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Press Releases
New England Conservatory Announces Spring 2022 Season
New England Conservatory Announces Spring 2022 Season
Over 100 free events including concerts, master classes, panels, and workshops
Season Highlights:
– NEC Wind Ensemble and Choirs offer a 50th anniversary celebration of the Wind Ensemble by presenting Igor Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms,” and the world premiere commission of Chris Brubeck’s first wind ensemble piece, “Fifty”
– Centennial celebrations for jazz legends composer/multi-instrumentalist Jaki Byard (an NEC faculty member from 1969-1985) and seminal American composer/bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus include performances of their most powerful works by NEC ensembles and soloists
– Residencies and master classes by musical trailblazers – composer Ellen Taffe Zwilich, flutist/saxophonist/composer Anna Webber, bassist/composer Dave Holland, Edward Dusinberre of the Takács Quartet, singer/songwriter, pianist and composer Gabriel Kahane, pianist Kirill Gerstein, violist Dimitri Murrath, collaborative pianist James Baillieu, Irish music violinist Liz Knowles, cellist Guy Johnston, pianist Jonathan Biss, conductor and coach Teresa Rodriguez, violinist Karla Donehew Perez of the Catalyst Quartet, and others to be announced
– Grow Your Art Pitch Night, a live event featuring NEC students and recent alumni competing for grants of up to $7,500.
– Concerts by legendary jazz faculty including Jason Moran and the American premiere of Ethan Iverson’s Ritornello, Sinfonias, and Cadenzas in both Boston and NYC
– The Opera Department presents “Don Pasquale” with the NEC Philharmonic Orchestra, and a run of triple-bill one-act operas in the spring
– Ritual, produced by Contemporary Improvisation faculty member Anthony Coleman, draws on the music of weddings, funerals and other ritual occasions to explore the ways ritual manifests in our life and music.
– Concerts which celebrate diversity by NEC’s Black Student Union in honor of NEC alumna Coretta Scott King, and the Asian Student Association’s Lunar New Year performance
– First Monday performances highlighting the contributions of Scriabin, Vaughan Williams, and Stravinsky. NEC Chamber Singers joins pianists and percussionists for a special collaborative performance of Stravinsky’s “Les Noces” in May to honor the 50th anniversary of his passing
– NEC Chamber Singers and Chamber Ensemble join forces to perform Craig Hella Johnson’s powerful fusion oratorio, “Considering Matthew Shepard”
Boston, MA–January 13, 2022–New England Conservatory (NEC) announces its 2022 spring season showcasing the profound artistry and bold creativity of its students, faculty, and guest artists.
Select performances and events in January will be streamed live from NEC’s performance spaces due to Covid precautions. In person audiences will be welcomed back to the halls beginning in February (subject to change). All livestreams and other streamed performances are free and can be found on the NEC website. Some performances will be broadcast via NEC’s YouTube channel for on-demand viewing.
Additional performances and recitals to be added throughout the season. For detailed information, including Covid precautions, please visit https://necmusic.edu/concerts.
Concert dates and repertoire subject to change.
SPRING 2022 EVENTS
Tuesday, January 18 | Callithumpian Ensemble, Steve Drury, dir.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Tuesday, January 25 | Tuesday Night New Music
7:30 p.m., Brown Hall
The newest works from the next generation of composers. Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series directed by Brooks Clarke '22 MM under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.
Tuesday, January 25 | Kirill Gerstein Piano Masterclass
4:00 p.m., Williams Hall
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.
Tuesday, January 25 | Jazz Small Ensemble Concert
8:00 p.m., Eben Jordan
Wednesday, January 26 | Guest Artist Award Concert, Borromeo String Quartet
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
One of the Borromeo's most-loved activities in their Faculty Quartet Residency at NEC is the auditions to select the Winners of the Guest Artist Awards. What the quartet loves is the week of collaboration where every student who has entered the competition has a session playing and working together with the Quartet. This is a very inspiring experience to collaborate with all of these students, and then to afford special recognition to those who are chosen as winners. In addition, tonight's concert has another feature. The Borromeo will be collaborating with Ian David Rosenbaum to play the world premiere of "Mysteria," a work written for the Borromeo Quartet by Theodore Wiprud through a commission from Chamber Music America.
