibly based on their innate musicality, and the cohesiveness of the Vienna Symphony [Wiener Symphoniker] was consistently strong. The tempo was set rather quickly across all three movements, but the detailed expressive power that touches the music was maintained vividly. As a result, Beethoven's Violin Concerto, which is often lyrical, introspective, and sometimes dignified with a solemn atmosphere, had a proper warmth and refreshing feeling at the same time. In other words, it awakened a sense of pure playfulness reminiscent of Beethoven's 4th Symphony composed at the same time, a freshness not yet suppressed by solemn heroism. To that extent, the Vienna Symphony delivered a three-dimensional and clear sound, and the conductor Han-Na Chang also delivered the dynamism and lyricism of the work brilliantly… Throughout the work, Han-Na Chang meticulously adjusted the dynamics of the orchestra. The pizzicato phrase in the second movement instantly turned this symphonic concerto into a chamber music. Is it because the conductor herself was a cellist? Her keen flexible sense of the effect and flow of strings was fully felt... Gil Shaham and Han-Na Chang really enjoyed the music. They exchanged glances with the orchestra, listened to the voices of the instruments, exchanged the energy of the music, and created a climax of the song one by one by adding meaning to the play. There was no insecurity; the collaboration was full of positive energy. Their love for music and respect for colleagues were conveyed to the audience as well. This high level of performance shined Beethoven's 7th Symphony in the second half. The Beethoven of Han-Na Chang and the Vienna Symphony was dynamic and sincere. The process of creating the central rhythm of the entire work in the introductory part of the first movement, and the rhythmic feast that takes place in the main movement, filled the concert hall like a sunny day. Although the entire orchestral sound was so unified, the breathing and sound of individual instruments did not lose flexibility or clarity. In the second movement, the overtones of the strings were kept as rich as possible. It was an interpretation in which the tension of the repetition of the same rhythm was alleviated and the beauty of the trio part was emphasized as much as possible. There was no exaggeration in the 3rd movement. Audiences were able to enjoy a proper Beethoven, which brought dynamism and detail well over the long lasting sound characteristic of country music. The last 4th movement was literally a feast of rhythm and the chaos of the Bacchus festival. The ending of the symphony was a master interpretation. Han-Na Chang drove the work to its climax like a storm. Beyond the chaos created by the baseline, sounded a positive fanfare. It was a rare and wonderful finale that was bright, flexible, and full of breakthrough energy while keeping the band's breath under control. Han-Na Chang and the Vienna Symphony also performed a generous amount of encores. From Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, our [Korean] folk song Arirang, to the Strauss brothers' Pizzicato Polka, Han-Na Chang and the Vienna Symphony were truly professional. They poured their hearts into the music until the end, and the virtue of respect moved between the audience and the stage. This Vienna Symphony performance was a beautiful time to experience the blessing of connecting hearts through music.” - Yonglae Kim, Yonhap News Agency, 2 June 2022 on the Seoul Arts Center concert of the Wiener Symphoniker and Han-Na Chang’s Korea Tour

“Musically, there is a lot to say about this show. Trondheim Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Han-Na Chang plays brilliantly throughout, with large, juicy orchestral sounds, which still do not drown out the singers. The winds stand out in particular, with a fine flexibility and sure intonation in Puccini's complex, ever-changing music. Chang's tempos are generally fast, but not hectic. It feels like something is at stake in every beat, and there is a lot of power when she releases the orchestra in the instrumental passages.” - Aksel Tollåli, Scenekunst, on Puccini Tosca, 29 March 2022

“The stage scene that remains strongest actually happens when the orchestra alone plays the prelude to “E lucevan le stelle” (The stars shone brightly). Here we only see the legs of Cavaradossi which is framed in a square with clouds at full speed. Last night, it was not the tenor who created the most heartbreaking tones in one of the most popular arias in the Italian tenor repertoire. Conductor Han-Na Chang leads the orchestra [Trondheim Symfoniorkester] in such a heartfelt way that it is the instruments, and not the tenor's own voice, that bring Cavaradossi's farewell to life.” - Maria Veie Sandvik, Adresseavisen, on Puccini Tosca, 24 March 2022

