Vivian Chang

Vivian Chang is delighted to join the San Diego Symphony Orchestra as a member of the cello section beginning June 2025.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in Portland, Oregon, Ms. Chang began piano lessons with her mother when she was four, later adding the cello at the age of eight. She went on to receive her formal musical training at the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Julia Lichten, Philippe Muller and Fred Sherry.

Vivian has performed with orchestras across the United States, including the Atlanta Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra and the New Haven Symphony. As an orchestral fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, she served as principal cellist and worked under the direction of Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas and other distinguished conductors. In 2022 she was principal cellist for the world premiere of Omar, the Pulitzer prize-winning opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, at Spoleto Festival USA.

In addition to her orchestral work, Vivian Chang is an avid chamber musician and enthusiastic traveler. She has performed internationally as a featured artist with Lincoln Center Stage, where she merged her love of music and exploration. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking and spending time in nature, and she looks forward to exploring the scenic beauty of San Diego.