Manchester Music Festival Announces 2025 Young Artists Program Cohort

10 Rising Musicians Selected for Prestigious Full-Scholarship Chamber Music Program

Manchester, VT – May X, 2025 – The Manchester Music Festival proudly announces the 10 musicians selected for its Young Artists program, a full-scholarship, five-week immersive chamber music program for exceptional string players and pianists, ages 18 through 26. The Young Artists Program takes place concurrently with the festival, which runs July 10-August 7, 2025.

The Festival welcomes the following musicians to this year’s cohort: Daniel Chen Wang, piano; Pualina Lim, piano; Hyeonah Hong, violin; Célina Bethoux, violin; June Lee, violin;  Kenneth Naito, violin; Jason Ma, cello; Jonathan Kim, cello; Jie-Ling Tang, viola; and Yihan Xue, viola. 

“It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome these 10 extraordinary musicians to the Manchester Music Festival’s Young Artists Program,” said Philip Setzer, Artistic Director. “Nurturing emerging talent and offering them the opportunity to collaborate with internationally acclaimed artists is a vital part of our mission. We eagerly anticipate the artistry and inspiration these young musicians will bring, both on stage alongside our distinguished guest artists and throughout the Manchester, Vermont community this summer.”

Each year, the Young Artists Program attracts applicants from across the nation and around the globe, seeking intensive study and dynamic performance opportunities with world-renowned musicians. Throughout the Festival season, Young Artists will perform in 10 public concerts, including dedicated Young Artists performances and collaborative appearances on the Festival’s celebrated Thursday Night Mainstage Concerts.

Meet the 2025 Young Artists

Piano

Pualina Lim, a Singaporean pianist joins the Young Artists cohort. Lim is currently pursuing a Graduate Diploma at the New England Conservatory of Music where she also earned her Master’s. She has appeared as a concert soloist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (President’s Young Performer) and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra. She also performs in a duo alongside fellow MMF Young Artist, Celina Bethoux.

Born in Costa Rica, Daniel Chen Wang began his piano studies at the age of five. A graduate of the Central Musical School in Moscow with honors, he now studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. Wang is a prizewinner of many national and international competitions including first prize in “A Step Towards Mastery” in St. Petersburg and first prize in “La Rioja” Piano Competition in Spain. He is also an avid chamber musician and performs in the piano quartet "242 Strings.”

Violin

French-American violinist Célina Bethoux is a current student at the New England Conservatory of Music pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in violin performance with the prestigious Presidential Scholarship. She formerly studied with Philip Setzer when earning her Young Artist’s Diploma at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Bethoux has graced stages across the U.S. and Europe with various groups, now including in duo with pianist and fellow Young Artist Pualina Lim.

Since his international debut at the age of 11 with the Kostroma Symphony Orchestra in Russia, violinist Kenneth Naito has performed with the National Philharmonic, the Kennett Symphony, the Siberian State Symphony Orchestra, and in their upcoming season, the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra. He recently won 2nd prize at the prestigious Viktor Tretyakov International Violin Competition, where his performances were broadcast live on The Violin Channel. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Juilliard School, a Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Music, and currently is pursuing his Performer’s Diploma at Indiana University.

Originally from Seoul, South Korea, June Lee is a rising violinist based in Montreal, Canada. Currently a graduate student at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, she studies with Jinjoo Cho. June’s achievements include Second Prize at the Schulich Golden Violin Competition and performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Paju Philharmonic Orchestra. She won the Grand Prize at Coltman Chamber Music Competition and Bronze medal at Fischoff Chamber Competition and also earned recognition in the Mary Lane Memorial Violin Competition and the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition.

Originally from South Korea, Violinist Hyeonah Hong has a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. Having formerly studied with Jaesung Jeon and Ju-Yung Baek in South Korea, Hyeonah currently studies with Ronald Copes at the Juilliard School where she is pursuing her Master of Music in Violin Performance. Hyeonah has earned many international accolades including placing 1st prize at the New York International Music Competition, 3rd prize at the Hong Kong International Music Competition and International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2016 in Russia.

Cello

A native of Buffalo, New York, Jonathan Kim began his cello studies at age four and has enjoyed a career of solo and chamber music playing in venues across the USA and Canada. He is a prizewinner of many music competitions including the Crane Concerto Competition, Lauren V. Ackerman Chamber Competition, Stephan Chamber Music Competition, and the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. Jonathan is an avid music educator and a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Stony Brook University, where he also received his Master of Music degree in 2022. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in 2020 from the Crane School of Music.

Chinese American cellist Jason Ma has served as principal cello for the Academy Symphony Orchestra, the Academy Chamber Orchestra, and the Sainsbury Academy Soloists. Jason holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master of Arts from the Royal Academy of Music, where he received the Regency Award and a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital. Jason is currently pursuing an Advanced Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music. He plays a 1689 Francesco Rugeri cello on loan from the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Viola

Yihan Xue, violist and chamber musician, received her Bachelor’s and Master’s from The Juilliard School. Originally from China, she embraces the diversity of culture in New York City where she is currently living. Her orchestral leadership includes Principal Violist at the Music Academy of the West in 2024, and Assistant Principal for the Aspen Festival Orchestra in 2022. Xue has performed in major music venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the New World Center. 

Taiwanese violist Jie-Ling (Jennie) Tang is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree at The Juilliard School. She was the principal violist of NEC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and was presented by NPR’s From the Top as a Walnut Hill String Chamber Orchestra in 2019. She has performed in venues such as Jordan Hall, Menlo-Atherton, Taipei National Concert Hall, and Paul Hall and attended several summer music festivals, including Music@Menlo, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Toronto Summer Music.

For more information about Manchester Music Festival, the Young Artists program, and the 2025 season, visit mmfvt.org.

ABOUT THE MANCHESTER MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Manchester Music Festival engages, inspires, and grows a supportive audience for classical music, performed at the highest level of artistic excellence, and teaches exceptional young performers in the art of chamber music. MMF celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024 and will return in 2025 to explore the theme “Music and Storytelling,” illuminating the profound connections between literature and music through works inspired by stories and poetry. Visit mmfvt.org.