Violinist Rachel Arcega Orth, cellist Maximiliano Oppeltz and violist Yuri Hughes will perform with the orchestra and the Boston Pops to gain professional experience and career support
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has named three string players as recipients of the Susan W. and Stephen D. Paine BSO Resident Fellowship for Early-Career Musicians.
They are violinist Rachel Arcega Orth, cellist Maximiliano Oppeltz and violist Yuri Hughes. Arcega Orth also assumes the Volpe Family chair.
The fellowship was launched at the start of the 2022-23 season and 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 specialised audition coaching.
Filipino-American violinist Rachel Arcega Orth has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral performer throughout the US and abroad. She is pursuing a doctoral degree at Boston University, where she earned a master’s degree in violin performance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Texas Christian University, where she graduated with honours.
Maximiliano Oppeltz started playing the cello at the age of four as a student of El Sistema in Caracas, Venezuela. He moved to the US in 2014 to study at the Juilliard School with professor Richard Aaron. Following his time at Juilliard, he pursued graduate degrees as a Neumann fellow at the University of Denver in 2018 and a Diversity Fellow with the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 2020.He is currently playing with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
New York-based violist Yuri Hughes has performed throughout the US as a member of numerous ensembles, including the National Youth Orchestra of the USA. During her time in New York City, she produced various LGBTQ+ nightlife events in Brooklyn under her drag persona, Kirlia. Hughes received her undergraduate degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, studying under violist Kim Kashkashian.
BSO music director Andris Nelsons expressed his pleasure in welcoming the new fellows. ’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,’ he said.
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