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Joan
Kwuon
July
31, 2008
American violinist
Joan Kwuon has been hailed by critics for her “impassioned
and poised” playing, exhilarating technique and “pure
and vibrant” tone and by the public for her the rare ability
to captivate an audience from the moment she takes the stage.
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.
At the invitation
of Sir André Previn, Joan Kwuon made her solo debut at
the Tanglewood Music Festival performing the Brahms Violin Concerto,
where The Boston Globe deemed her ”a fiery player with a
commanding technique” . She has since appeared with numerous
international orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
London Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, NHK
Symphony of Tokyo, Moscow State Symphony, Bulgarian National
Orchestra, State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, Jyvaskyla Sinfonia
of Finland, Orchestra Europa, Louisiana Philharmonic and the
Sejong Soloists working with conductors Charles Dutoit, André
Previn, Matthias Bamert, Thierry Fischer, Heinz Wallberg, Sergei
Kondrashev, Nayden Todorov and Enrique Batiz.
Highlights of
Joan Kwuon’s upcoming engagements include appearances with
the Seattle Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Amarillo Symphony
and a U.S tour with the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico. Joined
by André Previn at the piano, Joan Kwuon performs next
season in Recital at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and the
Metropolitan Museum in New York. Additionally, her new solo recording
with pianist Reiko Uchida, featuring the Previn and Strauss Violin
Sonatas, Mozart’s Adagio and Rondo, and Tchaikovsky’s
Mélodie, will be released in 2007-08.
Of her recent
Metropolitan Museum of Art recital debut, Strings Magazine lauded
Ms. Kwuon’s “passion,” “purity” and
“intensity.” A highly sought after recitalist, Ms.
Kwuon has appeared in St. Petersburg, Prague, Paris, Seoul, Tokyo
and at venues in the United States including Lincoln Center,
Krannert Center, Carver Center, Cummer Gallery of Art, College
of Wooster, Universities of George Mason, Rockefeller and Georgia.
Enjoying a number
of interesting collaborations, Ms. Kwuon has performed with the
Juilliard String Quartet, Vladimir Feltsman, Jaime Laredo, Sharon
Robinson, Bright Sheng and in duet with Tony Bennett at Jazz
at Lincoln Center and Tanglewood. With Sidney Weiss, former concertmaster
of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she premiered Luciano Berio’s
Duetti in the United States. Born and raised in Los Angeles,
Joan Kwuon first appeared with orchestra at age twelve, performing
the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the World Youth Symphony
Orchestra. She holds advanced music degrees from Indiana University,
The Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music and
is a member of The Juilliard School Assistant Faculty.
Joan Kwuon plays
the “Mary Portman” Guarneri del Gesu, 1735, on generous
extended loan from Karen and Clement Arrison through The Stradivari
Society of Chicago. |
