Dr. Long Long Kang began his musical education at an early age in his native country of Taiwan, beginning piano studies at the age of four, and violin studies at the age of five. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from National Taiwan Normal University, where he majored in violin performance and music education, with a minor in piano performance. Dr. Kang also earned a Master’s degree from the Mannes School of Music in New York City, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Memphis, majored in violin performance, with a minor in viola performance.

Dr. Kang is currently a member of the first violin section of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. In the past, he has also been a member of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Rockefeller Quartet in Little Rock, AR, during the 2005~2006 season. In addition, he has performed with numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles in Europe, Asia, and the United States, including performances at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City. Dr. Kang has won many awards and scholarships, including prizes at the Taipei City Violin Competition (Gold Medal) and Taiwan National Violin Competition, a Yamaha Academic Scholarship, a graduate assistantship at the University of Memphis, and was the winner of the concerto competition at the University of Memphis in 2007.

In addition to performing, Dr. Kang is a registered Suzuki instructor and has been actively teaching since 1996. He was a teaching assistant at the Mannes School of Music and a violin instructor at the University of Memphis, Harding University, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Community School, and the Arkansas School for the Blind. In the summer of 2008, he taught violin and chamber music at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Michigan. He also taught at the Shelby County Schools Fine Arts Camp, the Faulkner Chamber Music Festival in Little Rock, AR, and the Memphis Music Camp. Dr. Kang was an orchestra director in Shelby County Schools from 2008 to 2014. Currently, he is the Director of Orchestras for the Germantown Municipal School District.

History

The Memphis Youth Symphony Program (MYSP) was formed by Maestro Vincent de Frank in 1966 under the umbrella of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. In March 2006, MYSP legally separated from the Memphis Symphony and reorganized as a separate and distinct nonprofit organization. MYSP provides and augments education in classical music for talented young musicians of the Mid-South, including ensemble participation, rehearsal, and performance. The program engages about 200 children annually, ages 7-19 years, from the tri-state area. All students (public, private, rural, faith-based, and home schooled) are invited to audition. The result is a diverse mix of students that reflects the community's culture and complexion.

Mission

The Memphis Youth Symphony Program celebrates musical development in a fun, inclusive, and collaborative community.

Vision

MYSP is recognized as one of the most inclusive year-round creative youth development programs in the Mid-South. MYSP instills life-long values of discipline, teamwork, creative problem solving, and musical appreciation in students from all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

Commitment

The Memphis Youth Symphony Program is committed to creating an organization that values diversity, equity, and inclusion by:

• Offering financial aid to any family with need. Cost should never be a barrier for those with talent and desire.

• Recruiting from all Mid-South communities.

• Embracing a variety of musical levels.