“As a young girl growing up in her native Taiwan, Carolyn Kuan never really imagined she’d one day become a conductor, let alone that she’d be leading one of this region’s largest symphony orchestras,” the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, writes Cara Rosner in the September issue of Connecticut Voice. “She also never thought she’d be in a loving, committed relationship with a woman. ‘I didn’t know I was queer at all. Being Asian, you don’t even realize the possibility. It’s not in the culture, it’s not on TV,’ she says…. Kuan, who is 42, had her first girlfriend in college but didn’t fully come out as queer until much more recently…. She grew up in Taipei, Taiwan…. When Taiwanese leaders began discussing legalizing same-sex marriage…. ‘That’s when I decided, “I need to come out,” ’she says… Growing up, and even into adulthood, she figured she’d be an investment banker, or have some similar career…. But she double-majored in economics and music in college, and life took her on a different path…. ‘I feel very strongly about telling people not only that I’m queer but that I am an immigrant and I’m proud of it. I believe diversity is important. We are an important part of society.’ ”
Posted September 20, 2019
In photo: Hartford Symphony Orchestra Music Director Carolyn Kuan conducts a concert at Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center during the HSO’s annual Talcott Mountain Music Festival, July 19, 2019. Photo by Stan Godlewski
