We’re excited to announce the incredible artists selected for this year’s Emerging Artist Fellowship Program at Garth Newel Music Center!
On July 7th, 2025, eleven amazing string and piano artists from top conservatories and music programs across the country—and beyond—will make their way to Bath County. Over the course of four immersive weeks, they will study, perform, and grow as artists, working closely with the Garth Newel Piano Quartet and a world-class group of guest faculty.
Each fellow receives a full scholarship covering tuition, housing, and meals, allowing them to fully devote themselves to music-making in the inspiring setting of Bath County, Virginia.
Save the Date: Upcoming Public Events
Throughout the summer, our fellows will take part in master classes, community outreach, and collaborative performances, all of which are free and open to the public. We invite you to join us in celebrating their artistry.
- Master Class with Aaron Berofsky, violin – July 9, 4:30 PM
- Master Class with Astrid Schween, cello – July 10, 4:00 PM
- Concert – Kendal at Lexington – July 23, 7:00 PM
- Master Class with the Parker Quartet – July 24, 4:30 PM
- Concert – The Omni Homestead – July 26, 12:00 PM (pending final details)
- Concert – First Presbyterian Church, Covington – July 28, 7:00 PM
- Community Concert – Herter Hall, Garth Newel – August 1, 7:00 PM (click the link for program information)
The Fellows’ residency here will culminate in their final concert as part of Garth Newel’s Summer Season on August 3rd at 3pm. Program information and tickets are available here.
Are you ready to meet the 2025 fellows and learn more about the incredible talent joining us this season? Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram as we share more around our 11 shining artists in the coming weeks.
Stacey Minkyeong Chung – Cello
Stacey was born in Indiana but has spent most of her life in South Korea. She won the Korea Herald, Yewon, Chunchoo Music Magazine, Osaka International, and KCO competitions, and was invited to play in Carnegie Hall. She has performed with the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Academy Ensemble, and the Guri Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been principal cellist of the Interlochen ISO, AMIS (Association for Music in International Schools), and Kimea (Korea International Music Educators Association). She has also performed with renowned artists such as Jean Yves Thibaudet and Sumi Cho. Stacey has received masterclasses from Marcio Carneio, Peter Bruns, Joel Marosi, Tilmann Wick, Frans Helmerson, and the Takacs Quartet. She attended summer festivals at Meadowmount School of Music, Kneisel Hall, and Music Academy of the West. She studied at the Colburn Music Academy with Clive Greensmith and is currently an undergraduate at the Juilliard School studying with Astrid Schween.
Ami Matsushita - Cello
From Rye, NY, Ami is a sophomore at the University of Michigan where she studies with Amir Eldan. Ami was the recipient of the Gail Harrison Roman Scholarship from the Rye Arts Center. Ami held positions as Assistant Principal of New York
Youth Symphony and Norwalk Youth Symphony. Ami was invited to the Skidmore Chamber Music Festival, the United Nations International Day of Peace Performance with Midori, and Mather Homestead National Historic Landmark. Ami has performed for the Brentano Quartet, Miró Quartet, Telegraph Quartet, American String Quartet, Callisto Quartet, Vera Quartet, Omer Quartet, and the Lumina String Quartet.
Stephen Arthur – Cello
Stephen is an undergraduate cello performance major at the University of Tennessee’s Natalie L. Haslam College of Music, where he studies under Dr. Wesley Baldwin. Some of his most recent notable recognitions include winning first prize in the Jacquline Avent Concerto Competition, the Charleston International Music Competition, the University of Tennessee Concerto Competition, and the Cleveland Orchestra of Tennessee Concerto Competition. Currently, Stephen serves as principal cellist for the University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly throughout the Knoxville area.
Qianqian Zhao – Piano
Qianqian is an excellent pianist with a persistent enthusiasm for music. She has delivered exceptional performances at prestigious venues such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China and Beijing Concert Hall. She has collaborated with renowned orchestras including the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra and the China National Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she is pursuing her studies in the Piano Department at the Central Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Professor Huang Ruoyu.