WIPRUD: "Mysteria" for String Quartet and Percussion – WORLD PREMIERE
CAPLET: “Conte Fantastique” (The Masque of Red Death) from Poe for Harp and String Quartet
MARTINU: String Sextet
SCHUBERT: "Trout" Quintet
Winners of the 2021-2022 Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award:
Yandi Chen, Piano (Schubert Trout Quintet)
Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, Violin (Martinu Sextet)
Dilshod Narzillaev, Cello (Martinu Sextet)
Cara Pogossian, Viola (Martinu Sextet)
Li Shan Tan, Harp (Caplet Conte Fantastique)
Thursday, January 27 | James Baillieu Voice and Collaborative Piano Master Class
12:00 p.m., Williams Hall
Friday, January 28 | Piano Department Concert
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Two concerts of solo piano music on January 28 and February 18 by musicians who taught or studied at NEC throughout its remarkable 150-year history. Students from the Piano Department, along with NEC Jazz majors, and students from the Preparatory School will play music by Florence Price, Ferruccio Busoni, Jaki Byard, Gunther Schuller, Cecil Taylor, J. Rosamond Johnson, Chou Wen-chung, and many more.
Sunday, January 30 | Asian Student Association Lunar New Year Performance
6:00 p.m., Burnes Hall
Monday, January 31 | Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation Department Faculty Spotlight Concert
7:30 p.m. Jordan Hall
Wednesday, February 2 | NEC Symphony, Conducted by David Loebel
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
James Lee III’s “Ichabod! The Protest is Over!” and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 both commemorate important anniversaries of the Protestant Reformation--Lee’s work marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation’s beginning and Mendelssohn’s symphony the 300th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession. Both composers quote the well-known Lutheran hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” but the similarities end there. Despite some serious moments, Mendelssohn’s symphony is essentially triumphant, whereas Lee transplants a long ago event in European history into the murky context of modern America’s religious and political conflicts.
LEE III: Ichabod! The Protest is Over
ABE: Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra (Hayoung Halle Song '22 MM, marimba)
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 5 in D Major
Wednesday, February 2 | Liederabend
6:00 p.m., Williams Hall
Thursday, February 3 | Concert by Jazz Faculty Member Jason Moran
7:30 p.m., Williams Hall
Thursday, February 3 | Callithumpian Ensemble, Steve Drury, dir.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Monday, February 7 | Anna Webber Master Class
1:00 p.m., Eben Jordan
Monday, February 7 | Jazz Faculty Member Ethan Iverson celebrates new Blue Note album Every Note Is True plus US Premiere of Ritornello, Sinfonias, and Cadenzas
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Jazz faculty member Ethan Iverson celebrates his new Blue Note Records album Every Note Is True with a concert featuring Iverson’s trio with Larry Grenadier and Nasheet Waits. The concert will also feature the American premiere of Ritornello, Sinfonias, and Cadenzas, a through-composed, 40-minute suite for eight horns and rhythm section played by members of the New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra. They’ll present the same program on February 11, 2022 at Roulette in Brooklyn.
Tuesday, February 8 | Anna Webber conducts NEC Jazz Composers’ Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
As part of her NEC residency, trailblazing composer, flutist and saxophonist Anna Webber conducts The NEC Jazz Composers' Orchestra in her recent works for big band. She also performs with a quartet of jazz department students in a program of music from her recent release IDIOM as well as other small group pieces. Webber’s interests and work live in the aesthetic overlap between avant-garde jazz and new classical music.
February 9-10 | NEC Graduate Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra Present “Don Pasquale”(Donizetti)
Wednesday, February 9, 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Thursday, February 10, 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Conductor, Robert Tweten
Stage Director, Steven Goldstein
Donizetti's charming comedy is filled with virtuosic singing and playful humor. The nephew Ernesto, the wily doctor Malatesta, and the charming Norina team up to teach the miserly Don Pasquale a lesson he won’t forget.
Thursday, February 10 | Dimitri Murrath Viola Masterclass
10:00 a.m., Williams Hall
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.
Thursday, February 10 | Borromeo String Quartet Beethoven Cycle, Program 4
7:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
The Borromeo String Quartet, NEC’s faculty quartet in residence, will play from the wider range of expressive markings Beethoven included in his handwritten manuscripts, reading directly from the manuscripts and from new editions prepared by violinist and NEC faculty Nicholas Kitchen.
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No.5, Op.18
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131
Discussion: “Pivot on PPP//: Darkness to Whimsy to Terror to…Resolution?”
Thursday, February 10 | Grow Your Art Pitch Night
6:30 p.m., Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
NEC students and recent alumni compete for up to $7,500 to help develop the business side of their musicianship. The competitive application process is modeled on real-world grants, and finalists present at this live pitch event, a collaboration between NEC’s Jazz Studies and Entrepreneurial Musicianship departments.
Friday, February 11 | Ethan Iverson celebrates new Blue Note album Every Note Is True plus US Premiere of Ritornello, Sinfonias, and Cadenzas
8:00 p.m., Roulette Brooklyn
Jazz faculty member Ethan Iverson celebrates his new Blue Note Records album Every Note Is True with a concert featuring Iverson’s trio with Larry Grenadier and Nasheet Waits. The concert will also feature the NYC premiere of Ritornello, Sinfonias, and Cadenzas, a through-composed, 40-minute suite for eight horns and rhythm section played by members of the New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra.
