A native of New Jersey, Virginia Kao is a dedicated orchestral and chamber musician. She has enjoyed performing in traditional and contemporary ensembles around the country, such as the CIM New Music Ensemble, Haddonfield Symphony (now Symphony in C), Camerata Notturna, Symphony Parnassus, Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, Mozart and Friends Opera Festival, and the Viva Vivaldi All Girls Orchestra. She has performed as a soloist with Camerata Notturna as well as participated in the Kent Blossom, Domaine Forget, and Hidden Valley music festivals.

Virginia is currently pursuing a Professional Studies Diploma in oboe performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Jeffrey Rathbun, Assistant Principal Oboe of The Cleveland Orchestra. Virginia earned her Artist Diploma from CIM, Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Princeton University. Her major teachers include Russell deLuna, Mingjia Liu, Christopher Gaudi, and Louis Rosenblatt.

Between her undergraduate and graduate studies, Virginia worked as an intellectual property paralegal at law firms and Fortune 100 companies in New York City for over a decade. When not making reeds, Virginia enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband and two dogs.