Boston Symphony Orchestra

In 1881, Henry Higginson called upon 19 members of the New England Conservatory faculty to serve as section leaders in his new Boston Symphony Orchestra. The connection persists—today half of the BSO is composed of Conservatory faculty and alumni.

Two NEC alumni recently added to the BSO string rosters, violinist Julianne Lee and cellist Blaise Dejardin, were hired while still enrolled at NEC.

Each year during spring semester, NEC celebrates its BSO brass faculty and their students at a Brass Bash concert and at the Preparatory School's all-day brass workshop.

BSO veterans routinely coach NEC orchestra sectionals, coach chamber music, and teach string orchestral repertoire classes.

Guest artists performing on BSO concerts frequently give masterclasses at NEC during their time in Boston, under the auspices of NEC's Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.

Through selection by competition, NEC Preparatory and College students have been concerto soloists in Boston Pops spring concerts in Symphony Hall each year for many years. Preparatory students frequently perform in the BSO's fall Family Concerts. NEC ensembles routinely perform in Symphony Hall open house events. NEC's orchestral conducting students also conduct portions of Boston Pops concerts.

Since the 1990s, BSO assistant conductors have been frequent guests at NEC, leading concerts by student orchestras. NEC orchestras have also been invited on several occasions to be part of the BSO's assistant conductor audition process, serving as one of the orchestras for applicants. BSO guest conductors have also visited NEC for impromptu reading sessions. More on this.

NEC representation in the BSO

first violin

Malcolm Lowe, concertmaster, NEC College faculty
Bo Youp Hwang, NEC Preparatory faculty
Jason Horowitz '93, '96 A.D., NEC Preparatory faculy
Julianne Lee '07 G.D.

second violin

Haldan Martinson '97 M.M., principal
Valeria Vilker Kuchment, NEC College faculty
Glen Cherry '95

viola

Edward Gazouleas, NEC College faculty
Michael Zaretsky, NEC Preparatory faculty
Rachel Fagerburg '81
Kasuko Matsusaka, NEC Preparatory faculty

cello

Mickey Katz '03
Blaise Dejardin '07 M.M., '08 G.D.

bass

Edwin Barker '76, principal
Lawrence Wolfe '70, NEC College faculty
Benjamin Levy '02
Dennis Roy '89
James Orleans, NEC College faculty
Todd Seeber, NEC College faculty
John Stovall '83

flute

Elizabeth Rowe, principal, NEC College faculty

oboe

John Ferrillo, principal, NEC College faculty
Mark McEwen, NEC College faculty
Keisuke Wakao, NEC College faculty
Robert Sheena, english horn, NEC Preparatory faculty

clarinet

Michael Wayne, NEC College faculty
Thomas Martin, associate principal and E-flat clarinet, NEC College faculty
Craig Nordstrom, bass clarinet, NEC College faculty

bassoon

Richard Svoboda, principal, NEC College faculty
Richard Ranti, associate principal, NEC College faculty
Gregg Henegar, contrabassoon, NEC College faculty

horn

James Sommerville, principal, NEC College faculty
Richard Sebring '77, associate principal, NEC College faculty
Jason Snider, NEC College faculty
Jonathan Menkis, NEC College faculty

trumpet

Thomas Rolfs '78, principal
Benjamin Wright, second trumpet, NEC College faculty
Thomas Siders, assistant principal trumpet, NEC College faculty

trombone

Toby Oft, principal, NEC College faculty
Stephen Lange, NEC College faculty
Douglas Yeo, bass trombone, NEC College faculty

tuba

Mike Roylance, principal, NEC College faculty

percussion

Frank Epstein '69 M.M., NEC College and Preparatory faculty
J. William Hudgins, NEC College faculty
Daniel Bauch, NEC College faculty

harp

Jessica Zhou, NEC College faculty

voice and chorus

John Oliver '67 M.M., founder and conductor, Tanglewood Festival Chorus

Past BSO members with NEC affiliation

This is a partial list that will grow based on additional research.

Kelly Barr, violin, NEC Preparatory faculty
Marylou Speaker Churchill '67, violin, former NEC College and Preparatory faculty
Harry Ellis Dickson '29 DP, '30 DP, '87 hon. D.M., violin
Max Hobart, violin, NEC Preparatory faculty
Louis Krasner, violin, former NEC faculty

George Norwood Humphrey '29, viola
Eugene Lehner, viola, former NEC faculty

Carol Procter '63, '65 M.M., cello

Fenwick Smith, flute, NEC College faculty

Ralph Gomberg, oboe, former NEC faculty
Wayne Rapier, oboe, former NEC faculty

Scott Andrews '94, clarinet

Daniel Katzen, horn, former NEC faculty
Richard Mackey '50, horn, NEC College faculty
Jay Wadenpfuhl, horn, former NEC College faculty

Peter Chapman, trumpet, NEC College faculty
Steve Emery, trumpet, NEC College faculty
Gerard Goguen '51 DP, trumpet, former NEC faculty
Charles Schlueter, trumpet, NEC College faculty
Roger Voisin '30, '91 hon. D.M., principal trumpet, former NEC faculty

Ronald Barron, principal trombone, NEC College faculty
Norman Bolter '77, trombone, NEC College faculty
William Gibson, principal trombone, former NEC faculty

Everett "Vic" Firth '52, '92 hon. D.M., timpani

Louise Langford (Came) Pappoutsakis '37, harp, former NEC faculty
Ann Hobson Pilot, principal harp, NEC College and Preparatory faculty

2011-08-17