Monday, February 14 | NEC Chamber Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
The NEC Chamber Orchestra Winter and SprIng concerts feature three compelling and diverse works composed in 1945: Stravinsky's Concerto in D, his first work composed as an American citizen; Mary Lou Williams' Zodiac Suite, a groundbreaking work exploring jazz in an orchestral setting and William Walton's Sonata for Strings, his 1971 adaptation of his A minor String Quartet. Paired with the Williams is Hall Overton's Symphony for Strings, a neglected work from the 1950's by this important Third-Stream composer and seminal figure in the New York Jazz scene. Our final program will feature the winner of this year's Violin Competition in a concerto by Bach, Haydn or Mozart and Strauss' heavenly Sextet from his final opera, “Capriccio”.
STRAVINSKY: Concerto in D "Basel Concerto"
WILLIAMS, MARY LOU: Zodiac Suite (selections TBA)
OVERTON: Symphony for Strings
Tuesday, February 15 | Nothing But The Truth: A Portrait of Abbey Lincoln
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Under the guidance of Ran Blake, Eden MacAdam-Somer, and special guest Christine Correa, CI students take a deep dive into the life and work of singer, composer, activist, and actress Abbey Lincoln, from her collaborations with Max Roach and their groundbreaking album We Insist!, and her work with composer R B Lynch, through her own introspective songs on life, love, spirit, and humanity. Performers include guest artists Christine Correa and Franciso Mela, NEC faculty Ken Schaphorst, Dominique Eade, Anthony Coleman, Eden MacAdam-Somer, Ran Blake, and Farayi Malek, and projects led by CI students Solomon Caldwell, Sarah Matsushima, Yoona Kim, Catherine Byrne, Avi Randall, Francesca Terberg, Emily Mitchell, Caleb Schmale, and many more.
Tuesday, February 15 | Tuesday Night New Music
7:30 p.m., Pierce Hall
The newest works from the next generation of composers. Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series directed by Brooks Clarke '22 MM under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.
Wednesday, February 16 | NEC Philharmonia, Hugh Wolff, conductor
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Engaging dance music from Hector Berlioz and Jessie Montgomery – the former can’t decide whether to be a waltz or a march, the latter has everything from neo-baroque to jazz and Latino dances. Then the first symphony of Jean Sibelius in which he defies the trends of his time and stakes out a strikingly original position as a 20th century symphonist: lyricism, tonal ambiguity, dark colors, and dramatic use of gradually shifting tempos, all within traditional forms. These are features that will define Sibelius for decades to come.
BERLIOZ: Overture to "Béatrice et Bénédict"
MONTGOMERY: "Coincident Dances"
SIBELIUS: Symphony No.1, Op.39
Thursday, February 17 | Sonata Night
6:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
Thursday, February 17 | NEC Wind Ensemble: “Poetry Through Sound” Conducted by Nicolás M. Ayala Cerón, DMA ‘22
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Childlike wonder, innocence, and awe serve as inspiration for this NECWE concert. Bruce Broughton’s “Concerto for Piccolo and Wind Ensemble” is a whimsical musical exploration of an uncommon solo instrument performed by masters student Megan Trach. Featured as well are two works based on poetry inspired by children: Frank Ticheli’s “Songs of Love and Life” share a parent’s desire to safeguard and nurture their precious young ones. David Maslanka’s masterwork “A Child’s Garden of Dreams” interprets through sound a child’s drawings based on her dreams. Through the many current challenges, children’s imaginations continue to inspire us and bring us joy.
TICHELI: Songs of Love and Life
BROUGHTON: Concerto for Piccolo and Wind Ensemble
MASLANKA: A Child’s Garden of Dreams
Megan Trach, MM '23 Flute, Concerto Competition winner
Friday, February 18 | Piano Department Concert
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Two concerts of solo piano music on January 28 and February 18 by musicians who taught or studied at NEC throughout its remarkable 150-year history. Students from the Piano Department, along with NEC Jazz majors, and students from the Preparatory School will play music by NEC alumna Florence Price, Ferruccio Busoni, Jaki Byard, Gunther Schuller, Cecil Taylor, J. Rosamond Johnson, Chou Wen-chung, and many more.
Wednesday, February 23 | MaryAnn McCormick and Cameron Stowe Faculty Recital
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Thursday, February 24 | Coretta Scott King Tribute Concert
7:00 p.m., Brown Hall
NEC’s Black Student Union continues the tradition of honoring the life of Coretta Scott King during the month of February. This year, our festival is titled “Continuation of a Dream: A Legacy Unyielding.” The history of Black people is one filled with tenacity, will, and strength. It is also one filled with vulnerability, wisdom, learning, and growth. Last year with “Continuation of a Dream: Requiem, we mourned what we have lost and reflected on the pain we have endured. Now we rise, our minds and spirits determined to create something meaningful for ourselves and for each other. Now we rise, enriching our world with our hearts and our artistry. Now we rise, resolute in each step up the path we have ahead of us.
