First Monday at Jordan Hall: Hungarian Pathways and Appalachian Trails

A celebration of the grand traditions circling one of our important European peer institutions, the Liszt Academy in Budapest. Star violin alum Tessa Lark will return to the Jordan Hall stage to explore music with folk roots from the great Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. Taking Bartók’s example as intrepid musical explorer, Tessa and distinguished faculty members Eden MacAdam-Somer and Mike Block from the CMA Department will enliven the Jordan Hall stage with music rooted from Appalachia to the Carpathians, and beyond. Soprano Dani Jingdan Zhang (‘26 AD) and Rafe Lei Schaberg will present two songs from the 19th century Hungarian phenomenon himself, Franz Liszt. Finally, a marvelous ensemble of faculty and alums will anchor Ernst von Dohnányi’s very colorful sextet. 

For more than 40 years, First Monday at Jordan Hall has been a cornerstone of New England Conservatory’s musical community, bringing together acclaimed faculty, distinguished alumni, exceptional students, and guest artists for unforgettable chamber music performances.

Founded by renowned cellist Laurence Lesser and now curated by three Artistic Co-Chairs — violist Nicholas Cords, violinist Soovin Kim, and pianist HaeSun Paik — the series celebrates the artistry, collaboration, and spirit of discovery that define NEC.

This concert is a special partnership with Music for Food, a musician-led initiative to help relieve food insecurity across the nation. As always, admission is free with your ticket. Should you wish to donate to help those of us who remain food insecure, 100% of your gift goes to support Food for Free.
Donations can be made before the concert and during intermission in the inner lobby area. Suggested donations are $40/adult, $15/student.

Dean and Chief Artistic Officer Hank Mou will be joined for a Meet the Artist pre-concert talk with violist and Music for Food founder Kim Kashkashian at 7 p.m. in Jordan Hall.

The live stream of this event is available to NEC Community members only. To watch the stream, please click the “Streaming Access” button at the top of the page and enter the NEC Community streaming password on the video window labeled “NEC-Produced Stream” when prompted.