Joan Kwuon, Violin

2010: Second 3 Week Session

Faculty, Cleveland Institute of Music. Soloist with London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony of Tokyo.

Violinist, JOAN KWUON is praised by the New York Times for her “fiery, intensely musical and impassioned playing.”

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ms. Kwuon made her Tanglewood Music Festival debut with the Brahms Violin Concerto at the invitation of Sir André Previn.  Following this debut, she was presented in her New York debut in recital at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.  Ms. Kwuon’s virtuosity and radiant stage presence have been recognized by media ranging from The Today Show, CBS News and Lifetime Television to National Public Radio.

Highlights of Ms. Kwuon’s recent seasons include the United States tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.  Celebrating Mozart’s 250th birthday, she performed Mozart Violin Concerti conducted by Charles Dutoit and Matthias Bamert.  Ms. Kwuon was the featured soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and André Previn performing the Sibelius Concerto, and with Maestro Previn and the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall performing Mozart Concerto No. 3.  She also appeared with Orchestra Europa with conductor Nayden Todorov, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with Thierry Fischer, the Bulgarian National Academic Orchestra, the Jyväskylä Sinfonia of Finland with Patrick Gallois; the Moscow State Radio Symphony with Sergei Kondrashev;  the NHK Symphony Orchestra with Heinz Wallberg; the Busan Philharmonic; Louisiana Philharmonic and the International Sejong Soloists.

In February 2008, Joan Kwuon appeared in Sonata Recital with pianist André Previn at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.  In that same season, Joan Kwuon performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Mozart Concerto No. 1 with the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra.  Ms. Kwuon also performed the Brahms and Tchaikovsky Concerti with the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico and Music Director Enrique Batiz on their American tour in Sping 2008. 

Ms. Kwuon received advanced degrees from Indiana University, The Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music.  She has taught at The Juilliard School and has recently been appointed to The Cleveland Institute of Music Violin Faculty. Joan Kwuon is grateful to Elliott and Mona Golub for the generous loan of the 1734  ‘Spagnoletti’ Guarneri del Gesù.