Thursday, February 24 | Balourdet String Quartet Recital
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Saturday, February 26 | Lyle Davidson Memorial Concert
8:00 p.m., Jordan Hall
Monday, February 28 | NEC Composers’ Series Concert
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Wednesday, March 2 | NEC Symphony, Paul Biss, cond.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
ZWILICH: Upbeat!
DVORÁK: Concerto in A minor for Violin and Orchestra
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5
Wednesday, March 2 | Liederabend
6:00 p.m., Williams Hall
Thursday, March 3 | Jaki Byard’s 100th Birthday Panel Discussion
1:00 p.m., Williams Hall
Jazz Studies Chair Ken Schaphorst, Carl Atkins and Jed Levy discuss Byard’s life and legacy.
Thursday, March 3 | NEC Jazz Orchestra Celebrates Jaki Byard’s 100th Birthday
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
In celebration of Jaki Byard’s 100th Birthday, the NEC Jazz Orchestra will play repertoire from Jaki Byard’s Apollo Stompers, including “Aluminum Baby,” “Spanish Tinge” and “Up Jumps One.”
Thursday, March 3 | Voice Department Concert
8:30 p.m., Williams Hall
Sunday, March 6 | Karla Donehew Perez (Catalyst Quartet) Master Class (Prep)
11:00 a.m., Keller Room
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Robert and Jane Morse Endowed Chamber Music Fund.
Monday, March 7 | First Monday
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
The spring season of First Monday continues honoring birthdays of composers (Scriabin and Vaughan Williams) and a major extension of homage to Stravinsky on the 50th anniversary of his passing (1971), begun in the December program.
All programs feature “keyboards” - mostly piano of course, but even guitarist Eliot Fisk’s transcription of Scarlatti Sonatas.
SCHUBERT - Fantasy in F Minor (Piano 4 Hands)
IVERSON - Piano Sonata
BRAHMS - Piano Quintet Op. 34
Haesun Paik, Evren Ozel, Alessio Bax, Ayano Ninomiya, Lucy Chapman, Kim Kashkashian, Larry Lesser
Monday, March 7 | NEC Shivaree, Stephen Drury, dir.
7:30 p.m., Williams Hall
[nec]shivaree, the NEC avant-garde ensemble directed by NEC faculty Stephen Drury, is the attack wing of NEC's new music program, performing the modern, the new, and the avant-garde. Sounds are provided by such composers as John Cage, Steve Reich, Morton Feldman, George Crumb, Galina Ustvolskaya, and Giacinto Scelsi. The players of [nec]shivaree have worked with composers John Zorn, John Luther Adams, Christian Wolff, and Frederic Rzewski. The group gives concerts both inside and outside of the Conservatory, and has performed regularly at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge and Tonic and The Stone in New York.
Tuesday, March 8 | Guy Johnston Cello Masterclass
2:00 p.m., Pierce Hall
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.
Tuesday, March 8 | NEC Symphonic Winds & Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble, Bill Drury, dir.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
ZHANG: Fanfare for the Symphonic Winds
SPITTAL: “Blue Allusions” for Trombone and Winds, Ross Holcomb (alum) soloist
MANCINI/RIVELLO: “Dreamsville”
BERNSTEIN/RIVELLO: Some Other Time
FIRSOVA: "Oblivion" for soprano, trombone quartet, and percussion
Ally Bennett, soprano (MM student)
Wednesday, March 9 | NEC Philharmonia, Mei-Ann Chen, cond. ('95,'98 MM)
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
AUERBACH: “Icarus”
Solo Work to be announced
DVORÁK: Symphony No. 8 in G Major
Thursday, March 10 | Sonata Night
6:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
March 10-11 | Perkin Opera Scenes
Thursday, March 10, 6:30 p.m.: Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
Friday, March 11, 6:30 p.m.: Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
Thursday, March 10, 6:00 p.m. and Friday, March 11, 8:00p.m.
Excerpts from operas by Cimarosa, Handel, Gretry, Hoiby, Gounod, Donizetti, Offenbach
Thursday, March 10, 8:00 p.m. and Friday, March 11, 6:00 p.m.
All Mozart ensemble program which features the brilliant talent of our First Year Master students!
March 13-18 | Teresa Rodriguez Residency
Mexican pianist, conductor, and coach, Teresa Rodriguez, joins NEC’s Song and Opera programs for a week-long residency with coachings and a master class. This residency is made possible by the Ruth S. Morse Fund for Visiting Scholars in Voice.
