As an active clarinetist and enthusiastic educator, Dr. Qin is established with a diverse repertoire from the Classical period to the Twenty-first century, especially with a strong interest in performing contemporary music. She has performed and given lectures in many cities all over the world. Dr. Qin holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, and a Bachelor of Arts in Clarinet Performance from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. She has studied under the guidance of renowned mentors, including Ayako Oshima, Charles Neidich, and Fan Lei.

Dr. Qin is award-winning in both academic and performance professions. She was the recipient of the 2024 Regents’ Honor Award, which is the most prestigious award the University of Hartford bestows on graduate students. On St. Patrick’s Day 2024, she delivered her solo debut at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City. She was the winner of the 2023 “Golden Classical Music Awards” International Competition, the 2023 Charleston International Contemporary Music Competition, and the 2023 Student Experience Essay Contest at the University of Hartford. Additionally, she was a finalist in the 2023 International Clarinet Association Research Competition in Denver, where she presented a lecture recital on “The Evolution of Elliott Carter’s Compositional Approach and Style of Late Clarinet Music.” Dr. Qin also received Graduate Student Travel Grants from the University of Hartford (2023) and Travel Grants from the International Clarinet Association’s 2023 Clarinet Fest.

With a passion for advocating new music, she was the principal clarinetist of Foot In The Door Contemporary Ensemble at The Hartt School from 2018-2023. She participated in the recording of the album “Equinox” released by Naxos in April 2023 and the album “Heavy Weather” released by Naxos in February 2020. Other music collaborations include performances with clarinetist Ayako Oshima; bassoonist Marc Goldberg; violists Roberto Díaz and Su Zhen; pianists Lang Lang, Mohamed Shams, and Yujin Lee; violinists Chen Xi and Lü Siqing; vocalist Gilda Lyons; guitarist Thomas Schuttenhelm; Four Corners Ensemble; China Youth Orchestra; Hartt Orchestra and Hartt Wind Ensemble under Glen Adsit and Edward Cumming’s baton.

She was called for many music festivals and events in these years, including the 2023 International Clarinet Association Fest in Denver, Colorado; the Kitakaruizawa Music Seminar (2022, 2021, 2020) founded by Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima; the 2019 College Band Directors National Association National Conference in Tempe, Arizona; the International Clarinet Festival in Qingdao (2017, 2016); the first International Clarinet Music Week of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou in 2016; the 75th Anniversary Celebration Concert of Central Conservatory of Music at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, 2015; the third International Wind and Percussion Music Festival in Beijing in 2014; the World-Class Maestros Series at Central Conservatory of Music in 2014.

Since August 2024, Dr. Qin has been teaching music at Hartford Public Schools. In September 2024, she successfully won an audition to serve as a substitute clarinetist with the Norwalk Symphony. Dr. Qin also runs an international private music studio for students of all ages and backgrounds, offering lessons on clarinet, chamber music, and music theory in Hartford, Connecticut, and worldwide virtually.