Korean-American violinist Sarah Chang may be an international star who performs more than 100 concerts a year, but she would still rather camp out in her brother's dorm room than opt for a fancy hotel.
There are surprisingly no airs about the chatty 29-year-old, who has performed with some of the world's top orchestras since her debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of eight.
On Friday, she will be playing with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra at the Esplanade.
On the telephone from her Philadelphia home, girlish laughter rings out as she talks about being ready to shop till she drops once she reaches the Lion City.
However, she bemoans the fact that she will have only 21/2 days to spend here before going on to engagements in Bangkok.
'I'm really looking forward to the concerts but I also want to hit the shops. I so love the shopping in Singapore,' she says.
Her travelling schedule has always been hectic, so much so that her younger brother Michael used to think that she worked at the airport.
'He was much younger then, of course,' she says, voice full of affection as she talks about the 22-year-old who is attending Princeton University. She rarely gets to spend time with him these days.
In October 2006, she played Brahm's violin concerto at his university and opted to sleep in his dorm room rather than travel out of the campus to the hotel booked for her.
In return, her brother dragged every member of his football team to her performance regardless of their protestations. For many it was their first classical music concert.
A graduate of famed New York arts school Juilliard, Chang took up the bow around the age of four and at nine years old, was hailed by no less an icon than the late violinist Yehudi Menuhin as 'the most wonderful, the most perfect, the most ideal violinist I have ever heard'.
Since then, she has collaborated with notable music makers such as Yo-Yo Ma and the late Isaac Stern and played in many of the world's capitals, with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra.
She expects to make another cherished memory with Friday's performance at the Esplanade, where she will perform Bruch's Concerto No. 1, a piece that she recorded last year for her latest CD (Bruch Brahms Violin Concertos, EMI Classics, 2009).
'I have a very special place in my heart for that piece because it was my audition piece for Juilliard,' she says. 'It's basically the piece that got me to the school I wanted to go to.'
1 How did you get started on the violin?
My parents put me on the piano when I was 31/2 but I wanted a smaller instrument, one I could carry around. My father played the violin and so I asked for one.
I didn't start learning the violin with the goal to be a soloist. I had a very enthusiastic mother who had me doing things such as swimming lessons and horseback riding, so the violin was just one more activity. Then it started taking up more time.
2 Which musicians do you most admire?
My favourite violinist of all time is David Oistrakh. I never got to meet him, he died before I was born, but I love his recordings.
Then there is Yo-Yo Ma, Martha Argerich and the late Isaac Stern. Being a great musician is not just about playing. I admire people who are wonderful performers but who are also people who get along with other musicians.
Stern was a huge influence on my life. He kept an eye out for me until he passed away. He would come to all my concerts. It wasn't just me he did this for, it was a lot of students. Seeing how he had an avid interest in the next generation of musicians made a huge impression on me.
3 What would be your advice for young musicians?
Concentrate on school, start your career when you can give it 100 per cent of your energy. Balancing both school and career was a lot of work for me. Music does take over your life.
4 Do you regret not having had a normal school life?
No, I don't. It was my version of normal. I went to high school in the days before e-mail and finished school and college by faxing assignments in because I had to be away for concerts, but to me, that was normal.
I also had and still have great managers, as well as my parents, looking out for me. They weren't looking to exploit the new child prodigy, they were looking to mould a long-term career.
So I went to school but did a handful of important things for my musical career such as performing with the New York Philharmonic.
5 How do you relax?
I sleep. I'm so lacking in sleep these days. I'm never in a particular time zone long enough for my body to adjust, so whenever I can, I love to sleep.
I'm really the same as anybody else. I love going out to dinner, dancing and going to movies. I watch many in-flight while travelling but with some movies, I do make an effort to watch them in cinemas. Like Avatar, you just have to watch it in a cinema.
I also love shopping. I love shopping in Singapore.
6 Why?
The shopping is amazing! I love the shoes and the lovely dresses. Home is Philadelphia and I grew up in a cold climate, so I love the light dresses you can wear in the tropics.
7 If your life had a soundtrack, who would be the composer?
Brahms with a bit of Shostakovich thrown in. There is a lot of drama and temperament in Shostakovich, while Brahms is more beautiful and has peace and maturity. I love Brahms but my life is a bit too hectic just for his music.
8 Complete this sentence: If I could live my life all over again...
I wouldn't do anything differently. I'm very, very grateful for the career that I have and also grateful that I started out so early. Because of that, I am in a place where I'm very comfortable. I have a clear idea of what I want and I'm fortunate to be able to choose the projects I can work on.
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This article was first published in The Sunday Times.