Wednesday, March 16 | NEC Philharmonia, Hugh Wolff, cond.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
CHIN: UNSUK: Frontispiece
SIBELIUS: Concerto for Violin, Op, 47
DEBUSSY: Images
Maria Ioudenitch, violin, Artist Diploma
Thursday, March 17 | Borromeo String Quartet Beethoven Cycle, Program 5
7:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
The Borromeo String Quartet, NEC’s faculty quartet in residence, will play from the wider range of expressive markings Beethoven included in his handwritten manuscripts, reading directly from the manuscripts and from new editions prepared by violinist and NEC faculty Nicholas Kitchen.
BEETHOVEN: Op. 18, No. 6
BEETHOVEN: Op. 74
Discussion: “Ghosts of Prior Plans–Underneath the Scrape marks”
Thursday, March 17 | NEC Chamber Singers and Chamber Ensemble, Erica J. Washburn, conductor
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
“On Tuesday, October 6, 1998, at approximately 11:45 p.m., twenty-one--year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay college student attending the University of Wyoming, was kidnapped from a bar by twenty-one-year old Aaron McKinney and tweny-one-year-old Russell Henderson. Pretending to be gay, the two men lured Matthew Shepard into their truck, drove him to the outsidrts of Laramie, robbed him, beat him with a pistol, tied him to a buck-rail fence, and left him to die. The next day, at about 6:00 p.m. - eighteen hours after the attack - he was discovered and taken to a hospital. He never regained consciousness and died five days later, on Monday, October 12, with his family by his side.” -Lesléa Newman
More now than ever musicians wrestle with the message(s) they wish to convey through their artistry. "Can I, should I, use my performance as a platform for change?" That is a question every artist struggles with, in different ways. Some quickly say "Of course I should!" but then wonder, "how?!" Others live in fear of censorship and reprisal if they try. A fusion oratorio, “Considering Matthew Shepard” is a recent work in the choral canon focused on facets of social justice, calling its performers, and listeners, to not only mourn the loss of a young man's life taken too soon, but to reflect on the numerous ways love, hate, and compassion live side-by-side.
CRAIG HELLA JOHNSON: “Considering Matthew Shepard”
Monday, March 28 | Mark Zaleski Faculty Recital
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Monday – Wednesday, March 28, 29 and 30 | CI Salon Nights and Jazz Ensemble Concerts
7:00 p.m., Eben Jordan Ensemble Room
Tuesday, March 29 | Tuesday Night New Music
7:30 p.m., Williams Hall
The newest works from the next generation of composers. Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series directed by Brooks Clarke '22 MM under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.
Tuesday, March 29 | Gabriel Kahane leads a Songwriters Master Class
7:00 p.m., SLPC Room G01
NEC's Contemporary Improvisation Department hosts a residency with singer-songwriter, pianist, and composer Gabriel Kahane. Over the past decade, Kahane has established himself as a distinct and penetrating voice, responding in his music to many of the most compelling issues of our time. He is also well known for his work bridging the worlds of folk and classical music, with commissions that include string quartets and symphonic compositions, tours with Andrew Bird and the Punch Brothers and recordings with Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Blake Mills.
Wednesday, March 30 | Gabriel Kahane leads a discussion of his music
2:30 p.m., Pierce Hall
Thursday, March 31 | Jazz Honors Ensemble Concert
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
April 1-2 | NEC Opera Undergraduate Opera Studio presents Act 1 & 2 of Die Fledermaus (J.Strauss)
Friday, April 1, 8:00 p.m., Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
Saturday, April 2, 8:00 p.m., Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
Conductor and pianist, Justin Williams
Stage Director, Steven Goldstein
Members of the Undergraduate Opera Studio present Act 1 and 2 of Strauss’s brilliant fin de siecle Operetta.
Sunday, April 3 | Salute to Astor Piazzolla: 30th Annual Composer Anniversary Celebration
3:00 p.m., Jordan Hall
Hosted by Ron Della Chiesa (WCRB Host), enjoy a celebration of Piazzolla's works. Featuring NEC faculty, alumni, and guest artists:
Victor Cayres, piano; Tatyana Dudochkin, piano; Yelena Dudochkin, soprano; Maria Ioudenitch, violin; Rodolfo Zanetti, bandoneon; Sam Ou, cello; Zaira Meneses, guitar; Yuila Musayelyan Tango Project; Dance Studio-TODOS; and more.
April 4-8 | Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – 2022 Malcolm Peyton Composer Artist-in-Residence
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich is the recipient of numerous prizes and honors, including the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in Music (the first woman ever to receive this coveted award). A prolific composer in virtually all media, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s works have been performed by most of the leading American orchestras and by major ensembles abroad. As NEC’s Malcolm Peyton Composer Artist-in-Residence, she will lead master classes and workshops with NEC’s composition department April 4-8, 2022.
