Noteworthy

Acclaimed for her interpretive clarity, versatility, and deeply human approach to music-making, Carolyn Kuan has built a career that bridges classical tradition, contemporary creation, and cultural dialogue. A Chinese American conductor with an international profile, she has led orchestras, opera companies, and ballet institutions around the world, and made history in 2011 as the first woman and first Asian American appointed Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Ahead of her appearance with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as part of Year of the Horse: A Lunar New Year Celebration, she reflects on music as balance, presence, and a way of moving through the world.

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We live in a chaotic world. More and more, people are seeking refuge in meditation, yoga, nature, and music. For me, music is part of that counterbalance—something that feels especially essential right now. In many ways, music is life, and life is music. I think of myself as a student of life, always learning, always trying to improve as a human being and as a musician. 

If I had to name a personal mantra, it might simply be OM—or perhaps now, now, now, now, now, now.

There have been countless moments when music has been profoundly affecting, but one that stays with me took place in a gym filled with fourth graders, many of them attending their very first orchestral concert. Their joy, awe, and completely unfiltered reactions were powerful and inspiring. That experience played a real role in my decision to become a conductor. 

What I love most about this craft is the possibility—however fleeting—of making someone’s life a little better.

Inspiration often comes from something very simple: just being. Like many people, I am trying to make sense of the world. As artists, we search for answers and explore whether we can make small differences through our work. When faced with artistic dilemmas, I try to approach them with compassion, joy, collaboration, and hopefully a sense of humour. Perspective matters. There are bigger problems in the universe.

I often think of music as guided meditation. Meditation encourages us to be fully present. When listening to music, you hear one note, then the next. If you are truly listening, you are entirely in the present moment. Music has the power to calm the mind and the nervous system. Perhaps that is why the most inspiring places I have visited are not cities or halls, but in nature.

Life itself remains my greatest artistic influence, and it is also what makes performances memorable in unexpected ways. After a performance, I don’t have a routine—life is full of surprises.

As a lover of new music, my favourite piece I have never performed is still being written. 

A book that changed my life is The Joy of Living. 

When I travel—or when I’m in the car—I listen to many different kinds of music. There was a period when I was doing virtual boxing to Lady Gaga and Katy Perry alongside classical music. More recently, I’ve been listening to symphonic rock, the Japanese guitar duo Ichimujin, and the Belgian singer and rapper Stromae. It’s especially fun when artists borrow from classical music. 

If I had to sum it all up, the one word that best describes my music—and perhaps my outlook—would simply be life.

See Carolyn Kuan with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra:

Year of the Horse: A Lunar New Year Celebration
Feb 28, 2026
Roy Thomson Hall

Discover where music and life intersect in Intermezzo as we bring you closer to the artists who shape the TSO experience. Keep an eye out for more of these insightful conversations.