“Stand-in concerts have a very special energy. Han-Na Chang has succeeded in transforming this energy into a special sound. She took over the concert for the sick Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and changed almost the entire program. The rousing conducting of the 38-year-old director and chief conductor of the renowned Trondheim Symfoniorkester is noticeably transferred to the musicians. Chang's index finger jabs at the percussionist with precision for bang, her outstretched arm with open hand trembles as if under a heavy weight to encourage more vibrato and feel on the first violins. The liveliness and friendliness of the always smiling Han-Na Changs activated an intoxicating sound in the symphony.
In Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture, Chang creates wonderful, dynamic arcs both small and large. Like a DJ with dozens of controls, it forms a three-dimensional orchestral sound and makes you forget that the piece with its love theme has meanwhile become a one-dimensional, clichéd Hollywood soundtrack. In Richards Strauss' symphonic poem "Don Quixote", Han-Na Chang succeeds in making the music particularly lively: you can hear sheep bleating and a horse floating through the air. The three solo instruments find themselves in a sensitive chamber music conversation between Don Quixote (Adrian Iliescu on violin and Mischa Maisky on cello) and his companion Sancho Pansa (Bruno Merse on viola), and Mischa Maisky (like a pop star he has changed during the break and is now wearing a gray top) plays a whole string section against the wall when he plucks his strings in forte. And if you don't pay attention to the last few bars of Don Quixote's ending, you might just be a cold piece of meat. The spontaneity and freshness of Han-Na Chang did the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra good. The audience thanks them for this emotional concert evening with long applause and enthusiastic footsteps.” - Daniel Kaiser, NDR Hamburg, 25 October 2021

“What a great musician! In thirty years in the business, we have already discussed music, and in particular Shostakovich, with eminent and erudite conductors with whom, at the time of the concert or the release of the record, the beautiful reflections hardly materialized in terms of sound. Han-Na Chang, who impressed us in an interview last Saturday, captivated us in concert. Because the Korean, cellist prodigy converted to conducting an orchestra for a short decade, walks the talk. For her, the Orchester Métropolitain [Montreal] played as if it were on tour at Carnegie Hall. In fact, the Orchester Métropolitain played Shostakovich the way Shostakovich should be played: as a matter of life and death. And the chef, on the podium, like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, gave her all. Beyond the intensity, obviously tangible, Han-Na Chang seemed to have a concept for the smallest detail: an understanding of the intensity of the pizzicato at such and such a moment (violins II and violas at the end of the 1st movement, all in the 3rd part), the texture and the dynamics of the kick of the bass drum, the tenuto in the 3rd movement. The 2nd movement was not all speed: there was the ferocity of the impact of the timpani, the panic madness of the flutes, a deft crescendo of the bass drum and the absence of slowing down on the chorale of trombones. All the desks were mobilized to give their full potential, or even more: oboe, flutes, piccolo, horns (incredible!), percussion, strings. Admirable, all! Because we were not at all in a type of music "faster-slower" and "louder-softer". It is the nature of the sounds, the harmonic saturation, sometimes the ugliness or the deliberate distortion that constituted the framework of this great and cultivated interpretation, an unforgettable Shostakovich.” - Christophe Huss, Le Devoir, 29 February 2020