Monday, April 4 | First Monday
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
The spring season of First Monday continues honoring birthdays of composers (Scriabin and Vaughan Williams) and a major extension of homage to Stravinsky on the 50th anniversary of his passing (1971), begun in our December program.
All programs feature “keyboards” - mostly piano of course, but even guitarist Eliot Fisk’s transcription of Scarlatti Sonatas.
SCARLATTI - Sonatas (transcribed for guitar by Eliot Fisk)
CASTELNUOVO TEDESCO - Fantasie for guitar
SCRIABIN - Romance for Soprano and Piano
SCRIABIN - Piano Sonata, No. 9 “Black Mass”
SCRIABIN - Romance for Cello and piano
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - “On Wenlock Edge”
Eliot Fisk, Jonathan Swensen, Marc-André Hamelin, Tanya BLaich, Anthony Leon, Soovin Kim, Robyn Bollinger, Hsin-Yun Huang, Lluis Claret
Monday – Wednesday, April 4 - 6 | Irish Music Residency with Liz Knowles
Monday – Thursday, April 4, 5, 6, 7 | CI Salon Nights and Jazz Ensemble Concerts
7:00 p.m., Eben Jordan
Tuesday, April 5 | Dave Holland Master Class
2:00 p.m., Pierce Hall
The master class is presented as part of the Grow Your Art Program and funded through an anonymous donor.
Wednesday, April 6 | NEC Orchestra, David Loebel, cond.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
This concert highlights the talents of NEC’s students, beginning with a work by an NEC student composer. Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, despite its title and frequent appearances on concerts for children, is a virtuoso orchestral showpiece that gives every section of the orchestra a chance to shine. Sibelius’ monumental Symphony No. 5, a paean to nature and to music’s awe-inspiring power, brings NEC Symphony’s 2021-22 season to an impressive close.
NEW COMPOSITION (student competition)
BRITTEN: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82
Wednesday, April 6 | Liederabend
6:00 p.m., Williams Hall
Thursday, April 7 | Dave Holland Residency Performance with Jazz Ensembles
7:30 p.m., Brown Hall
As part of his week-long residency, visiting artist-in-residence bassist, composer, and NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland presents a concert with student jazz ensembles. The residency is presented as part of the Grow Your Art Program and funded through an anonymous donor.
Tuesday, April 5 | Saxophone Ensemble
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Thursday, April 7 | NEC Composers’ Series Concert
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Sunday, April 10 | Brass Bash
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Brass Bash celebrates the students in NEC’s brass department, and features performances for mixed brass ensemble as well as from our horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba classes. In addition, the event concludes with a mass brass choir, featuring all of our students in the performance of Strauss’s Feierlicher Aufzug. This year’s iteration is proud to feature international artist and Principal Tuba of the Boston Symphony, Mike Roylance!
Monday, April 11 | CI Wild Card Honors Ensemble Concert
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
April 11, 12, 13, 14, 18 | CI Salon Nights and Jazz Ensemble Concerts
7:00 p.m. Eben Jordan
Tuesday, April 12 | NEC Percussion Group
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Tuesday, April 12 | NEC Shivaree, Stephen Drury, dir.
7:30 p.m., Brown Hall
[nec]shivaree, the NEC avant-garde ensemble directed by NEC faculty Stephen Drury, is the attack wing of NEC's new music program, performing the modern, the new, and the avant-garde. Sounds are provided by such composers as John Cage, Steve Reich, Morton Feldman, George Crumb, Galina Ustvolskaya, and Giacinto Scelsi. The players of [nec]shivaree have worked with composers John Zorn, John Luther Adams, Christian Wolff, and Frederic Rzewski. The group gives concerts both inside and outside of the Conservatory, and has performed regularly at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge and Tonic and The Stone in New York.
Wednesday, April 13 | NEC Chamber Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
The NEC Chamber Orchestra Winter and SprIng concerts feature three compelling and diverse works composed in 1945: Stravinsky's Concerto in D, his first work composed as an American citizen; Mary Lou Williams' Zodiac Suite, a groundbreaking work exploring jazz in an orchestral setting and William Walton's Sonata for Strings, his 1971 adaptation of his A minor String Quartet. Paired with the Williams is Hall Overton's Symphony for Strings, a neglected work from the 1950's by this important Third-Stream composer and seminal figure in the New York Jazz scene. Our final program will feature the winner of this year's Violin Competition in a concerto by Bach, Haydn or Mozart and Strauss' heavenly Sextet from his final opera, Capriccio.
