Kunjing Dai is a multifaceted violist and teacher. As a devoted orchestra and chamber musician, Kunjing has worked with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Joffrey Ballet, Colorado Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Her chamber collaborations include the Ying Quartet, the Garth Newel Piano Quartet, and others. In addition, Kunjing’s passion for contemporary music has led to performances with Hear and Now contemporary ensemble in Houston, the Ying Quartet and Jennifer Higdon at the Bowdoin Festival, and the TMC Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood.
At Northwestern University, Kunjing has taught non-major viola lessons, technique classes for viola majors, and the introductory music history class. She also teaches at Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Kunjing holds a Bachelor of Music in viola performance from the Juilliard School and a Master of Music from Rice University. She is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Bienen School of Music of Northwestern University, where she studies under the Eckstein Scholarship. Her mentors include Misha Amory, Hsin-Yun Huang, James Dunham, and Helen Callus.