A native of New Jersey, Virginia Kao is a dedicated orchestral and chamber musician and oboe teacher. She has enjoyed performing in traditional and contemporary ensembles around the country, including The Cleveland Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony, Haddonfield Symphony (now Symphony in C), Camerata Notturna, Symphony Parnassus, and the CIM New Music Ensemble. Virginia has performed as a soloist with Camerata Notturna as well as participated in the Kent Blossom, Domaine Forget, and Hidden Valley music festivals.
Virginia earned her Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Princeton University. Her major teachers include Jeffrey Rathbun, Russell deLuna, Mingjia Liu, Christopher Gaudi, and Louis Rosenblatt.
Between her undergraduate and graduate studies, Virginia worked as an intellectual property paralegal at law firms and Fortune 100 companies in New York City for over a decade. She is excited and grateful to follow her passion in music. When not making reeds, Virginia enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband and two dogs.