STRAUSS: Sextet for Strings, from “Capriccio”
Violin Concerto winner performance, TBD
WALTON: Sonata for Strings
Thursday, April 14 | Sonata Night
6:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
Thursday, April 14 | Contemporary Improvisation Honors Concert
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Friday, April 15 | Piano Honors Competition Final
2:00 p.m., Jordan Hall
Tuesday, April 19 | Charles Mingus Centennial Panel
1:00 p.m,. Pierce Hall
Tuesday, April 19 | Meditations on Mingus - A Centennial Celebration
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
This concert marks 100 years since the birth of seminal American composer/bassist/bandleader/ record label founder/activist/poet Charles Mingus. In honor of this centenary, faculty member Frank Carlberg will curate a concert featuring Mingus’s music as well as music inspired by Mingus. Performers include Ran Blake, Jason Moran, Jason Palmer, Nedelka Prescod, Ted Reichman, NEC Black Student Union Ensemble, The NEC Wind Ensemble, NEC Jazz Orchestra and students from the Jazz Department. Compositions from all periods of Mingus' career are presented in a wide range of approaches ranging from faithful versions to radical re-compositions of the originals. Pieces to be performed include “Meditations On Integration,” “Fables of Faubus,” “Weird Nightmare,” “Reincarnation Of A Lovebird,” “Half-Mast Inhibition,” and others.
Wednesday, April 20 | NEC Philharmonia and Choirs, Hugh Wolff, conductor / Erica J. Washburn, chorus master
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
The NEC choirs join the NEC Philharmonia in two very different 20th century choral pieces. Bartók features women’s voices for his exuberant “Three Slovakian Village Scenes,” while Shostakovich uses only men’s voices – a male choir and a bass soloist – in his Symphony No. 13. This symphony, subtitled “Babi Yar” after the notorious World War II massacre and the Yevgeny Yevtushenko poem that describes it, is a song cycle inspired by Yevtushenko’s poetry. The poet’s unflinching, even brutal, honesty found an ideal musical voice in Shostakovich. Together they created one of the 20th century’s masterpieces.
BARTOK: Three Village Scenes, NEC Philharmonia & Symphonic Choir Sopranos & Altos
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 13 "Babi Yar", NEC Philharmonia & Symphonic Choir Tenors & Basses
Thursday, April 21 | Jonathan Biss Piano Masterclass
3:00 p.m., Williams Hall
This master class is made possible by Edith Michelson Milender in honor of her mother Mildred Levinson ‘29.
Thursday, April 21 | Borromeo String Quartet Beethoven Cycle, Program 6
7:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
The Borromeo String Quartet, NEC’s faculty quartet in residence, will play from the wider range of expressive markings Beethoven included in his handwritten manuscripts, reading directly from the manuscripts and from new editions prepared by violinist and NEC faculty Nicholas Kitchen.
BEETHOVEN: Op. 95
BEETHOVEN: Op. 135
Discussion: “Irony and Humor–Things are not what they seem”
Thursday, April 21 | The NEC Jazz Orchestra Celebrates the 100th Birthday of Charles Mingus
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
In honor of Charles Mingus’s centenary, the NEC Jazz Orchestra will perform “Mingus Fingers,” “The Shoes of the Fisherman’s Wife” and "Meditations on Integration."
April 21-24 | Graduate Opera: “L'Enfante et les Sortilèges,” “Dido and Aeneas,” “An American Dream”
All performances take place at the Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
“An American Dream”(Jack Perla) April 21 6:00pm, April 22 8:00pm, April 23 3:00pm, April 24 6:00pm
“Dido and Aeneas,”(Purcell/Britten) April 21 8:00pm, April 22 6:00pm, April 23 8:00, April 24 3:00pm
“L'Enfante et les Sortilèges,” (Ravel/Puntos) April 23 6:00pm, April 24 8:00pm
Conductor, Robert Tweten
Stage Directors, Joshua Major and Leon Major
Ten performances over 4 days! Jack Perla’s moving opera about the displacement of Japanese-Americans during WWII, Purcell’s haunting tale of love and sacrifice and Ravel’s magical and joyous opera are performed by NEC graduate students. Directed by Canadian opera and theatre director, Leon Major (former Artistic Director of Boston Lyric Opera), and his son Joshua Major, the Chair of Opera Studies at NEC.
Sunday, April 24, 2022 | Song and Verse: “Marcel Proust and the Mélodie: A Fin-De-Siècle Soirée”
7:00 p.m., Pierce Hall
The writings of Marcel Proust reflect the changing urban landscape in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. Our program explores works by composers who flourished during this time of upheaval, an era marked by new anxieties, inventivenesses, and freedoms. Whether blazing new trails or echoing past traditions, these songs document a lost world of sophistication and evocative beauty.
Debussy, “Chansons de Bilitis”/Fauré, “Cinq Mélodies de Venise”/Bachelet, “Chère nuit”/Songs by Reynaldo Hahn, Augusta Holmes, and Cécile Chaminade with readings from the writings of Marcel Proust.