“…today's concert is this year's masterpiece. In the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 by Grieg, one of Norway's leading composers, Han-Na Chang and the Trondheim Symphony went up and down the emotional skyscraper several times. It showed what tension and relaxation is. She perfectly digested this music, which was bright, heartbreaking, bewitching and even intimidating. Han-Na Chang described Grieg as 'the spiritual voice of Norway', and the delicate woodwinds and the whispering strings which transformed in an instant to wild sounding body gave off the perfume of winter in Northern Europe. How about Tchaikovsky's Pathetique in the second half? The powerful yet mournful sound of the strings and the majestic woodwinds marched into the audience, guided by Han-Na Chang’s flawless directing. In the 3rd movement, the sound was as cold as an ice dagger and then boiled up. The final silence after the despair of the 4th movement…when Han-Na Chang held her baton for about 5 seconds in silence was even sacred. Han-Na Chang, who drew out stable ensemble from her orchestra members with her audacious conducting, reminded us that it is meaningless to classify conductors by gender”. - on Trondheim Symfoniorkester’s Debut concert in Seoul on their first Tour to South Korea, Jaehoon Lee, Newsis, 14 November 2019

“Chang conducts [Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra] with drive and perfect balance between the different, rapidly changing, moods. It is controlled, professional and incessantly engaging.” - Carl Magnus Juliusson, Goteborgs-Posten, March 2019

“The Toronto Symphony played a mid-week concert tonight to a rapturous reception. The TSO are in a transition, awaiting their new music director while playing either with their interim Artistic director Andrew Davis, or with a series of guests.  There was a great deal of electricity tonight, perhaps a combination of the new face on the podium, the repertoire, and possibly the ensemble’s readiness to embrace someone new. Han-Na Chang led two contrasting works tonight. Hers is a very physical style, a very clear beat. I was intrigued to hear her talk about her philosophy on youtube. And no wonder the TSO seemed to respond to her. The Mahler 5 is a great test for any orchestra. Not only does it include challenging passages for every section as well as solos for trumpet, horn, timpani, (just to name a few), but to make it work the ensemble must respond to the leader. While the shortest movement is the most famous, there’s wonderful music in all five movements. We began very deliberately in a first movement that felt epic and fearless, the drama unfolding gradually and on a massive scale. Although the tempo suggested an earlier generation of conductors, the pace was wonderfully flexible, amenable to instant organic changes. I read in her bio that Chang has led her own orchestra in Mahler symphonies, suggesting that she loves this music, and I’d present the performance as exhibit “A”, considering the intensity throughout. When we come to the third movement it’s as though we’ve suddenly burst through the clouds into bright sunlight, in pastoral evocations from the winds. But everything is bigger, a little more complex. The inner voices going back and forth were genuinely dialoguing, not so boisterous that anyone was drowned out or ignored. We came to the famous Adagietto, the movement that sometimes gets turned into overwrought melodrama, sometimes played much too loudly: but not this time. It’s a kind of oasis, the eye in the storm if you will, surrounded by massive complexity & big powerful statements. In this soft movement, you gain nothing by bluster, other than to turn the piece into self-parody. Chang gave us a very understated reading, perhaps mindful of the movement’s purpose within the symphony, as opposed to its frequent function, as a favourite melody that provokes nods of recognition. And then a finale to match the rest, the electricity still crackling almost an hour into the piece. Here is where you sink or swim, saved or damned by your leader. Chang clearly has a very strong picture of the movement, bringing out the important thematic statements, while getting the massive contrapuntal passages in the strings uttered with wonderful clarity. The tension built gradually to a climax matching the dignity & gravitas of the opening, every bit as noble. The concert repeats Thursday October 4th at Roy Thomson Hall. Go hear it if at all possible, you won’t regret it.” - Leslie Barcza, barczablog 4 October 2018

“Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera, TSO, has a new chief conductor, but Korean Han-Na Chang is by no means a new acquaintance for the orchestra. She has been the first guest conductor since 2013, and on Thursday night she used the season opener in Trondheim to strike with Mahler's gigantic Second Symphony… Interpreting this music is a technical ordeal for an orchestra, but if TSO plays as they did on Thursday, it is a little strange that not one of Norway's two official national orchestras is located in Trondheim. The orchestra's new chief conductor / artistic leader Chang is one absolutely fabulous musician. She was a prodigy as a cellist, and these skills she has learned to translate into handling the baton. One thing is to master the innumerable throws between tempo and expression in the symphony. Another thing is to have her artistic vision. Chang has a sound treatment with the orchestra that makes them play in a way I did not know they were capable of, and this is especially true of the subtle sounds that bordered on the inaudible. Or, what about the second movement's Ländler (an Austrian dance in three beats), which she plays with a playful elegance and lightness that could put her on the podium at the Musikverein in Vienna on the first New Year's Day. She lets the musicians themselves take great responsibility where appropriate, and several musicians appear not only as competent orchestra members, but as independent soloists with their own musical will. At the same time, she holds a firm grip on the musicians to draw them into her reading of Mahler's drama.” - Magnus Andersson, Klassekampe, 4 September 2017

