Gunther Schuller Legacy Concert: Ragtime Revival

Tribute to former NEC President Gunther Schuller features the revival of the Grammy-winning New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble.

For this annual tribute concert, the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble re-forms to perform rags originally presented and arranged by Gunther Schuller, who founded the Grammy-winning ensemble during his tenure as NEC President. For this performance, the NEC Ragtime Ensemble will be conducted by Bruce Creditor, assistant conductor of the group under Schuller.

In addition, NEC faculty Eden Macadam-Somer leads the Contemporary Improvisation Ragtime Ensemble as they present turn-of-the-century rags reimagined for unconventional instrumentation. Doctoral student Ziang Xu ’21 DMA will play an original rag composed by current faculty member Ethan Iverson. Other highlights include original rags composed and performed by current NEC students and a grand finale that fills the stage with alumni of the NEC Ragtime Ensemble spanning 25 years.

In addition to his monumental contributions to classical, jazz, and Third Stream music, Gunther Schuller's musical legacy includes igniting a latter-day ragtime revival. Schuller founded the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble and recorded Scott Joplin: The Red Back Book, which won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance and spurred tours across America, Russia, and to the White House.