Ruge Chang is a multi-award-winning composer who focuses on music for film, animation, and games. Her work has been featured in festivals including the Beijing International Film Festival, Athens Music Hall, Ischia Global Film & Music Festival, Canada China International Film Festival, ISFVF, TapTap Annual Best Game Awards, and the Hong Kong Contemporary Design Awards.
She started writing music at 13—mostly by instinct at first, then later studied formally at a music high school. With a solid foundation in theory and composition, she went on to study at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music under Dr. Xinyu Wang. While she was still in school, she scored her first documentary film directed by Xiaoyi Ma, which has brought her deep interest in film music.
Later, she moved to the U.S. and earned her master’s degree in media composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Professor Lennie Moore. During that time, she wrote for live orchestras, worked on game audio, and became more hands-on with sound and storytelling.
Since graduating, she’s collaborated with directors from China Mainland and HongKong, US, UK and since 2024, she has been doing video composing & audio editing full-time. Her music is often described as emotional, cinematic, and rich in narrative. She especially enjoys blending orchestral writing with East Asian or Central Asian elements.
Outside of composing, she plays the dombra—a traditional Kazakh instrument with a warm, earthy sound. It’s often her favorite secret weapon when scoring scenes that call for freedom, memory, or something a little epic.
She has work studios both in China (Hangzhou and Jining) and the US (San Francisco) and has been travelling between the two countries.
Ruge is experienced working remotely while maintaining high efficiency. She stays in sync with her clients through regular video meetings and phone calls, allowing for collaboration and adjustments based on the director’s notes.
Contact her for collaborations, or just for connecting! ;)
