The Director: Paul Manulik
Director Paul Manulik founded Princeton String Academy in 2005 after several years of running a private teaching studio in the Princeton area. In addition to directing the Academy, Mr. Manulik enjoys a diverse career as orchestral player, chamber musician, teacher and recitalist. He teaches both violin and viola using the Suzuki Method of Talent Education. One of his principal teachers of this method was Doris Preucil, who is internationally recognized for establishing one of the first US Suzuki schools, and from John Kendall, another highly respected founder of the Suzuki Method in the U.S. Mr. Manulik also conducts master classes for high school orchestras and serves as guest clinician at summer festivals.
Mr. Manulik has studied with Evalina Chao, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra associate principal violist, and with Jerry Horner and William Preucil. He holds a master’s degree in viola performance from the University of Iowa and has taken additional teacher training from Mimi Zweig, professor of violin and viola at Indiana University and Director of the Indiana String Academy.
Wan-Yi Pan – Cello
Wan-Yi Pan joined Princeton String Academy cello faculty in 2020.  A native of Taiwan, Ms. Pan excels in both orchestral and chamber performances.  She attended the Interlochen Arts academy for high school and earned her bachelor degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. After her graduate school study at SUNY Purchase College where she was granted chamber music honors all two years of attendance, Ms. Pan was accepted as a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University, State University of New Jersey with a fellowship grant and is currently finishing this program.
Her orchestral and chamber music performances include the Erie Youth Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony, Cleveland Institute Orchestra, Rutgers Symphony Orchestra and Kaohsiung Philharmonic. She has also participated in the Kneisel Hall Summer Chamber Music Program and the Quartet Summer Program.  Her teachers have included Peter Wiley of the distinguished Guarneri String Quartet, Richard Weiss of the Cleveland Orchestra, Jonathan Spitz, principle of the New Jersey Symphony, Merry Peckham of the Cavani Quartet and Allan Harris. She has also taken master classes with The Tokyo String Quartet, The Juilliard String Quartet, Fred Sherry, and David Finckel.
Celeste Belknap – Violin
Celeste Belknap joined the Princeton String Academy as a violin teacher in 2023. She is a current PhD student in Musicology at Princeton University. Before coming to Princeton, Celeste completed a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance at Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Arts degree in musicology, also at Penn State.
Celeste studied violin under Professor James Lyon, and was a member of the Penn State Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras led by Gerardo Edelstein. During her time at Penn State she was involved in local orchestras including Penn Woods Music Festival orchestra, the Williamsport Symphony, and the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra. She has also been a member of the Princeton University orchestra.
In addition to teaching violin at the Academy, Celeste teaches beginning and non-music-major undergraduate students at Princeton University. She loves watching her students of all ages improve each week!
Kevin Maa – Cello
Kevin Maa is a passionate performer and music educator. He holds a Bachelor’s in Cello Performance from Montclair State University and a Master’s degree in Cello Performance from Mannes School of Music. As a cellist, he has performed in internationally famous concert halls such as Lincoln Center, The Kimmel Center, Carnegie Hall, Congress Graz Stefaniensaal in Graz, Austria. During his undergraduate time at Montclair State University, he won the 2018 Concerto Competition with a complete live performance of Elgar Cello Concerto in 2019.
Mr. Maa has studied with great cellists such as Jonathan Spitz, Nicholas Tzavaras, Jeffrey Zeigler, and Yehuda Hanini. He has performed in Masterclasses with Robert DeMaine, Yumi Kendall, David Finckel, Peter Stumpf, and Lawrence Stomberg.
Miayicong Zhang – Viola & Violin
Miayicong Zhang is an experienced violist and violinist with over ten years of teaching and performing experience. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Viola Performance at Rutgers University, where she also serves as a teaching assistant. Mia holds an Artist Diploma and a Master of Music degree in Viola Performance from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Viola Performance from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
Her orchestral and chamber music experiences include serving as principal violist of the Rutgers University Orchestra, associate principal violist of the NYU Philharmonic, and performing with the NYU Baroque Ensemble, NYU Contemporary Music Ensemble, and China Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in renowned music festivals such as the Prague String Music Festival, Norway Voksenasen String Music Festival, Karen Tuttle Viola Workshop, and Dolomiti Chamber Music Festival.