Kingston Chamber Music Festival

Violinist Zachary DePue has enjoyed a distinguished career as an orchestral leader, chamber musician, and soloist. He became one of the youngest concertmasters in the United States when he was appointed to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2007, a position he held for more than a decade, serving as a passionate and dedicated musical leader both on and off the stage.

DePue rose to international prominence as a founding member of the string trio Time for Three, with whom he performed for 15 years in venues around the world. Earlier in his career, he was a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra, performing in the first violin section for five seasons.

A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, DePue served as concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and studied with Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo. Beyond his performing career, he has been recognized for his leadership and community engagement, including his selection for the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series in Indianapolis.

Cellist Yegor Dyachkov is widely admired for his compelling stage presence, interpretive depth, and generosity of musical expression. Since being named Artist of the Year by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 2000, Dyachkov has performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, and the United States, making his New York debut at Lincoln Center that same year.

He has appeared as soloist with major orchestras in cities including Antwerp, Geneva, Montréal, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, and Vancouver, and has been featured at leading international festivals such as Évian, Kronberg, Lanaudière, Ottawa, and Tanglewood. A committed advocate for contemporary music, Dyachkov was invited by Yo-Yo Ma to participate in the Silk Road Project and has premiered numerous works written for him, including pieces by Jacques Hétu, Michael Oesterle, Ana Sokolović, and André Prévost.

Dyachkov’s extensive discography includes recordings for Chandos, Analekta, and ATMA. In addition to his performing career, he is a dedicated educator, teaching at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University and serving as Head of the String Faculty at the Université de Montréal.

Cellist Megan Koch is an avid chamber musician, educator, and advocate for music as a vehicle for cultural exchange. She has performed and taught internationally, including in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Singapore, and Peru, often collaborating with local musicians and mentoring young conservatory students. Koch is a founding member of the Rivendell String Quartet and has performed with artists such as Robert Mann, Michael Kannen, Steven Dann, and Ian Swenson.

Locally, she performs with ensembles including the Nth Degree Chamber Ensemble, Verdant Vibes, and the Meeting House Chamber Music Festival, and frequently collaborates with pianist Andrew Welch. Her socially conscious projects include the premiere of Water is Life by Kirsten Volness, addressing climate change, and the creation of the Bay Area Cello Collective, bringing music to outdoor venues for public enjoyment.

Koch holds a Master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the Peabody Institute. She is a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and performs on a 1768 German cello by Leopold Wildhalm.

Korean-American violinist Julian Rhee is widely admired for his refinement, beauty of sound, and expressive presence onstage. Winner of the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Rhee has been praised by The Strad for “the kind of poise and showmanship that thrills audiences,” and is recognized for his soulful lyricism, interpretive insight, and passion for collaboration across a wide-ranging repertoire.

Rhee has appeared as soloist with orchestras throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, including the Calgary Philharmonic, Belgian National Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, among others. He has collaborated with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Nicolas McGegan, Alexander Shelley, Valentina Peleggi, and Rune Bergmann. Recent and upcoming engagements include debuts with the Richmond Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Gürzenich Orchestra, and Arkansas Symphony, alongside return performances with the Madison Symphony and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.

Rhee rose to international prominence following his prize-winning performances at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition and his Silver Medal at the Indianapolis International Violin Competition. He is also a First Prize winner of the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition and Astral Artists’ National Auditions, and has received numerous honors including the Dorothy DeLay Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival, the Manfred Grommek Prize from the Kronberg Academy, and recognition as a U.S. Presidential Scholar.

A devoted chamber musician, Rhee is the newest member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program, performing regularly at Alice Tully Hall and on national tours. He has appeared at leading festivals including Marlboro, Music@Menlo, Ravinia’s Steans Institute, Bridgehampton, Rockport Music, and North Shore Chamber Music Festival. This season marks his debut at the Kingston Chamber Music Festival and his appointment as Artist in Residence at the Durango Music Festival.

Rhee earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the New England Conservatory, where he served as a teaching assistant to Miriam Fried, and currently studies with Christian Tetzlaff at the Kronberg Academy. He performs on the 1699 “Lady Tennant” Antonio Stradivari violin, on extended loan through the generosity of the Mary B. Galvin Foundation and the Stradivari Society.

Violinist and multi-instrumentalist Elizabeth Beisel brings a distinctive blend of discipline, creativity, and expressive range to her musical life. Classically trained on violin and piano, and also an accomplished mandolin player, Beisel is deeply passionate about composition and collaboration, working fluidly across classical and contemporary genres. Music has been a constant presence throughout her life, serving as both a creative outlet and a source of balance, and she is now fully dedicated to pursuing her artistic work.

Beisel is also known for her remarkable career as a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic medalist, experiences that continue to shape her artistic voice and perspective. Beyond performance, she is an active collaborator and session musician, contributing violin, piano, mandolin, and vocals to a wide range of projects.

In addition to her work as a musician, Beisel is a broadcaster and advocate, serving as a swimming analyst for NBC and ESPN and supporting philanthropic initiatives focused on water safety and environmental conservation. She is the author of the memoir Silver Lining and the founder of Block Cancer, a fundraising initiative created in honor of her late father. Whether on stage or behind the scenes, Beisel brings focus, generosity, and intention to every endeavor.

Violist Che-Hung Chen joined The Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of 20, when he was hired by then-Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch, becoming the first Taiwanese citizen ever to join the Orchestra. He has also served as acting associate principal viola under former Music Director Christoph Eschenbach.

