Contemporary Musical Arts

Balla Kouyaté
Profile

Born in Mali, Balla Kouyaté was raised in the Djeli tradition. His knowledge of his traditional repertoire is unparalleled. Today, the first balafon, over 1000 years old, remains in his family...

Mike Bloch smiles while wearing a blue shirt and sitting at his cello.
Profile

Mike Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator, hailed by Yo-Yo Ma as the "ideal musician of the 21st-Century." Passionate about cross-cultural collaboration through music...

Nima Janmohammadi
Profile

Nima Janmohammadi is a composer, improviser, and multi-instrumentalist. As a performer of Persian classical music, he has studied with great masters of Persian Music, including legendary Mohammad Reza...

Linda Chase
Profile

Linda Chase is a composer and improvising flutist who teaches interdisciplinary arts, composition, improvisation, and the transformational power of music from traditions around the world. She recently...

Department

We’re Contemporary Musical Arts at New England Conservatory: a revolution in music and music education for more than 50 years. We bring together a diverse group of the world’s finest young artists in...

Mark Zalesky
Profile

Internationally touring musician Mark Zaleski has distinguished himself as a uniquely dynamic soloist, multi-instrumentalist, and band leader. He has performed with a diverse group of notable artists...

Mal Barsamian
Profile

Mal Barsamian’s musical career began when he was four years old playing the dumbeg (hand drum) with his father, Leo Barsamian, at an Armenian picnic. Barsamian comes from a family of oud (lute)...

Hui Weng faculty CI
Profile

Hui Weng, a virtuosic performer steeped in age ­old Chinese traditions, is crossing musical boundaries that few others have dared to cross, receiving international acclaim for her performances of...

CI Faculty Cristi Catt
Profile

Cristi Catt is a singer and improviser who mixes contemporary, world, and early vocal music in thematic live concerts and recordings. She performs throughout the U.S. Europe and South America and is a...

Lautaro Mantilla
Profile

LAUTARO MANTILLA, DMA is a guitarist, composer, and improviser from Bogotá, Colombia. In his performances, he typically combines guitar, extended vocalization techniques, and homebuilt electronics to...