Performances + Events
We are meant to create beauty, Michele Adams believes, and the human spirit is made to respond to that. She has seen and heard it throughout her life and career in music, which has been spent on the podium leading children’s choirs and introducing young singers to the joys of collaborative music-making.
Adams is the inaugural Director of Choirs in New England Conservatory’s Expanded Education Department, where she’ll oversee NEC Preparatory School’s choral ensembles. In addition to working with those groups, whose singers range in age from 4 to 18, Adams will lead the newly launched BSO x NEC Honors Children’s Choir, an ensemble that will receive training through NEC Prep and perform alongside the legendary Boston Symphony Orchestra.
While she’s led the Handel and Haydn Society’s Youth Choruses and the Boston Children’s Chorus, to name a few area groups, Adams is quick to point out that NEC Prep’s choral ensembles operate in an environment where extraordinary musicians from around the world are refining their artistry at the college level.
“This Prep program is directly tied to a storied Conservatory,” Adams said, and with that comes an internationally distinguished faculty, an artistic ecosystem that offers expansive educational experiences, and an empowering, supportive community. NEC Prep is also a fun and joyful place, she said, where the pride students feel as the result of creating something excellent fuels further success and reward.
Adams herself is a vocalist. Specifically, she said, “I was always a choral singer.” Her own practice and commitment to pedagogy led her to the music education program at the University of South Carolina and the choral conducting program at Florida State University. Leading children’s choirs has been her specialized work. Also, she pointed out, “I’m a mom” — a mom whose eldest daughter is currently studying music education.
An education in music is invaluable, especially given that, for young musicians, that value “may or may not overtly have that much to do with music,” Adams said. Studying and making music helps students develop skills they carry with them long into the future. And when it comes to having fun, finding joy, and being part of creating something excellent as a young person, Adams said, “There’s no more beautiful way to do that than in a children’s chorus.”
Being a singer is unique, Adams said. “You are the instrument.” The magic of singing with others is found in the music that’s made together. “You can’t harmonize by yourself,” she pointed out.
“What excites me most about NEC Prep,” Adams said, “is that it’s a place where excellence and joy converge in community. Young artists come together because they love music and want to grow. I’m eager to meet students across all of the choral ensembles, get to know them as individuals, and help create a place where they feel challenged, supported, and inspired.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Michele Adams to NEC as Expanded Education’s inaugural Director of Choirs,” NEC Prep’s Executive Director, Sean Buchsbaum, said. “Michele brings to NEC Prep an extraordinary combination of artistic excellence, educational vision, and collaborative leadership, along with more than 25 years of experience developing outstanding choral programs and inspiring young musicians. Her ability to foster both musical excellence and a genuine sense of belonging makes her a perfect fit for our community.”
“Michele brings to NEC Prep a combination of experience and spirit that will inspire young singers and audiences alike. Her methodology and charisma will greatly impact our community,” Juliano Aniceto, NEC Prep’s Director of Orchestras, said. “We look forward to seeing and hearing her work with our growing number of students and ensembles.”
Anthony Trecek-King, resident conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus, said, “Michele Adams is a wonderful musician and music educator whom I have known for many years. She possesses the rare ability to think strategically and tactically, and she builds community wherever she goes. I am excited to see what she builds at NEC.”
Adams’s work at NEC Prep will extend to the BSO x NEC Honors Children’s Choir, an ensemble for exceptional singers ages 8 to 13 whose members — those with “the most mature yet unchanged voices” in the region — will come from NEC Prep and numerous choral programs in and around Boston.
“Michele is uniquely positioned to lead the BSO x NEC Honors Children’s Choir,” Buchsbaum said. “Her extensive experience preparing young singers for performances of the highest artistic caliber, coupled with her deep understanding of child development and choral pedagogy, will ensure that students receive an experience that is meaningful and transformative. We are excited for the future of choral music at NEC Prep under Michele’s leadership and for the inspiring opportunities she will create for young singers throughout our community.”
This coming season, the BSO x NEC Honors Children’s Choir, established as part of the BSO x NEC Alliance, will appear with the BSO in the world-premiere performances of Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Hwang’s Creation and in two semi-staged performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. The Honors Children’s Choir will also perform in eight Holiday Pops Family Concerts with the Boston Pops.
Needless to say, the chance to sing in performances with the BSO is uncommonly special.
“You’re treated as an artistic partner with the BSO,” Adams emphasized, asking, rhetorically, “Who has that sort of access as a 10-year-old?”
Learn more about Michele Adams, NEC Prep’s choirs, and the BSO x NEC Honors Children’s Choir.
