[nec] shivaree, the NEC Avant-Garde Ensemble directed by Stephen Drury, is the attack wing of NEC's new music program, performing the modern, the new, and the avant-garde. Sounds provided by such composers as John Cage, Steve Reich, Morton Feldman, Galina Ustvolskaya, and Giacinto Scelsi. The players of [nec]shivaree have worked with composers John Zorn, John Luther Adams, Christian Wolff, and Frederic Rzewski.
Opportunities abound for elective participation in a number of specialized ensembles that perform music of a specific period or instrumentation, listed below. Honors Ensembles, professional chamber music programs, outreach, and paying performance opportunities also supplement the core curriculum ensemble programs.