“In a laudatory review of Han-Na Chang's Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64, with the Oslo Philharmonic earlier this year, critic Lars O. Fyldal called her "one of this generation's most exciting conductors." Having heard her interpretation of the Fifth with the St. Louis Symphony this past Friday, November 5, I'm inclined to agree. Like the symphonies that bracket it, the Fifth deals with the composer's obsession with fate and his attempt to find happiness despite his depression and the stress of being gay in Czarist Russia. It's less structurally coherent than the sixth or (especially) the fourth symphonies, but its triumphant final pages have a power that can't be denied. Under Ms. Chang's baton, this familiar music came to vibrant and electrifying life. Ms. Chang, who made her SLSO debut this weekend, seems to be particularly fond of the Fifth, having often performed it in the past. She conducted without a score and had clearly internalized the music so thoroughly that she was able to bring out nuances that I hadn't heard before, starting with the opening andante statement of the "fate" motif on the clarinets, played with great sensitivity by Scott Andrews and Tina Ward. Ms. Chang had held the opening downbeat for a moment or two in order for the audience to settle in and become almost completely silent, so the melody began in a slow, reverential hush. When the allegro con anima of the movement kicked in, the marked contrast generated real excitement. In fact, "real excitement" effectively describes the entire performance. Ms. Chang knows how to build Tchaikovsky's big climaxes effectively, making them feel more inevitable and less episodic than they sometimes do. She also allowed some of the more lyrical moments to really "breathe" -- the second subject of the first movement was a good example -- which heightened the sense of drama overall. Her second movement, with the famous horn solo gracefully rendered by Thomas Jöstlein, was expertly paced. The third movement waltz was beautifully fluid. And the allegro vivace of the final movement dashed along with exhilarating speed. Tchaikovsky concludes the movement by playing "can you top this" with himself multiple times, but Ms. Chang made each big moment feel both necessary and inexorable. The standing ovation that followed the final chords was immediate and entirely justified. [in Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmilla Overture] Ms. Chang's tempo was snappy and the orchestra's playing was clear and precise all the way through, with Shannon Wood doing the honors on the tympani. Here, as in the rest of the program, Ms. Chang's podium style was fascinating to watch, combining big gestures with precisely executed individual cues and a very neat and eloquent use of the baton. It's always fascinating to see new performers on the Powell Hall stage and watch how the audience responds to them. If the warm response at Friday night's concert is any indication, we have not seen the last of Ms. Chang here. I certainly look forward to her return.” - KDHX St. Louis, November 2016

“The quite sensational interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony [with Royal Stockholm Philharmonic] proved that she’s not any ordinary conductor… Here Chang once more brought across the story through brave transitions and brisk tempi…Brava, maestra!” - Johanna Paulsson, Dagens Nyheter, 15 April 2016

