An active soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, violinist Ignace (Iggy) Jang is the concertmaster of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, faculty member of the Music Department at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and Punahou Music School.
Jang has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia in concert halls such as the Bunkamura Hall in Tokyo, Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, the Seoul Arts Center and the Sejong Cultural Arts Center, playing before the First Lady of Korea. Solo appearances include the Honolulu Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the Versailles Chamber Orchestra, and L’Orchestre Provence Alpes Cote d’ Azur in France. As a chamber musician, he was invited among others to the Berlioz, Trieves and Chirens Festivals in his native France, the Jeju Isle Music Festival in Korea, and toured Brazil, China, Brazil, Turkey and England most recently. This past spring, Jang was a featured artist at the Music Teachers National Association national convention in Los Angeles, CA.
Jang is honored to have shared the spotlight with artists such as pianists Jon Nakamatsu, Jon Kimura Parker, Ralph Votapek, violinists Hilary Hahn, Chee-Yun, cellist Franz Helmerson and ukulele extraordinaire Jake Shimabukuro.
Since 2011, Jang is the String Program Director of the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, a two-week music camp for talented students, offering performing opportunities and various activities taught by renowned faculty and. The festival welcomes students from around the globe, in an idyllic environment conducive to higher learning.
Mr. Jang was a grand prize winner at the Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition, held in Italy, where he was also the recipient of the Jury’s Special Prize for outstanding musical personality. Jang also won prizes at the Lion’s Club of France Violin Competition and the Eastern Music Festival. He received the early part of his training from Professor Flora Elphege, before entering the Premier Prix as the youngest laureate of that year. Various grants from the Franco-American Commission and the French Ministry of the 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. He later discovered musical genres outside the classical realm and became appreciative of the array of emotions they conveyed. The music of the Americas, ranging from the sixties pop tunes of Detroit to the Argentinean tangos of Piazzolla is of special interest to him. In his playing, he strives to express a similar spectrum of feelings while unfolding a unique color and depth of sound for which he has seen praise in the American, European and Korean Press.
