Born in New York City, Kenneth Jean grew up in Hong Kong and returned to the United States in 1967. After violin studies at San Francisco State University, he entered the Julliard School at the age of nineteen and was accepted into the conducting class of Jean Morel. The following year he made his Carnegie Hall début with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of New York and was immediately engaged as the orchestra’s music director.

In 1984 Jean won the prestigious Leopold Stokowski Conducting Aware. For two seasons, Kenneth Jean was conducting assistant of the Cleveland Orchestra. From 1979 until 1985, he served as resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In 1990, he was one of two recipients of the prestigious Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductor Award, which is given biannually to exceptional American conductors.

Jean was the music director of the Florida Symphony Orchestra (1986–1992), associate conductor of the Chicago Symphony (1986–1993), principal guest conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic (1984–1993) and music director of the Tulsa Philharmonic (1997–2001).

Jean recorded a number of works by Chinese composers, and among them, the album Colourful Clouds achieved bestseller status when it was first released in 1982. With Japanese violinist Takako Nishizaki he recorded the violin concertos of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Jean also recorded works by Da Falla, Ravel, Brahms, Massenet and Berlioz.