As Music Director of the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra, David Feltner brings a wealth of experience to the position. Equally at home in the symphonic and operatic worlds, he has served as Associate Conductor and Chorus Master for Boston Lyric Opera and Cover Conductor for Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. He has been acclaimed by The Boston Globe for leading performances of “profound expressivity” and praised for his “fervent advocacy” by The Boston Phoenix. 

He is in his twenty-fourth season as Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Boston, a group that has won accolades from audiences and critics alike for its polished performances and innovative programs. As Steven Ledbetter wrote in The Boston Music Intelligencer: “David Feltner put together a truly captivating program …one of the most completely satisfying concerts that I have heard this season.” 

He has been thrilling audiences in New Hampshire for the past eighteen seasons as Music Director of the Nashua Chamber Orchestra, where his leadership caused music critic Jeff Rapsis to write: “Conductor David Feltner brought the Nashua Chamber Orchestra to new places.” 

He has been a guest conductor for several orchestras, including the Boston Civic Symphony, Brockton Symphony, Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, Topeka Symphony Orchestra, Narragansett Bay Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic Community Orchestra and Intermezzo: The New England Chamber Opera Series.

An enthusiastic advocate for music of our time, Mr. Feltner has conducted numerous premieres and works by dozens of living composers, from Anaís Azul to Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Mr. Feltner is also an accomplished violist and composer. As a violist, he has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Yamagata (Japan) Symphony, New York City Opera and Palm Beach Opera, among others. His recent orchestral compositions include Looking Towards Heaven, Dreams and Awakenings, and a piccolo concerto. In June of 2023 he both soloed and conducted the premiere of his viola concerto, From the Depths, with the NCO.

Seokyoung Hong began playing the piano at the age of 5. He received training in both piano and composition at the Seoul Art Center Prodigy Academy. He later enrolled in Yewon School, the most prestigious art school in Korea, as a piano major. Currently, he is a junior student at Walnut Hill School for the Arts and studies under Professor Haesun Paik at the New England Conservatory.

Recently, Seokyoung achieved great success at the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition, winning both the top prize and the audience award. He also received 1st prize in the Yamaha Junior Division of the 10th Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU International Piano Competitions. Additionally, he has been the winner of several competitions, including the 68th Ewha & Kyunghyang Music Competition, the most renowned piano competition for young pianists in Korea. Furthermore, he has emerged victorious in competitions such as the Korea Steinway Concours, Dong-A Junior Competition, Youngchang Music Competition, Teenager Music Competition, Korea Liszt Competition, JEUNE CHOPIN International Youth Piano Competition, and Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition for Young Pianist.

Seokyoung has performed extensively in numerous concerts and made his orchestral debut with the Gunpo Philharmonic as the grand-prize winner of the Eumaksekye National Final Competition. He made his recital debut in Seoul in February 2020 and participated in the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series in April 2021. Furthermore, he held a recital at Lotte Concert Hall in July 2023 and collaborated with the Millennium Symphony Orchestra in September 2021. Additionally, he is a member of Trio Monello, a prize-winning ensemble that has participated in various competitions and performed widely.