Performances + Events
As a violinist and composer, NEC alumna Alyssa Wang ’19 MM has performed as a soloist with ensembles across the country, appeared on numerous recordings, and premiered her violin concerto, Swept Away, with the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh. At NEC, she met clarinetist Nicholas Brown ’19 MM and together they founded the Boston Festival Orchestra as principal conductor and executive director, respectively, using music as a catalyst for making connections and fostering cultural understanding.
This summer, Wang will bring her wide-ranging experience to New England Conservatory as the conductor for the 2025 Summer Orchestra Institute (SOI) — a two- or four-week symphony orchestra program for intermediate and advanced string, brass, and wind players, and percussionists. Participants expand their practice and performance techniques through rehearsals led by NEC faculty and attend health and wellness seminars, master classes, and performances by professional ensembles. Wang and other members of the Boston Festival Orchestra — which will simultaneously hold its Summer Stage concert series at NEC’s Jordan Hall — will also be on hand for lessons and coaching sessions.
SOI is one of three summer programs aimed at middle and high school musicians of various skill levels. Advanced musicians can apply to the highly competitive Summer Chamber Music Intensive (SCMI) — a new addition to NEC’s summer program offerings. During the weeklong program, a select group of chamber musicians receives personalized coaching and attends master classes with renowned NEC faculty and guest artists. Students can also attend a variety of workshops on health and wellness, career planning, practice techniques, the college admissions process, and more. All admitted students receive a full-tuition scholarship.
The Jazz Lab is an exploratory option for those who want to get started in the genre and more experienced musicians who are looking to level up or prepare for college auditions. Students are placed in small ensembles based on skill level and, with daily coachings by faculty, have a week to prepare a concert. The week is also peppered with nightly faculty performances, workshops on various styles of jazz, impromptu jam sessions, and college-admissions and practice technique preparation.
Wang sees the SOI as a “crash course” — a chance for curious students to get a glimpse into the life of a professional orchestral musician. After months of preparation on their own, SOI students come together for a week of rehearsals, sectionals, and private lessons, culminating in a public performance at NEC’s historic Jordan Hall. The process repeats each week with new repertoire.
“It’s as close to a professional timeline as any youth orchestra will get,” Wang said, adding that the repertoire for the summer program includes several advanced works, such as Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.
“Having the opportunity to play these [works] in an educational environment is such a benefit, because they’ll probably encounter them again in college and definitely as professionals,” Wang said. “They have to rip that Band Aid off — and this is the perfect opportunity. They get to play in a magnificent hall with other students from all around the world, surrounded by mentors and teachers who are all there to support them.”
Wang is excited to return to NEC as both an alumna and someone who is deeply passionate about youth music education. She traces many of the threads of her diverse and creative career path to her own experience in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. That pivotal opportunity directly shaped Wang’s desire to become a professional musician and instilled an interest in working with youth orchestras that continues today.
“It’s such a transformational period in a young person’s life,” Wang said. “It takes many years to develop the skills to even consider whether or not you would be a good fit to be a professional musician, and that decision often starts coalescing in high school. Having a positive youth orchestra experience can greatly inform that decision.”
Applications for the Summer Orchestra Institute, Summer Chamber Music Intensive, and Jazz Lab are open through Jan. 17.
Photo of Alyssa Wang by Robert Torres.