David Lawrence - Viola
David is an emerging violist with a solo and chamber career spanning the United States and parts of Europe. A current student of Jeffrey Irvine at the Cleveland Institute of Music, David has appeared as a 2024 and 2025 Emerging Artist Fellow at the Garth Newel Music Center, and as a 2023 fellow at the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. Other festival appearances include the Encore Institute, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Stringwood Chamber Festival, and the Interlochen Viola Intensive, among others. An active collaborator, David has shared the stage with such names as
Rachel Barton Pine and the Brentano quartet, and performed at venues such as Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. Previous teachers include Renee Skerik and Mallory Todd.
Shishi Gong – Viola
Shishi is a second-year graduate violist at the Central Conservatory of Music in China. She was a prize winner in the first Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition in 2014. She participated in Morningside Music Bridge Festival, won first prize in the Inaugural Virtual International Viola Society Competition, and performed 17 concerts in Italy, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand as the Asian Youth Orchestra’s Vice Viola Principal. She received a full scholarship from Seiji Ozawa Music Academy and performed in Mozart’s comic opera Cosi Fan Tutte in Japan. In August 2024, She performed at Carnegie Hall as Beijing Youth Orchestra’s viola principal.
Glen Kuenzi – Violin
Glen is a burgeoning violinist in the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian Regions. Based in Washington DC, Glen actively performs with the West Virginia Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, and Erie Philharmonic. Glen was previously a concertmaster with The National Orchestral Institute, an orchestral fellow with Eastern Music Festival, and a sub with Miami’s New World Symphony. Glen is an active chamber musician, working with close friends and colleagues in the Artemesia Quartet and Bethesda Arts Trio. Glen Earned his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin and M.M. From the University of Maryland.
Anna Hilderbrand – Violin
Anna is an 18-year-old violinist from western Maryland who has performed in countries throughout North America, South America, and Europe. In addition to serving various local ensembles as concertmaster and soloist, Anna has appeared in concert with organizations including the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, the Africa United Youth Orchestra, and the Violins of Hope. She has also participated in programs such as the Brevard Music Center’s Concertmaster Studio (within their Summer Institute) and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, among others. This summer, aside from spending time at the Garth Newel Music Center, Anna is touring as a soloist with the West Virginia Youth Symphony. When not playing violin, she also builds instruments as an apprentice luthier.
Andrew Choi – Violin
Andrew, 21, is a senior violinist at the University of Michigan, studying under Professor Danielle Belen. Concertmaster of the University Symphony Orchestra, Andrew is an avid orchestral musician and traveled extensively with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra in 2019, playing in venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Musikverein, and the Elbphilharmonie, among others. In the summer of 2024, Andrew collaborated with Carlos Miguel Prieto, Yo-Yo Ma, and Kayhan Kalhor in the Orchestra of the Americas residency in Ann Arbor. In the fall of 2025, Andrew will attend the University of Southern California for his Masters in Music.
Luke Pisani – Violin
Violinist Luke Pisani has been the recipient of numerous solo awards, including the Chicago Violin Competition (2nd Prize), New York All-State Orchestra (Concertmaster), Rochester
Philharmonic League Grand Prize, Rochester Hall of Fame Douglas Lowry Award, and the Detroit Irene Kinsey Stare Strings Award. Luke has also won competitions to perform concertos with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Genesee Symphony, and the Finger Lakes Symphony. Luke was the 1st violinist in two ensembles that won the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music Competition (Saturday Quartet, 2021; Sapphire Trio, 2023). The Saturday Quartet were finalists in the national Coltman Chamber Music Competition. He has performed with the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, the Chautauqua Institution Festival Orchestra, and the Lansing Symphony.
Eliza Willett, violin
A native of Virginia Beach, Eliza Willett, has been studying violin since the age of two. Her teachers through high school included Anne Bugg, Christina Morton, and Yun Zhang. Eliza has been performing regularly with the Virginia Symphony as an official substitute violinist since 2021. Eliza completed her bachelor’s degree in music, violin performance at the Lynn Conservatory where she studied under Elmar Oliveira and Andrés Cárdenes. Currently, Eliza is pursuing her master’s degree at the Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Mark Kaplan.
Want to learn more about the Emerging Artist Fellowship Program?
Visit our information page for details on the program, application process, and what makes this opportunity so transformative for young musicians.
Interested in supporting the next generation of artists?
Consider becoming a PEAP – Patron of the Emerging Artist Program. PEAPs play a vital role in supporting our fellows and have the unique opportunity to connect with them on a personal level throughout their time at Garth Newel. Click here to learn more about how you can get involved.
