The Gurrena Fellowship
Created in 2022, in memory of David A. Barnebl, an educated, passionate music lover, by his wife, Linda Gurrena Barnebl, the purpose of The Gurrena Fellowship is to support and encourage exceptionally talented students to become abundantly successful in their professional journey. This generous fellowship of $50,000 enables its recipients to continue to pursue their careers with vigor and passion without the burden of financial constraint.
2024 Gurrena Fellow
Kento Hong, violin (Photo by Chris Lee)
In September 2024, the Meadowmount School of Music awarded the third annual Gurrena Fellowship, worth $50,000, to Japanese-Taiwanese American violinist Kento Hong. Kento is a profoundly talented and inspiring violinist whose impact on Meadowmount has been notable. His presence on stage as a soloist and chamber musician is both compelling and impressive.
“We are thrilled to award the 2024 Gurrena Fellowship to violinist Kento Hong. Kento is a highly engaging and impressive performer whose prodigious talent shows that the future of music is very bright. We look forward to supporting Kento as he embarks on this next phase of his musical career.”
– Janet Sung, Artistic Director
About Kento Hong
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.
Past Gurrena Fellowship Recipients
Guidelines & Requirements
The Gurrena Fellowship is awarded each year to a Meadowmount School of Music student who is dedicated to becoming successful within the music industry.
The ideal recipient is an exceptionally talented artist who demonstrates vigor and unrelenting passion in their pursuit of a distinguished career within the field of music. Funds from this fellowship should be reserved to support postgraduate students, whenever possible, who will benefit from financial assistance as they transition from their musical training to independent careers in performance, composition, or as master teachers within the field of music. Exceptions are made with the support for Ms Barnebl.
Fellowship funds are managed by Meadowmount and allocated to scholarship support and a spring recital tour, and may provide for management and publicity advisors, a housing allowance, travel stipend, and/or tuition and training contribution, and other expenses as requested and approved.