Welcome to NEC

A year of musical growth, discovery, and joy is underway, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you!

Integrative Curriculum

INTEGRATIVE CURRICULUM

NEC’s new Integrative Curriculum weaves together the many strands of a conservatory education, including music history, performance, composition and entrepreneurship, in fresh and dynamic ways. The result: NEC students graduate as holistic musicians with the tools and creative confidence to make a transformative artistic and social impact on their careers — and on the wider world.

 
Charles River boats

THE BOSTON ADVANTAGE

Across the street from Symphony Hall. Ten minutes walk to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Emerald Necklace Greenway, and the Newbury Street shopping district. Fifteen minutes by T takes you to the Charles River, Fenway Park, and the Boston Common. They call Boston “America’s Walking City,” and NEC is at the heart of it all. There’s no better place to be a student.

EM

ENTREPRENEURIAL MUSICIANSHIP

Through the Entrepreneurial Musicianship (EM) office, NEC students learn the skills to build a life in music. EM provides students with individual advising and career coaching, courses to gain professional skills within the conservatory curriculum, pathways to gain professional experience through hands-on learning, and opportunities to fund and incubate new creative work. 

Concert Calendar

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News
Wed, April 17
Through an EM Grant and collaboration with Northeastern’s MIND Lab, Arun Asthagiri ’24 analyzed the brainwaves of 21 participants during live and recorded performances at NEC to understand how live music moves and connects us. He presented his groundbreaking findings in April at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society’s Annual Meeting.
Wed, April 17
New England Conservatory is delighted to announce that three musical luminaries will receive honorary degrees during its 153rd Commencement exercises on May 19 in Jordan Hall. Songwriter, recording artist, and philanthropist Paul Simon, who will also be the featured speaker; five-time Grammy-winning soprano, educator, and MacArthur Fellow Dawn Upshaw; and conductor Robert Spano, a four-time Grammy winner who is Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Music Director Laureate of the Atlanta Symphony after 20 seasons at the helm, and who has served as Music Director of the Aspen Music Festival and School since 2011, will all receive honorary Doctor of Music degrees.
Fri, April 12
NEC alumni ​​Yoon-Ji Lee ’06 MM, ’07 GD and Nicole Rampersaud ’06 MM were awarded 2024 Guggenheim Fellowships in the “Music Composition” category, announced on April 11. Lee and Rampersaud are two of 14 composers among the list of 188 total artists, scholars, and scientists selected for the honor by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Tue, April 9
NEC violin faculty and founding member of the Borromeo String Quartet Nicholas Kitchen was featured in a recent piece in The Atlantic for his work decoding Ludwig van Beethoven's original manuscripts. 
Fri, April 5
In late March, Grammy-nominated flutist and composer Valerie Coleman came to campus as NEC’s 2024 Malcolm Peyton Artist-in-Residence. During her residency, Coleman led a colloquium, engaged in a Q&A session, and conducted a master class with students in NEC's Composition Department. Additionally, she provided valuable coaching to NEC's Honors Wind Ensemble, which performed in her residency showcase. 

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Listen Online: New Concert Videos Every Monday

Music Monday: We release new recordings from NEC's concert halls every Monday. We hope that these performances help fill your life with powerful music no matter where you are, even if you’re unable to join us for our concerts in person.

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