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NEC Jazz Ensemble Performs at Fenway Alliance’s “Opening Our Doors” Festival, Boston’s Largest Free Cultural Event

October 11, 2023

NEC Jazz Ensemble Performs at Fenway Alliance’s “Opening Our Doors” Festival, Boston’s Largest Free Cultural Event

On Monday, October 9, a talented ensemble of New England Conservatory Jazz Studies undergraduates performed on Jordan Hall’s steps as part of the Fenway Alliance’s “Opening Our Doors” festival, bringing live jazz to Bostonians during the city’s largest free cultural event.

The Jazz Ensemble included leader Caleb Montague ’23 on drums, saxophonists Shota Renwick ’24 and Gabriel Nieves ’25, and Nick Isherwood ’25 on bass.

As long-time members of the Fenway Alliance, an advocacy organization dedicated to the prosperity and growth of the Fenway Cultural District, New England Conservatory was delighted to participate in Opening Our Doors. First held in 2001, the festival seeks to “open the doors” of Boston’s most iconic and historic institutions for a free day of music, art, creativity, performances, and cultural experiences. More than twenty years later, it spans the entire Fenway Cultural District, with 18 locations, 88 cultural experiences, 31 participating community partners, and 12,000 attendees.

Many of NEC’s neighboring institutions on Huntington Avenue (AKA the Avenue of the Arts) also participated in the Opening Doors Festival, providing their own free cultural experiences for festival-goers, including the Huntington Theatre, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Museum of Fine Arts, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

@new_england_conservatory On Monday, an NEC Jazz Ensemble comprising Caleb Montague '23 on drums, saxophonists Shota Renwick '24 and Gabriel Nieves '25, and Nick Isherwood '25 on bass  jammed out on the Jordan Hall steps as part of the Fenway Alliance's Opening Our Doors festival, the city's largest free cultural event. 🎶🎺 #jazz #boston #bostontok #jazztok #fenway #livemusic #necmusic #newenglandconservatory ♬ original sound – New England Conservatory
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