Tuesday, April 26 | Jazz Composers Workshop Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Monday – Thursday, April 25, 27, 28 | CI Salon Nights and Jazz Ensemble Concerts
7:00 p.m., Eben Jordan
Wednesday, April 27 | Baroque Orchestra Concert
7:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
Thursday, April 28 | NEC Wind Ensemble and NEC Choirs, Charles Peltz, conductor / Erica J. Washburn, chorus master
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
The NEC Wind Ensemble concludes its season with 50th anniversary presents - a masterwork of the past and one destined to be so in the future. In 1930, the Boston Symphony celebrated its 50th anniversary by commissioning Igor Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms,” a moving and powerful tour de force of choral and instrumental writing. It was the high point of Stravinsky’s neoclassical period and of which he said: “it is not a symphony in which I have included Psalms to be sung. On the contrary, it is the singing of the Psalms that I am symphonizing.” In 2020 the NECWE celebrated its 50th anniversary and Covid postponed the premiere of its celebratory piece. Commissioned to honor the occasion was Jazz master Chris Brubeck (son of jazz legend David) who has written for major orchestras and ensembles internationally and was delighted to write his first wind ensemble piece. Entitled “Fifty,” it is “very NEC” –a vibrant wedding of jazz and classical styles – a fitting present for an NEC 50th.
STRAVINSKY: Symphony of Psalms
BRUBECK: “Fifty” (NEC commission/world premiere)
LIU: “The Torment of a Flower” for Wind Octet
GULDA: Concerto for Cello and Winds, Kenny Lee (NEC alumni soloist)
Sunday, May 1 | Edward Dusinberre (Takács Quartet) Master Class
2:00 p.m., Brown Hall
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.
Monday, May 2 | First Monday, Earl Lee, conductor / Erica J. Washburn, chorus master
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
MOZART - Clarinet Quintet, K. 581
STRAVINSKY - “Les Noces”
Michael Wayne, Miriam Fried, Geneva Lewis, Paul Biss, Tim Petrin
Earl Lee (conductor, “Les Noces”), Yukiko Takagi, Steven Drury, Max Levinson, NEC Chamber Singers and additional vocalists (Erica Washburn, dir.), percussion students
Monday – Thursday, May 2, 3, 5 | CI Salon Nights and Jazz Ensemble Concerts
7:00 p.m., Eben Jordan
Tuesday, May 3 | Tuesday Night New Music
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
The newest works from the next generation of composers. Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series directed by Brooks Clarke '22 MM under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.
Wednesday, May 4 | RITUAL: Directed by Anthony Coleman
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
In this concert produced by Anthony Coleman, CI students, faculty, and special guests draw from the music of weddings, funerals, and other ritual occasions and explore the ways that ritual manifests in our life and music.
Thursday, May 5 | Collaborative Piano Department: Instrumental Duo Recital
6:00 p.m., Brown Hall
Thursday, May 5 | Piano Honors Concert
7:30 p.m. Jordan Hall
“Night” is the theme of this year’s NEC Piano Honors Concert — nocturnes, night pieces — all the beauties, fears, and mysteries of the night in music by Frédéric Chopin, Clara Schumann, Ottorino Respighi, Howard Skempton, Maurice Ravel, and many more.
May 8-9 | Merz Trio “Undiluted days”
Sunday, May 8, 5:00 p.m.: Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
Monday, May 9, 7:30 p.m.: Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
“Undiluted days,” is an ongoing Merz Trio project centered around Tchaikovsky’s Trio “written in memory of a great artist.” Drawing on a diverse musical program interspersed with commentary from the performers, the project addresses of elegy: what it means to mourn and what it means to celebrate a life, as well as the sharpening of lived experience that accompanies emotions of suffering, nostalgia, grief, love, and joy.
Wednesday, May 18 | Trio Gaia Recital
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
Thursday, May 19 | NEC Youth Symphony
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
About New England Conservatory (NEC)
Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts in 1867, the New England Conservatory (NEC) represents a new model of music school that combines the best of European tradition with American innovation. The school stands at the center of Boston’s rich cultural history and musical life, presenting concerts at the renowned Jordan Hall.As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of Propelled by profound artistry, bold creativity and deep compassion, NEC seeks to amplify musicians’ impact on advancing our shared humanity, and empowers students to meet today’s changing world head-on, equipped with the tools and confidence to forge multidimensional lives of artistic depth and relevance.
As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of all ages from around the world, NEC is recognized internationally as a leader among music schools. It cultivates a diverse, dynamic community, providing music students of more than 40 countries with performance opportunities and high-caliber training from 225 internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. NEC pushes the boundaries of music-making and teaching through college-level training in classical, jazz and contemporary improvisation. Through unique interdisciplinary programs such as Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Performances & Partnerships, it empowers students to create their own musical opportunities. As part of NEC’s mission to make lifelong music education available to everyone, the Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education delivers training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students and adults.
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