Hannah Kwan

Hannah Kwan is a violinist and pianist who has been a rising presence in the musical life of the Kawarthas since moving to the region four years ago. Born in Oshawa, she began her studies with Deborah Henderson and continued with Mary Elizabeth Brown before finding a musical home in this area, where she has studied with Kristina Vowles and currently works with Samuel Choi, based in North York. She holds Royal Conservatory of Music Level 10 diplomas in both violin and piano.

Hannah joined the Senior Kawartha Youth Orchestra in 2022, where she also participated in several associated chamber groups. In 2024 she auditioned successfully for the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, with whom she continues to perform. Her competition record reflects a musician of considerable promise: she has competed in the Peterborough Kiwanis Music Festival each year since arriving in the region, earning the Founder Award and the Gemmel Award Scholarship most recently, and in 2023 placed third at the OMFA Level 10 Upper Strings Provincial Finals. She has since qualified for the CMC National Finals.

Alongside her performing life, Hannah serves as strings coach for the Intermediate Kawartha Youth Orchestra and has begun teaching violin and piano privately, already giving back to the community that has shaped her development. She is currently a student at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, where her interests outside music include badminton, reading, art, and photography.

For Hannah, chamber music occupies a particular place. She describes it as requiring an intense and interconnected understanding between players, and speaks of the unique feeling that comes from finding those points of genuine connection while playing music that leaves every voice exposed. It is exactly that quality of deep listening that she brings to her work with the Kawartha Chamber Music Collective.