Described as "evocative and kaleidoscopic” (Seattle Times) the music of composer Dorothy Chang often reflects the eclectic mix of musical influences from her youth, ranging from popular and folk music to elements of traditional Chinese music. Many of her works are inspired by place, time, memory, and personal histories.
Dorothy’s catalog includes more than 70 works for solo, chamber, and large ensembles as well as collaborations involving theatre, dance, and video. Her interest in cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration has led to projects including a radio play adaptation of Gertrude Stein’s White Wines for four vocalists and speaking percussionist, several mixed chamber ensemble works for Chinese and Western instruments, and most recently, a collaboration with choreographer Yukichi Hattori and four other composers in the large-scale True North Symphonic Ballet premiered in 2017 by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
Her music has been featured in concerts and festivals across North America and abroad, with performances by the Albany Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, as well as by chamber ensembles including eighth blackbird, the Nu:BC Collective, the Smith Quartet, Soundstreams, the Chicago Saxophone Quartet, Collage New Music, and Music from China, among others.
She has served on the music faculty at Indiana State University and since 2003 has been a professor of music at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Latest projects include a new double concerto for erhu (Chinese fiddle) and piano, which premiered in 2018 by the Piano-Erhu Project and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
At MacDowell, she completed, Embers, a work commissioned by Chamber Music America for the Ensemble Music from China. She also worked on a chamber concerto for percussionist Steve Houghton, to be premiered in November 2003.
