Joyful Noise Debuts

Joyful Noise!, NEC’s  Preparatory School Gala, Takes Over the Boston Cyclorama, May 1 at 6 p.m.

Planned by Prep Students, Event Features Flash Performances, Casual Ambience, Silent Auction, Grand Communal Finale

Proving once again that “the kids are alright,” NEC’s annual Preparatory School gala has been planned using ideas generated by the Prep School students themselves. Previously known as Kids in Harmony, the event now rechristened as Joyful Noise moves off campus to the Boston Cyclorama in Boston’s South End, May 1 at 6 p.m.  That venue’s infinitely adaptable setting will be transformed by students from the Boston Architectural College who are creating special “set designs” to demarcate and characterize spaces.

The evening’s flow has also been re-imagined into something more casual, fluid and family friendly.  Guests can sample elegant finger foods from many lands, enjoy specialty cocktails, mingle among the musical activities, and chat with friends.  There will also be numerous surprises, including Flash Performances that pop up anytime. These could range from Hungarian Rhapsodies to Gospel Blues and Jazz.  Among the promised artists are 14-year old pianist George Li, the Scholarship Brass Quintet and jazz artists Rebecca Shrimpton and David Zoffer.

Joyful Noise will also feature a Silent Auction with extraordinary items for bid including a Fender Squier Stratocaster electric guitar autographed by musicians Jackson Browne and David Crosby! Those wishing to bid before May 1 can do so online until April 29, 2010 at 11:59pm.  Bidding will continue during the live Joyful Noise event until approximately 9p.m.

To close, there will be a Grand Finale involving everyone led by conductor Benjamin Zander.

All proceeds go to support and expand the programs of the Prep school and to provide financial aid for young music students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford the stellar musical training provided by the school.  Co-chairs for the gala are Setsuko & Shintaro Hori and LeAnn & Justin Lindsey. The Cyclorama is located at 529 Tremont St. in Boston.

Tickets for Joyful Noise are $75 individual, $175 household; $250 individual with VIP reception.  To order online, click here.

For further information, click here.

ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY

Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 720 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world.  Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars.  Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide.  Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.

The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions.  On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, Contemporary Improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Collaboration Programs, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors.  Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music and jazz.

NEC presents more than 600 free concerts each year, many of them in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, 106-year old, beautifully restored concert hall.  These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz and opera scenes.  Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.

NEC is co-founder and educational partner of From the Top, a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States.

Contact: Ellen Pfeifer
Public Relations Manager
New England Conservatory
290 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
617-585-1143
Ellen.pfeifer@necmusic.edu