Jerry Chang, 15, lives in St Louis, Missouri, is a 9th grader at the John Burroughs School. He started studying piano at age four, and currently studies with Ms. Zena Ilyashov and Dr. Sasha Starcevich.
Jerry has received top prizes in many piano competitions, recent accomplishments including 1st prize of Young Artist I category and Grand Prize finalist of Chicago International Music Competition in 2020, 1st prize of Chopin International Piano Competition at Hartford Young Talents category in 2021, 2nd prize at the Kaufman Youth International Piano Competition Junior II division in 2022, Winner of MTNA Missouri State Piano Competition Senior Division, and Alternate of West-Central Division (8 states) in 2022. He was selected as one of the seven semi-finalists for the 2023 Yamaha USASU International Junior Piano Competition. He was chosen as a full scholarship recipient by the Chopin Foundation of the United States 2022-23, and also named a 2023 National YoungArts Winner in the Classic Music category.
Jerry has performed with multiple orchestras and appeared on local and national radio programs, including St. Louis Classic 107.3, St. Louis Public Radio, WXQR New York Classic Radio Station, NPR’s From the Top and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. Jerry has taken master classes from renowned musicians and attended selective summer music camps and festivals in the past several years.
Outside of concert halls, Jerry enjoys spreading the joy of music with the community and frequently volunteers for culture festivals and local ensembles. He leads his high school’s Culture Performance Club and is the co-founder of the school’s podcast. In addition to his music pursuit, he plays competitive soccer and tennis, enjoys studying history, and explores the art of cooking.
