Melody Chang is a highly skilled musician, teacher, and active member of the Pasadena branch of the Music Teachers' Association of California. Ms. Chang completed her Master's and Bachelor’s Degrees in Violin Performance at the University of Southern California and the Cleveland Institute of Music, respectively. She currently performs as Principal Second Violin in the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, is on the board of the MTAC Pasadena Branch as a Director and serves as String’s Chair for the branch, subs regularly with the Pasadena Orchestra, and teaches from in her home studio in San Gabriel.

Ms. Chang started playing the violin at the age of four under the tutelage of her mother, Diana Chang. Over the years, she continued her lessons with such world-renowned teachers as Maestro Ruggiero Ricci, Linda Cerone, Stephen Rose, and Suli Xue. While pursuing her training, she earned first prize in various music competitions, including the 2013 Third Hong Kong International Violin Competition, the Music Teachers' Association of California VOCE competition, and the John Walker Competition. She was graciously awarded the Eudice Shapiro Violin Scholarship, the Titi Najera de Mason Memorial Endowed Music Scholarship, and the Jascha Heifetz Society Scholarship.

An active performer, Ms. Chang has appeared as a soloist in orchestras across Southern California, Ohio, and Europe, including the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the La Mirada Symphony Orchestra, the Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra, and the Upper Austria Youth Symphony Orchestra. She was also a member of the Hausmann Quartet in residence at San Diego State University. She also taught violin and chamber music at Biola University for 7 years. Her media appearances include two episodes in the CBS soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful,” Nicki Minaj's music video “Grand Piano,” an advertisement for WWE with the wrestler Sting, and two Yahoo exclusives with the UK band Bastille.

Ms. Chang is very active in community musical outreach and has served as an adjudicator in many local panels, so it is no surprise that one of her deepest passions is teaching. “I love teaching the violin. It is extremely satisfying for me to see my students not only grow in their techniques, but also find their own voice within the instrument,” said Ms. Chang. She describes her teaching method as a “balance between honest encouragement and strict discipline,” and her ultimate goal is “to show my students the satisfaction and fun that they could have in learning a difficult instrument like the violin.”