Ling Kwan
Ms. Kwan was born in China into a musical family. Her musical training started at age five on the piano with her father, and it laid down a solid foundation for her cello study, which began four years later. She attended the Academy for Performing Arts in Hong Kong, where she majored in cello performance and was active as both a chamber musician and orchestral player. As a member of various groups, she performed in China, United States and Europe. Ms. Kwan came to the United States in 1990 to study at Bard College, with the intention of majoring in economics. However, the surprising opportunity of studying cello with Professor Luis Garcia Renart, who had worked with masters such as Pablo Casals and Mstislav Rostropovich, drew her back into the music world. As a student at Bard, she was twice invited to perform as a soloist at the Bard Commencement concerts with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and the American Symphony. After earning a BA from Bard, she went on to study at Ithaca College, where she completed her master’s degree in performance.
Upon returning to the Hudson Valley, Ms. Kwan devoted herself to passing her knowledge to the next generation of young cellists in the area and has since built up a successful private teaching studio. She has also worked as an adjunct professor at Bard College, Dutchess Community College, Ulster Community College and Marist College. It also has been her pride and joy to work with the children at Mountain Laurel Waldorf School for the past 14 years. Ms. Kwan has been the principal cellist of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra since her graduation and has performed with the orchestra as a soloist on various occasions.
