Chang Han-na's mentor: 'She will give 110% — I'm cheering her on'

"Whatever she does, she gives 110 percent. I'm sure she will handle this new challenge just as well."

Teacher and student, conductor and performer — and now arts institution chief and musician. World-renowned cellist Mischa Maisky visited South Korea and spoke warmly about his former pupil Chang Han-na, who recently became the 18th president of Seoul Arts Center.

Their connection dates to 1992, when Maisky first saw a video of nine-year-old Chang playing the cello and invited her to his master class. The moment that set it all in motion was a chance encounter: Chang's father handed Maisky a tape of his daughter's playing at a signing event, and that small act gave rise to one of the most celebrated teacher-student relationships in Korean classical music history. In Seoul for the Classical Bridge International Music Festival, Maisky described Chang as "a truly gifted performer and a remarkably versatile person."

He was well aware that his former student had taken the helm of Seoul Arts Center — the country's foremost arts institution and the venue hosting this year's festival. "I think it will be a far more complex role than the music she has pursued until now," Maisky said, "but I believe she will do it well, and I want to send her my full support."

He also said he hoped she would keep performing. "She is a wonderful musician, and I would love for her to continue making music," he said.

Chang burst onto the international scene in 1994 when, at 12, she became the youngest winner of the Rostropovich International Cello Competition. She later transitioned from cellist to conductor. When Maisky visited South Korea in 2023, he shared a stage with conductor Chang — their first collaboration in 11 years. At the time, he told reporters: "Thirty years have passed, but the overwhelming impression I had when I first heard Chang Han-na play is still vivid. It made me believe in reincarnation. I felt an intensity in that little girl that I could not explain."

That day, Maisky expressed the same wish again. "Conductor Chang Han-na and cellist Mischa Maisky can certainly share a stage together, but she is such a magnificent cellist — I hope audiences will still get to hear her play the cello," he said. He added that he first came to South Korea roughly 40 years ago. "Every time I come, I look forward to it so much, and I always look forward to the next visit even more," he said.

The Classical Bridge International Music Festival is a project led by pianist Clara Min, who serves as artistic director and personally oversees programming, artist selection and performance. Now in its sixth edition, the festival launched in New York in 2018 and has since traveled through Bordeaux, Seoul and Paris. The name "Bridge" encapsulates everything the festival stands for.

This year's edition brings together 21 artists from around the world across seven concerts at Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall and Goyang Aram Nuri. The festival opens with Maisky's cello recital Thursday at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, followed by a chamber concert featuring Augustin Dumay, Edgar Moreau, Alissa Margulis and Clara Min on Friday and Saturday at Seoul Arts Center.

A piano recital by David Chen and Luca Sišić follows June 10 at Seoul Arts Center. The festival closes with Mikhail Pletnev and the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra on June 11 and June 12 at Lotte Concert Hall and Seoul Arts Center, with violinist Daniel Lozakovich and cellist Gautier Capuçon appearing as soloists — Capuçon on June 12 only.

"I may not look it on the outside, but inside I still feel completely young," Maisky said. "The advice I always give young performers is: stay young. My dream in life is to live long and die young."