Undergraduate Spotlight: Shota Renwick '24, Jazz Studies

What did your journey into music look like?

I started piano lessons at a young age, at four or six. So I've been playing music for a long time. And I started playing instruments through school, doing piano lessons, and then playing in a band at school, and I got really into that. I went to a high school with a good band program and then transferred to a high school for the arts and did that for two years. And then, by the end of that, I was still like, "Wow, I really want to play good music and be good at this," and NEC just happened to be one of those spaces that was really amazing. 

What made you decide to come to New England Conservatory? 

During the audition time at NEC, I knew one of the seniors who graduated last year. His name is Chris Ferrari. He came from the same city as I did, Denver. He had invited me to play at one of these jam sessions during the audition week. So, I got to play with a whole bunch of the freshmen at that point. And my mind was blown. I was like, I can't believe you can do this music. I can't believe it. Everyone sounds so amazing. I have to come here.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences? 

I used to listen to the Pink Floyd album "Dark Side of the Moon." When I was a kid, I was still sharing my room with my brother, and we would listen to that every night before going to sleep. 

When I was playing piano, I always really loved Chopin and Rachmaninoff. Those were my two favorites. I remember everything that they wrote.

Because I play saxophone, Charlie Parker was one from very early on. I was really into big band stuff in my middle school era. Once I really got into small group jazz, Dexter Gordon was a big one, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, and then more recently, since I got to NEC specifically, Joe Henderson has been a great one. And also Hornet, Coleman, and Archie Shep. This place has really opened my ears to all the possibilities of what music could be.

Did any of your teachers at NEC have a significant impact on you?

Yes. Melissa Aldana was my first saxophone teacher in a few years. I had a tougher time during COVID, just doing saxophone stuff all the time. So, my junior year, I was like, okay—now it's time to learn this. And Melissa Aldana really taught me how to teach myself, how to make sure that I'm doing this for longevity and that I'm mentally prepared to be doing this for life. What to play, but also, what do you want to play, and how do you practice? So that was huge for me as a practicer and as a musician. 

Billy Hart was the other really, really big one. He's like an elder of this music, so he's been with a lot of these people that we call "legends," and he's played with them. He's in his 80s, so he's not necessarily a method teacher. We talk with him and figure out what's going on in his head. But he has this incredible way of thinking about music as this lineage of history. Because he grew up and was playing this music when those people were around. It's a whole new perspective; it's just refreshing. It's amazing. So, Billy Hart is a gem. 

What has been one of your favorite performances that you've been a part of?

Let me see. The Brazilian ensemble led by Henrique Eisenmann was really cool. I did that two years ago. That one was really interesting because we were putting a lot of effort into playing modern, Brazilian choro music. And I was doing it on flute. The other saxophone player was doing it on clarinet. So we were all really intensely working on reading concert bass clef things to be like, "Okay, this is your part," and sight-read it. In the end, it was just a really satisfying performance. 

What are your goals after graduation?

My goal is to move to New York by next year. I want to be playing full-time at some point, probably within the next five years. I don't expect that to happen immediately, but my goal is to just be playing all the time. Any music that I can, anything that I can do, I would love to be playing.

What has been one of your favorite parts of your NEC experience? 

The people here have introduced me to so many different kinds of music and different perspectives about music. Everything about it has been amazing. Some of that, I think, has trickled down from the teachers, but a lot of it is just because of the people that are attracted to this place and what they encourage you to be.

If you were to give one piece of advice to a new student about to enter NEC, what would it be?

Just keep an open mind. As soon as I came here, my freshman year was COVID, so I had a slightly different experience. I had a slow introduction to the music scene here. But keep an open mind. Just be aware that your bubble is tiny, tiny, tiny—and it's about to get so much bigger here. So just be aware and be open to anything. Say yes.

 

Click here to learn more about Jazz Studies at NEC.