BSO Names Three New Resident Fellows

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is pleased to name violinist Rachel Arcega Orth, cellist Maximiliano Oppeltz, and violist Yuri Hughes as recipients of the Susan W. and Stephen D. Paine BSO Resident Fellowship for Early-Career Musicians, with Rachel Arcega Orth designated as the Volpe Family Chair.  

Launched at the start of the 2022–2023 season, the fellowship supports string players from historically underrepresented backgrounds through paid appointments with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Fellows perform at Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, Carnegie Hall, and on national and international tours with both the BSO and Boston Pops. In addition to an annual salary, health benefits, and a housing stipend, fellows receive stipends for private lessons and audition travel and specialized audition coaching. This year’s fellows were selected through a competitive process involving a live audition at Symphony Hall.  

Orth, Oppeltz, and Hughes, who will first perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra this fall, comprise the fellowship’s second cohort, succeeding inaugural resident fellows Leonardo Vásquez Chacón and Andres Vela. They are appointed for one year with the opportunity to renew for a second year.  

The BSO Resident Fellowship program and the opportunities it offered Chacón and Vela were described in a segment that aired on CRB classical radio earlier this year. Chronicling the fellowship's origins, host Brian McCreath wrote that the program “answers the call of change for American orchestras.” Reflecting on his experience as a fellow, Vela commented, “I never spent this much time with a professional orchestra before. So, I think one of the things that surprised me was the amount of repertoire that they cover... I was very excited about it, just because I get to play all these pieces I've never played.” The story is available online on CRB’s website. 

Statement from BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons

“It is my great pleasure to welcome Rachel Arcega Orth, Max Oppeltz, and Yuri Hughes to the Boston Symphony Orchestra community. By performing regularly at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, these talented musicians will have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience at one of the world’s finest orchestras as they learn about the realities of being a professional symphonic musician and prepare for future auditions. I am sure that we, in turn, will benefit greatly from their excitement, musicality, and passion for learning and growing in their music at this pivotal time in their careers.” 

Statement from BSO President and CEO Chad Smith: 

"With the Resident Fellows program, the BSO presents rising musicians with valuable professional experience at a crucial time in their careers. In doing so, we hope to not only prepare them fully for life as an orchestral musician, but to create a space for them to experience music-making of the highest caliber, to feel the joy of creating art alongside people who have made it their life’s work. The BSO has been one of the finest orchestras in the world for generations now. It’s in all of our best interest—not just here at the BSO, but in the classical music community at large—to ensure that future generations of musicians have opportunities to develop a fulfilling artistic and professional practice, no matter their background.”

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