Violinist Kento Hong with Pianist Nelson Padgett

Japanese-Taiwanese American violinist Kento Hong has drawn critical attention and won numerous awards, including the 2021 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition (4th prize), 2022 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition (6th prize and audience prize), and the 2024 Arthur Grumiaux Competition (3rd prize). He has also won first prizes in other competitions, including the Chicago International Violin Competition, the Camerata Artists International Competition, and the Chappaqua Orchestra Concerto Competition.

Kento has performed at major venues, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, sharing the stage with renowned artists like Maxim Vengerov and Jaime Laredo. Kento was selected as an active finalist participant in the Kronberg Academy Masterclass 2023 and has been a guest artist on NPR’s From The Top. In the Fall of 2024, he received the $50,000 Gurrena Fellowship career grant from the Meadowmount School of Music.

Kento has been a student at Juilliard’s pre-college division since age 10, studying with Dr. Ann Setzer. Kento is also a 2024 National YoungArts Finalist and a frequent concertmaster of Juilliard’s leading Pre-college ensembles. Beyond music, Kento is passionate about arthritis research, having won 2nd prize at the Regeneron ISEF in Biomedical Engineering and several other science awards. He often explores the connection between science and art in his public communications. Kento Hong was born in New York in 2006 and began violin studies at age 6 under Aimee Kreston.

Nelson Padgett enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist and collaborator. He has appeared with the Houston, National, and North Carolina Symphonies, and his many awards include a Silver Medal at the William Kapell International Competition and a Beethoven Fellowship from the American Pianists Association. A former student of Leon Fleisher, he has performed with the Philip Glass Ensemble since 1988. Specializing in collaboration with string players, he has given recitals with renowned violinists such as Pamela Frank and Elmar Oliveira, and has been an official pianist at the Meadowmount School of Music, the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and the Cooper International Violin Competition. Since 2011 he has been a pianist at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival. A native of North Carolina, Nelson has lived in New York City since 1987.

Founded in 1944 by legendary violin teacher Ivan Galamian, the Meadowmount School of Music is a seven-week summer program for violinists, violists, and cellists. Musicians ages 10 to 30 from around the world gather at the school’s campus in the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York to immerse themselves in an environment where they can focus on personal and artistic development through intensive training with leading faculty, individual practice, chamber music, and performance opportunities.

The Gurrena Fellowship was created in 2022 in memory of David A. Barnebl, an educated, passionate music lover, by his wife, Linda Gurrena Barnebl, of Panton, VT. The purpose of the Fellowship is to support and encourage exceptionally talented students to become abundantly successful in their professional journey. 

This generous fellowship enables its recipients to continue to pursue their careers with vigor and passion without the burden of financial constraint. During the Fellowship year, the recipient receives financial support and mentorship, featured concert engagements supported by Meadowmount School of Music, and continued collaborations and training with the Meadowmount faculty for the upcoming year and 2025 summer session.