Woodwinds

I find it a joy to work with the wonderful students in the woodwind department at NEC. They tend to be genuinely kind human beings who support each other while also being focused and driven to succeed. You will be both nurtured and motivated by being among this group.

Our students also have great ensembles to play in! Orchestra is central to the NEC experience for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon players. Each of these students plays in orchestra every semester of their NEC career.  There is even an orchestra just for first- and second-year students. There is also a wind ensemble program that all woodwind students play in. This is not your typical wind ensemble, as programs tend to be creative and innovative with works by great composers for smaller-sized groups of varying instrumentation. And there is a Saxophone Ensemble and fantastic Chamber Music opportunities as well.

Flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon students also benefit from excellent orchestral repertoire classes. There are smaller classes for each instrument focused on audition preparation and a larger class where I lead an orchestral wind section, often covering the same repertoire as being played concurrently by the BSO. 

These are some of the reasons NEC is a great place to study woodwinds, but, in truth, there are many more.  I hope you will continue to look into the possibility of studying at NEC. Best of luck on your journey!