Handel and Haydn Society Names 2023 Inaugural Stone Fellows

Violinists Carmen Lavada Johnson-Pajaro and Amelia Sie have received the two-year fellowship, which supports emerging artists in early music

Founded in 1815, Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) is dedicated to performing Baroque and Classical music. Its inaugural Stone Fellowship has named violinists Carmen Lavada Johnson-Pájaro and Amelia Sie as its 2023 recipients. 

The Stone Fellowship is the first of its kind among period-instrument orchestras. In partnership with the New England Conservatory (NEC), it aims to foster the development of emerging musicians whose socio-cultural identities have been historically underrepresented in the field.

The H+H launched a nationwide search this Spring, accepting applications from recent graduates of America’s top performing arts schools.

Over the next two years, Johnson-Pájaro and Sie will be involved in performances, mentorship, and training with the H+H orchestra and its musicians, plus various NEC partners.

Johnson-Pájaro has worked with renowned early music figures including Masaaki Suzuki, William Christie, Reggie Mobley, and Rachel Podger. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School, NEC, and Eastman School of Music, where she was a Lois Rogers and Links Scholar. 

Also a graduate of NEC, Sie completed her master’s degree in Historical Performance from The Juilliard School. A modern and Baroque violinist, she specializes in Italian virtuoso music from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, and chamber music of the Classical to early Romantic eras.

“It is an honor to be selected to be part of this historic organization through the Stone Fellowship,” expressed Johnson-Pájaro. “I have had the pleasure of working with several members of the H+H Orchestra and Chorus over the years and look forward to expanding my knowledge and skill under their mentorship.”

“Watching H+H perform was a huge inspiration in my exploration as a historical performer,” Sie explained. “For my career to come full circle and get to learn from and collaborate with H+H is such an honor, and I'm excited to learn and grow as an artist and human over the next two years!”

“Both Carmen and Amelia stood out early in the selection process, not only because of their incredible talent, dedication and knowledge but they both possess the character we strive for at H+H,” said H+H president and CEO David Snead. “We are confident that over the next two years, both musicians will become part of the fabric of the ensemble.” 

The fellowship is part of H+H’s long-term plan towards a more diverse and inclusive orchestra that serves and reflects its community, and a more equitable sector on a national scale. 

The program is made possible through a $1 million gift from the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation, alongside support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Development of the fellowship was an organization-wide process that included input from artistic and administrative staff, board members, and industry advisors, including those at H+H, NEC, Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music, Artful Strategies, and Goldsmith Strategies.

Having held 208 consecutive seasons, the GRAMMY Award-winning H+H Orchestra and Chorus reaches over 50,000 listeners annually with a nine-week subscription series at Boston Symphony Hall and other leading venues. The ensemble has toured nationally and internationally, plus released 16 CDs on the Coro record label.