Handel and Haydn Society Names Fellows for 2025/27 Seasons

Violinist Eliana Estrada and cellist Sarah Ghandour will both undertake a two-year Fellowship with the baroque ensemble

Launched in 2023, the Stone Fellowship program at Boston's Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) is specifically designed to foster equity in the industry and is open to candidates from diverse backgrounds.

The two-year fellowship offers training and mentorship, performances with the H+H Orchestra and Chorus, career counseling, and additional coaching and performance opportunities with partners including the New England Conservatory (NEC).

The organization has selected two fellows to work with the orchestra over the next two seasons: Eliana Estrada (violin) and Sarah Ghandour (cello).

Beginning her musical journey with fiddle music, Eliana Estrada studied baroque violin at Oberlin College and Conservatory, where she was also concertmaster of the baroque ensemble. She continued her focus at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Master of Music), again leading the baroque ensemble as concertmaster and winning the 2023 and 2024 SFCM Baroque Concerto Competitions.

Sarah Ghandour has recently received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, where she also received a Master’s degree studying under Colin Carr. The winner of the solo competition at the 2019 Pablo Casals Festival, Ghandour has also performed at the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival, Les Rencontres Musicales de Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne, Music@Menlo, and Yellow Barn. She was recently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Slovenia, where she researched and performed Slovenian folk and classical music across the country.

"Both Eliana and Sarah stood out not only because of their incredible talent, but for the energy and passion they have for early music and period performance," said Jonathan Cohen, H+H Artistic Director. "I am confident that over the next two years Eliana and Sarah will become part of the fabric of H+H and contribute much to Boston’s vibrant music community."

"H+H truly believes in creating an inclusive space where anyone and everyone can connect through the experience of music," said outgoing Fellow Carmen Lavada Johnson-Pájaro. "I was also happy to learn about the many ways H+H is involved in the community outside of concerts at Symphony Hall."