President Andrea Kalyn Moderates Meaningful “Women in Music” Discussion with Diverse Panel of NEC Educators

NEC President Andrea Kalyn facilitated a panel discussion in honor of Women's History Month featuring Dean of Students Christina Davis and faculty members Eden MacAdam-Somer ’13 DMA, HaeSun Paik ’87, ’89 MM, ’92 AD, Michal Shein ’08 MM, and Erica Washburn. An inspiring event for the NEC community, the wide-ranging conversation covered everything from pivotal moments in the panelists' careers as educators to tips on overcoming imposter syndrome. 

Christina Davis joined NEC as the Dean of Students in Campus Life in the Fall of 2021. She has an extensive background in student affairs and has spent more than 20 years working at a range of institutions. In her role, Davis oversees the Counseling and Wellness Center, residence life and dining, disability support services, and the general care of NEC's students. 

“What keeps me going is that it's always a challenge,” said Davis. “I’m not a musician myself, and I learned that these students are smart in a way that I’m not. It’s this mutual learning of being able to be in a space with students who are musicians, dancers, and singers and trying to figure out creative ways to provide them support and build community with them. So it's that constant challenge of trying to figure out ways to support these students who are so dedicated to their craft.”

Composer, performer, and improviser Eden MacAdam-Somer ’13 DMA serves on NEC's faculty and is the Co-Chair of the Contemporary Musical Arts (CMA) department. She is an alumna of NEC and was the first DMA graduate in the CMA department. She's taught and performed in concert halls, academic institutions, dance venues, and clubs throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. She teaches ensemble studio lessons and academic courses and co-chairs the DMA Committee. Outside of the classroom, MacAdam-Somer maintains an active, eclectic international performance and recording career, balancing her work as an artist with that of being a mother.

“I just love the every day curiosity and excitement about learning, not just in my students, but in all of my colleagues here at NEC,” said MacAdam-Somer. “It's just really exciting to be in an environment where people are that excited about learning and always looking to think broadly about music and what it means to be a musician in the world today.”

When asked how her musical experience and background as an NEC alumna shaped her teaching, artistry, and life, MacAdam-Somer recalled how she felt when she first auditioned at NEC after completing her master's degree and touring around the world. "The minute I walked into our first meeting, I was like, 'I found my people. These are my people. I've been waiting my whole life to find these people.' Nobody did what I did. I didn't do what they did. But we were all in there working with this rigor, excitement, curiosity, discipline, and a huge feeling of mutual respect. Everybody in the room was so excited about what everybody else was doing. That was thrilling to me, coming from a very competitive classical environment, to be in a place where the person I was competing with the most was myself every day, striving to become better at what I did in such a supportive place. And it stretched throughout this whole conservatory. So, as an alum, that has inspired me so much as an educator, to take that with me, whether I'm teaching here or anywhere else, the rigor, the excitement, and that idea of mutual respect and the awareness that all of us are learning all the time and are open to learning and that as an educator, it's wonderful to say, 'I don't know, I can't wait for you to tell me about that.'"

HaeSun Paik ’87, ’89 MM, ’92 AD is an NEC alumna, co-chair of the piano department, and a piano faculty member. She was the first student to win top prizes at the Tchaikovsky, Queen Elizabeth, and Kapell International competitions while studying here at NEC. Paik was the youngest pianist of her generation to be appointed as a music professor at Seoul National University, where she taught for ten years before coming to NEC. In truth, Paik's NEC training began at the age of 14, when she came to the U.S. from Korea to pursue her musical studies with Wha Kyung Byun and the late Russell Sherman through the long-running partnership between New England Conservatory and the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts.

"When I came to the States, I was very fortunate to meet so many teachers who influenced me in such a positive way that all I wanted to do was to become like them," said Paik. "And then I started to realize how important the role of an educator is and that it's not just what you teach but everything about an educator that can influence students." 

"When I teach students, I tell them: Experience everything," she continued. "Because when you are a student, you have no reason not to do anything. And the more you experience, the more you are exploring, and that is going to be your asset." 

Israeli-Mexican-American cellist Michal Shein ’08 MM is a performer and master educator focused on curating cross-cultural performance projects and intensive educational initiatives. She recently joined the faculty in NEC's new Teaching Artistry program, which launched last fall and is offered through the CEPs department. Shein is the Artistic Director of Cellisimo, a high-level cello festival for Spanish-speaking cellists with limited resources. She appears with many orchestras and ensembles in Boston and abroad. She also serves on the faculty of the Longy School of Music of Bard College and the University of Rhode Island.

"I think one of the things that has shaped my path is this intense desire to analyze," said Shein. "Whether it's teaching, whether it's playing, I am always striving for what else is possible artistically. Where can we push this? So much of my time at NEC was spent pushing, pushing, pushing, and striving for something really meaningful. So take this time and try everything while you're here. Go to concerts. Play in too many ensembles. Take the classes that are not necessarily the ones that you think you have to take or that you should take, but the classes that you'd never get a chance to explore once you leave these walls." 

Erica Washburn has been the Director of Choral Activities at NEC since 2009. Under her leadership, the NEC college choirs have continued to champion lesser-known 19th to 21st-century choral works and commission works specifically for NEC choristers. Her dedication to evolving the choral repertoire and student-centric approach to classroom and rehearsal instruction make NEC's choirs leaders among collegiate ensembles in the US in choral music.

"I think the thing that has always drawn me to music education is rigor, impact, and community," said Washburn. "Those are the things always at the heart of any educational initiative I'm looking out for. For me, it is the students every day, whether they're my conducting students or in rehearsals with the choirs: I get up every day to see the look on their faces when they have the 'Aha!' moment. Because at least one of them every day has it. It's that 'Oh, but did you hear that? Did you sense that?'"

"In some ways, NEC is a dangerous (and I say dangerous in the most positive way) space for women because, within these walls, we are genuinely treated as equals," Washburn continued when asked about the role of music educators in creating a more equitable musical industry. "You leave these walls, and then you remember that's definitely still not the case everywhere you go. Especially if you stand on a podium, it's still a very challenging world for a woman. But at NEC, from day one, my colleagues have never looked at me as a woman who conducts. They've just looked at me as a human who conducts, which is great. Because, quite frankly, when you step on a podium, that's really all you are. You're a human who emotes music and tries to get others to do the same."