Boston Symphony Orchestra Names Two New Resident Fellows for Early-Career Musicians

Two talented, early-career musicians—violist William Mathangani and violinist Keshav Srinivasan—have been selected as the newest cohort in the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Susan W. and Stephen D. Paine Resident Fellows program.

Launched at the start of the 2022–23 season, the fellowship provides an unparalleled opportunity for early-career symphonic musicians from underrepresented or minoritized communities, whose populations have historically faced significant barriers when it comes to accessing the classical music world. 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 with Music Director Andris Nelsons at Symphony Hall. 

The fellowship program is an important part of the BSO's mission to train the next generation of orchestral talent. Mathangani and Srinivasan, who will take their seats on stage with the orchestra in September, comprise the program's third cohort, appointed for one year with the opportunity to renew for a second year. They succeed current BSO Resident Fellows Rachel Arcega Orth (violin) and Max Oppeltz-Carroz (cello) who will continue at the BSO through the end of the Tanglewood 2026 season. 

In one of their final appearances of their two-year-long appointments, Orth and Oppeltz-Carroz join BSO violist Steven O. Laraia and violinist Samuel Andonian on Friday, May 29 at 3 p.m. for a chamber concert at the Shaw-Roxbury Boston Public Library (149 Dudley St., Roxbury). Classic string quartets—Haydn's String Quartet in B-flat, Op. 76, No. 4, Sunrise and Beethoven's String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95, Serioso—share the program with Lyric for Strings by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker. Although there is no cost of admission, online registration is recommended at www.bso.org.

"With the Resident Fellows program, the BSO presents rising musicians with valuable professional experience and mentoring 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 more inclusive 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,” says BSO President and CEO Chad Smith.

Violist William Mathangani, a recent graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory from the studio of Peter Slowik and a second-year Tanglewood Music Center fellow this summer, is a frequent chamber, solo, and orchestral performer, with a goal to connect with audiences through compelling musical emotion. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he enhanced his education by attending notable festivals such as the Music Academy of the West, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Mathangani has also performed with the Syracuse Orchestra, Canton Symphony, and Akron Symphony. He has garnered significant praise from many corners, including the composers Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, for his compelling solos in the Oberlin Orchestra production of their Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Omar.

Mathangani has been a prize winner and finalist in several significant competitions, including the Sphinx Orchestral Partners Audition in Detroit, the Oberlin Senior Concerto Competition, and the Ohio Viola Society Competition. He is now pursuing professional auditions to continue developing his orchestral musicianship. Eventually, he hopes to make this art form more accessible by teaching young violists and bringing music to communities that would otherwise not be able to seek it out.

Keshav Srinivasan is an Indo-Canadian-American violinist and chamber musician. He is currently a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and has served as concertmaster of the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, he was concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, where he received the Award of Excellence, and was named to CBC Music's “30 Under 30.” He is a two-time member of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA and a two-time National YoungArts award winner. He has performed as a substitute musician with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and was a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School. He will attend the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan this summer. His musical foundation includes over a decade of training in Carnatic vocal music, which continues to shape his approach to phrasing, listening, and sound.

Alongside performance, Srinivasan is committed to music education and community engagement. In 2019, he co-founded K2K Strings, an initiative that provided over 250 free virtual string lessons during the pandemic. He has also taught through programs such as Evanston Young Artists and through community initiatives with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He holds a dual degree in violin performance and economics from Northwestern University.

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