Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Carolyn graduated with a master’s degree in Piano Performance from Miami University, Ohio under a full graduate assistantship in 2011. As the winner of the university’s Concerto Competition, she performed as a soloist with the Miami University Symphon Orchestra (MUSO). She is a life member of the national scholastic honour society of Pi Kappa Lambda in the USA. She also holds the LRSM and FTCL performance diplomas with distinction, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Newcastle, Australia. In 2015, she became the first Malaysian to be awarded the FRSM in piano performance with a distinction.
Having won awards and prizes locally and internationally, she has performed both as a soloist and a collaborative pianist in music festivals, recital and competitions in the USA, Austria, Taiwan, Korea, Macau, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. As a recitalist, she has given numerous solo performances including regular appearances at the KL Piano Gala. She performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) during their 2011 East Malaysian Tour to Sabah and Sarawak. Carolyn has been featured as a concerto soloist with the Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) and twice with the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO). In 2018, she was invited to perform chamber works at the Johor Bahru Classical Music Festival. A year later, she made her debut solo performances at the Musikverein, Vienna and Carnegie Hall, New York in September and November respectively.
Carolyn is frequently invited to conduct masterclasses locally and abroad. She is currently an adjunct lecturer at the Institute of Music, UCSI University and has a private piano studio in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, where she enjoys working with students of a wide range of ages and levels. She works closely with piano teachers and has conducted teachers’ training workshops and seminars. Over the years, her students have won numerous prizes in piano competitions locally as well as overseas. Some have obtained full scholarships to further their post-graduate studies abroad.
Apart from teaching, she is also a well sought-after adjudicator. She has been invited to be part of the panel of jurors for numerous competitions locally including the Malaysian Piano Competition, Kota Kinabalu Music Festival as well as the Borneo Performing Arts Festival. She has also served as an adjudicator for competitions in Hong Kong and Macau.
In 2019, she was a presenter at the ABRSM Music Teachers Conference in Kuala Lumpur. She is currently a graded examiner for ABRSM.
Apart from music, Carolyn enjoys travelling, baking and cooking.