Jaewon Ahn was born in Korea where she pursued her passion for music since the age of nine. She has won several competitions, among them, the prestigious Strad competition and was a member of the Cheon-An Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2004, she moved to Calgary, Canada and began her studies with John Kadz at the Mount Royal Conservatory. A graduate of the Senior Academy program, Jaewon spent four years as a member of the Calgary Youth Orchestra where she was featured twice as a soloist. In Canada, she was successful in many competitions. Jaewon placed first in the national round of the Canadian Music Competition in 2010 (Strings 18 and under) and placed first for four consecutive years in the provincial round of the Kiwanis Music Festival. Her Senior Academy chamber group was chosen to perform in the “Stars of the Festival” gala concert after winning first place in the Provincial National Chamber Class.
She was selected to participate in Morningside Music Bridge four times; a program that has taken her to China and Poland to work with distinguished musicians from around the world. While attending Morningside Music Bridge, her chamber group won second and third place two years in a row. Jaewon was selected to perform on national television with Finger Eleven at the Juno Awards 2008 and was featured in the Canada’s Rising Star Concert series. In 2009, she was the recipient of the Barbara Wanner Scholarship.
During July 2010, she participated in the Banff International Music Festival and worked with many of the leading artists around the globe for three weeks. She also had the privilege to perform at a TEDxSMU, an award-winning non-profit conference focused on sharing ideas of technology, entertainment, and design. Jaewon graduated in May 2012 with the Performance Diploma at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts and studies under the tutelage of renowned cellist Andres Diaz.