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Musicians

Susan W. and Stephen D. Paine BSO Resident Fellowship Program

Launched at the start of the 2022-23 BSO season, the Susan W. and Stephen D. Paine BSO Resident Fellowship Program is a year-long training and mentorship opportunity for early-career musicians from historically underrepresented backgrounds in American orchestras.

These annual appointments, designed to create more inclusive pathways into the orchestra field, will provide opportunities for talented musicians to perform with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras during the Symphony Hall and Tanglewood seasons.

In addition to performing with the BSO and Boston Pops, BSO Resident Fellows — each assigned a BSO member mentor — will participate in educational and community engagement events, chamber music performances, and audition preparation coaching sessions. BSO Resident Fellows will receive a salary and benefits, stipends for expenses, and periodic performance evaluations.

As the BSO further develops the program in the context of its comprehensive Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) plans, it will create formal goals, outcomes, and metrics to evaluate its impact. The application and selection process for the BSO Resident Fellowship Program was overseen by a committee of orchestra musicians, members of the BSO’s executive team, as well as President and CEO Gail Samuel and BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons.

"By creating more opportunities for musicians whose backgrounds reflect the beautiful diversity of our city and country and valuing their contributions to our world of classical music, we enrich the lives of everyone associated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.”
- Andris Nelsons

Violist Leonardo Vásquez Chacón and double bassist Andres Vela, both previous Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center, are the inaugural BSO Resident Fellows joining the orchestra for the entirety of the 2022-23 season.

2022-23 BSO Resident Fellows