News

This month, NEC students and faculty electrified the Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre during Chirp, a six-night concert series featuring live electronic music and cutting-edge technology. Chirp concerts included multimedia compositions, acousmatic music, and computer-assisted pieces. The performances were led by faculty members Davide Ianni, Ted Reichman, Lautaro Mantilla, John Mallia, and Stratis Minakakis.   

Cellist Leland Ko ’24 AD and violinist Nathan Amaral ’24 GC are two of the four winners of the 2024 Concert Artists Guild (CAG) Louis and Susan Meisel Competition, announced May 10. 

On Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m. in NEC’s historic Jordan Hall, more than 200 graduating students will receive their diplomas following remarks from Commencement Speaker Paul Simon, Alumni Speaker Lina Gonzáles-Granados ’14 MM, ’15 GD, and Student Speaker June Chung ’24 MM; honorary degree conferments upon Simon, Dawn Upshaw, and Robert Spano; and performances from a New Orleans-style jazz ensemble and a CMA folk ensemble.   

In honor of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11, Olga Kaminsky ’25 and Eva Ostrovsky-Kaminsky ’06 GD reflect on their unique mother-daughter legacy in NEC's Community Performances and Partnerships program. 

Since completing his studies in Piano Performance at New England Conservatory, Yang Bao ’15, ’17 MM has built a thriving creative career as an installation artist, filmmaker, pianist, and composer whose art is having a worldwide impact. Bao’s exceptional interdisciplinary creative projects, notably his sound installations, have earned him accolades and collaborations with massive brands, including commissions from Dior, Louis XIII, and Opus One Winery. On May 11, the Long Museum in Shanghai, China, will open MADLANDS, an exhibition created by Bao and his partner Wa Liu, featuring a new body of multimedia works.

Eighteen-year-old violinist Keila Wakao ’29, a current NEC Preparatory School student enrolling at the college this fall, will make her Boston Symphony Orchestra debut during the BSO's Opening Night Gala concert in September 2024 under music director Andris Nelsons. The BSO’s invitation follows her Grand Prize in the 2023 Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

Israeli-Mexican-American cellist, educator, and NEC alumna Michal Shein ’08 MM teaches Foundations of Teaching Artistry, which lays the groundwork for NEC's popular new Teaching Artistry and Music Education concentration. Shein has built a flourishing career as both a sought-after performer and a master pedagogue in music programs across Boston and beyond.  She shares her expertise with the next generation of teaching artists in this new role at NEC. 

Alumnus Josh Baker ’14 has been appointed the new associate principal bassoon of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal bassoon of the Boston Pops, beginning in the 2024-25 season. 

World-renowned violinist and three-time Grammy Award winner Hilary Hahn hosted a master class to a packed house in New England Conservatory's Williams Hall featuring violin students Yirou Ronnie Zhang ’26, David Carreon ’25 MM, and Emma Boyd ’25.