“…with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 5 in E minor. The clarinet introduction was very drawn-out, yet the burnished, brooding lower strings provided just enough momentum. The following march had a feeling of inevitability, rising to a violent climax. Throughout the movement, conductor Han-Na Chang balanced the flowing and lyrical with the dramatic and tempestuous very nicely. The Oslo Concert House is not a forgiving house in terms of acoustics, with strings often sounding like they are playing inside a tin can, and the brass overpowering everyone. Yet during this performance, the strings transcended the acoustic, playing with a wonderfully juicy sound, a rarity in this hall. In the second movement, the strings provided excellent accompaniment for the opening horn solo, played with a deliciously golden sound. Chang stepped back for the third movement, only occasionally making small gestures, leaving the orchestra to themselves, letting the graceful waltz unfurl with a weighty lightness… [Oslo Philharmonic] played with remarkable homogeneity, especially in the fourth movement, despite some rather ferocious tempi… an energetic and surprisingly beautiful performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth... Thursday was Han-Na Chang’s first conducting appointment in Oslo and I certainly hope it won’t be her last.” - Aksel Tollåli, Bachtrack, 25 January 2016

“With the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, she found the spiritual depth of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. At 33-year-old, Han-Na Chang is simply one of her generation's most exciting conductors. She shaped Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in a way that gave new insight into one of the most regularly performed orchestral works. She dared to make unexpected choices related to the form of the work, but everything still fitted in very clearly with the meticulously shaped whole." - Lars O. Flydal, Vårtland, 27 January 2016

“The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has performed Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" many times since 1929, when Fritz Reiner led its Cincinnati premiere. Under guest conductor Han-Na Chang's leadership on Friday morning, the orchestra's performance was as fresh and exciting as one could wish for. Even though it was her Cincinnati Symphony conducting debut, this was not Chang's first appearance with the CSO. Chang, 32, performed and toured with the orchestra in 2001, then as a prodigy cellist. So it was intriguing to witness her gifts again, this time as a rising star conductor. Chang, who studied with the legendary maestro James DePreist, has a clear and dynamic style on the podium. Leading "Pictures at an Exhibition" without a score, she vividly conveyed the mood and character of each painting, yet never lost the arc of the entire work. "Gnomus" was attacked with a fierceness that was only matched by the driving power of "The Little Hut on Chicken's Legs" – home of the witch Baba Yaga of Russian fairy tales. "Bydlo," which describes a Polish ox cart, can drag in some performances. Chang's momentum made it a sweeping canvas. Every portrait was a discovery. I'm not sure how she achieved the mysterious tone color of "Catacombs," an echo effect of deep brass chords. "The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks" was precise and joyful, with peeps and chirps I've never heard before. "The Great Gate of Kiev" was a stunning summation. Here, Chang did not push ahead, but held back the tempo, taking full advantage of the splendor of the brass in Music Hall's magnificent space. Best of all, her leadership allowed orchestral soloists to shine, starting with the masterful trumpet solo by Matthew Ernst in the first "Promenade." The haunting portrait "Il Vecchio Castello" (The Old Castle) was colored by alto saxophone (James Bunte).” - Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 February 2015

“the Qatar Philharmonic's debut Prom with its high-powered Korean music director, cellist-turned-conductor Han-Na Chang…the concert gave every indication that theirs was something of a winning combination. Founded in 2007, the QPO came over as being, above all, an orchestra of enthusiasts, communicating tangible pleasure in what they do. Chang, a diminutive, dynamic firebrand, struck everyone as a natural choice for such an ensemble. If ever a Prom could be described as thrill-a-minute stuff, this was it. The ferocious drive was still present in the hair-raising first movement allegro and the elated finale. But there was also a beautiful, honeyed introspection in the andante, and real finesse and detail in the waltz. It was a hugely enjoyable Prom.” -Tim Ashley, the Guardian, 9 September 2014

“her conducting this afternoon was quite outstanding. Her style is often understated: small, precise beats and cues, much of it led from the wrist rather than the shoulder, with glowing beams of encouragement to her players. Her gestures grew more expansive in the Tchaikovsky [Symphony 5], where tempo choices, shaping of phrases and application of rubato showed imagination. After a darkly lugubrious opening on clarinets, the Allegro con anima found Chang whipping up a maelstrom in the brass and timpani. The Andante cantabile was characterized by a gorgeously played horn solo. Brass often tended towards the excitable and raucous – there was no lack of passion in this exhilarating interpretation.” - Mark Pullinger, Bachtrack, 8 September 2014