Mr. Chen was the first-prize winner at the Seventh Banff International String Quartet Competition as the founding member of the Daedalus Quartet; the Quartet was also awarded the Pièce de Concert prize for the best performance of a commissioned work and the Székely Prize for the best performance of a Beethoven quartet. A three-time, top-prize winner at the Taiwan National Instrumental Competition, Mr. Chen is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with the legendary Joseph dePasquale. Mr. Chen has served as principal viola of the Curtis Symphony and recently appeared as guest principal viola with Japan’s Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Chen’s recording of Chiayu’s Twelve Signs for solo viola on the Naxos Label was praised in Gramophone magazine’s Awards 2015 issue for its ‘“mesmerizing intensity.’”

As a chamber musician, Mr. Chen was a participant at Marlboro Music, performing in its 50th anniversary concerts in Boston and New York’s Carnegie Hall, and in several “Musicians from Marlboro” national tours. He performs annually at the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in Rhode Island with his wife, pianist and Artistic Director Natalie Zhu, and has also participated in such festivals as Ravinia, Caramoor, Saratoga, Bridgehampton, and Music from Angel Fire. With Ms. Zhu, Philadelphia Orchestra colleague and First Associate Concertmaster Juliette Kang, and cellist Clancy Newman, he is a member of the Clarosa Piano Quartet, dedicated to exploring and enriching the piano quartet repertoire. Their debut performance earned praise from the Philadelphia Inquirer as “a combination of easy cohesion and unfettered, expressive freedom.” In the Fall of 2019, Mr. Chen founded Quartet Iris with Philadelphia Orchestra colleagues violinists Christine Lim, Julia Li, and cellist Yumi Kendall, eager to delve into the challenging realm of string quartet playing.

Mr. Chen serves on the faculty of Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music. He performs on a viola made by Carlo Antonio Testore in Milan, Italy, c.1756. He and Natalie reside in Narberth, PA, with their daughter, Clara.

Violist Burchard Tang, a native of Maryland, has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1999. He began his musical studies on the violin at age three before switching to viola at sixteen, studying with Choong-Jin Chang, principal viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Tang received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Joseph dePasquale, former principal viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra. During his time at Curtis, he served as principal viola of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and later held the same position with the New York String Seminar.

As a soloist, Tang was a winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition and performed with the Orchestra as part of its Student Concert series. His honors also include prizes from the Temple University Preparatory Division Concerto Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

An active chamber musician, Tang has appeared at leading festivals including Marlboro, Ravinia, Caramoor, Music from Angel Fire, and Seattle Chamber Music Festival. He is a founding member of the Dolce Suono Ensemble and has also performed with the Brandenburg Ensemble.

Moé Takamatsu is from Okayama Prefecture, Japan and now lives in Rhode Island. In 2018, she entered the Music Liberal Arts Course, Piano Performance as a scholarship student at the Tokyo College of Music, concluding her Bachelor’s degree in 2022. She has studied under teachers Junko Inada, Miyuki Goto, Yuko Niiya and Yukari Honda. She currently studies piano performance with Dr. Manabu Takasawa at the University of Rhode Island. She has received various awards in Japan. She has won the first prize in the 2015 Okayama Piano Competition. In 2016, she received a diploma at Tadini Academy in Italy, where she performed in master classes for Vincenzo Balzani and Shuku Iwasaki, among others. In 2020, she performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 with the Okayama Philharmonic Orchestra.

Adrian Montero Moya is one of the most internationally acclaimed Costa Rican musicians. A winner of several competitions both nationally and internationally, he is actively recording new albums and promoting new music, especially works by contemporary Costa Rican and Ibero-American composers. He has given recitals in Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Mexico, the United States, and France.

His repertoire spans from the Baroque era to the present day, with a particular emphasis on contemporary Latin American music. This allows the audience to explore a wide spectrum of guitar repertoire. His discography includes two records: “Azulado, “featuring music from Costa Rican contemporary composers, and “Sonatas and Partitas”. Additionally, he participated in the recording of “Sueños y Sones” with Marco Corrales, the Latin Grammy-nominated album “Elruido del Agua” with Eddie Mora, and the world-premiere recording of the string quintet “Oché” by the Costa Rican composer Alejandro Cardona, alongside “Cuarteto Latinoamericano.”

His esteemed teachers include guitarists Nuria Zúñiga, Aldo Rodríguez, Jorge Luis Zamora, and Pablo Ortíz. He has participated in masterclasses with Lukasz Kuropaczewski, Brasil Guitar Duo, Mario Ulloa, Andres Saborío, Andrew Zohn, Andrea Gonzales Caballero, among others. Most recently, he is a Master’s candidate in classical guitar performance at the University of Rhode Island under the direction of American virtuoso, Adam Levin.

His goal is to promote the music of Latin America and create opportunities for the younger generations of Costa Rican guitarists. To this end, he is the co-director of “Concurso Nacional de Guitarra” in Costa Rica, continuing the legacy of his predecessors.

Cellist Priscilla Lee joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as Associate Principal Cello at the start of the 2016–17 season. A 2005 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, she began studying at age five and made her solo debut in 1998 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

A native of California, Lee studied with Ronald Leonard at the Colburn School of Performing Arts and continued her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with David Soyer. She earned her Master of Music from the Mannes College of Music, where she studied with Timothy Eddy.

An active chamber musician, Lee has participated in festivals including Marlboro, Santa Fe, Seattle, Delaware, St. Denis in Paris, Kingston, Lexington, Burlington, and Taos. She was a member of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two from 2006 to 2009 and a founding member of Trio Cavatina, which won Grand Prize at the 2009 Naumburg International Competition. Prior to joining The Philadelphia Orchestra, she served as Principal Cello of Opera Philadelphia and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.

Lee resides in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, with her husband, violist Burchard Tang, and their two daughters.