At age 11, Kang began to study at the Curtis Institute of Music on a full scholarship and, at 17, graduated with a Bachelor in Music. She graduated high school at age 15, and was selected as an All American Scholar, one of the top academically gifted students in America, as well as being nominated for the U.S. National Mathematics Award (USNMA). At age 19, she was given a Lily Foldes Scholarship from the Juilliard School, and graduated with a master's degree. She became the first recipient of the Artist Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music. Kang was awarded the 1689 "Baumgartner" Stradivarius, on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts in 1997, 2006 and 2009, and, In 2003, she was awarded the loan of a 1747 Palmason Januarius Gagliano violin. In 2005, she received the Sylva Gelber Foundation Award from the Canada Council for the most talented musician under 30.