NEC’s Community Performances and Partnerships (CPP) Program enriches communities through the power of music.
By John Sherer
With a faculty filled with brilliant artists, dedicated teachers, and some of the most talented students in the world, the CI department continues to crescendo.
By Ann Braithwaite & Milva McDonald
Bradley Williams, Voice Chair, and Anthony León, Artist Diploma Tenor, discuss their lasting bond and what makes NEC special.
By Stephanie Janes
The flexibility, imagination, and experimentation so core to the ethos of NEC have only been amplified in challenging times.
Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of this edition of the Magazine via the links below, featuring photos, videos, and articles from the performances and events of the 2021-2022 school year.
See photos from the April 2022 performances of Perla’s “An American Dream,” Ravel’s “L’enfant et les sortilèges,” and Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas,” under the direction of Joshua Major, Chair of Opera Studies.
New England Conservatory celebrated the centennial of the birth of John Arthur "Jaki" Byard: influential jazz pianist, multi-instrumentalist, and member of Charles Mingus' band; in addition to being the cornerstone of the original Afro-American Music and Jazz Studies Department founded in 1969 at NEC by Carl Atkins ‘75 MM, ‘21 Hon. DM and Gunther Schuller ‘78 Hon. DM.
This year, Byard's former students who have since become faculty at NEC, including Contemporary Improvisation Co-Chair Hankus Netsky '76, '78 MM and Jazz Piano faculty member Jason Moran, joined Atkins and special guest Jed Levy '80 to reflect on the legacy of this influential yet under-recognized artist, and set the stage for further exploration of his archive and achievements.
The NEC Jazz Orchestra and special guests Carl Atkins, Jed Levy, and Jason Moran celebrated the centennial of Jaki Byard's birth with a concert honoring his influential music and legacy.
NEC’s 151st Commencement took place on Sunday, May 22, in Jordan Hall, with the community celebrating the achievements of our remarkable students during a challenging time.
On May 11, 2022, internationally beloved pianist Evgeny Kissin performed at NEC to raise funds for Ukraine in a powerful and moving event with the NEC community.
Cécile McLorin Salvant Dazzles During NEC's 2021 "Grow Your Art” Residency
New England Conservatory’s annual “Grow Your Art” residency, presented by NEC Jazz & Entrepreneurial Musicianship, brings accomplished musicians to the NEC campus to share their wisdom with the community through a series of teaching events, panels, and concerts. This year’s residency featured jazz singer, songwriter, and visual artist Cécile McLorin Salvant, who at only 32 has already been the recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, performed across the globe, and most recently, in 2020, won a MacArthur Fellowship.
Salvant brought her dazzling presence to NEC during the last week of November to work with students in a master class, share her perspective on a music business panel with other female-identifying musicians and professionals, and give a concert with the NEC Jazz Small Ensembles.
A Conversation with Tanya Blaich on the Inspiring, Little-Known History of 19th Century Female Composers
This year’s musical programming at NEC featured a particular focus on the history of female musicians and composers, who are often neglected in narratives and performances of classical music and other forms. This focus was highlighted by the Liederabend program on November 3, 2021, titled “The Ungifted Sex: Pioneer Women Composers of Song in the 19th Century.” Tanya Blaich, voice and piano faculty member at NEC, is one of the directors and coaches of the Liederabend series, and we spoke to her to learn more about how these pieces were selected and what she discovered in the process.
For this second issue of the revitalized NEC Magazine, we thought it would be fun to get to know Ben Sosland, NEC’s Provost and Dean of Students. Ben joined the NEC team in summer 2021, after serving as Interim Dean and Director of the Music Division of the Juilliard School.
We decided to take the classic Proust Questionnaire and give it a musical twist to create the Proust Questionnaire Playlist! Instead of the conventional format, all of his answers will be about composers, artists, and pieces of music. Listen to Ben's selections below on Spotify and learn more about his answers in the Magazine.
Want to revisit the inaugural spring 2021 edition of the NEC Magazine? Check it out in digital format, with supplemental material, at the link!