What’s New: New Year Edition 2022
News from NEC alumni, students, and faculty members including Eden MacAdam-Somer, Sung Ho Yoo, Nima Janmohammadi, Lina González-Granado, Ellen Exner, Dominique Eade, Fred Hersch, and Aoife O’Donovan.
Faculty member, violinist and composer Eden MacAdam-Somer DMA ‘13 was a featured performer at The Christmas Revels Festival in Lebanon, New Hampshire. A portion of tickets to her December performance were donated to Afghan refugees who have resettled in the United States. MacAdam-Somer has taught at Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul, whose future is in doubt after the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"My time in Kabul has had a huge influence on my life,” said McAdam-Somer in an interview with NPR. “I sincerely hope that Afghans resettling are able to find a sense of home and comfort here as well.”
Listen to her full interview on New Hampshire Public Radio
Pianist Sung Ho Yoo MM ‘23 recently won the Fifth Prize at the 16th Seoul International Music Competition this past December. He is a student of faculty member Dang Thai Son. See photos of the winners
Faculty member, composer and multi-instrumentalist Nima Janmohammadi MM ‘13, GD ‘14, DMA ‘19 was interviewed recently by Samuel Taylor ‘15 for the publication The Xen Zone, where they discussed his background in Persian music and instruments, experimental composition, and more.
Lina González-Granados ‘14 MM, ‘15 GD was named resident conductor of Los Angeles Opera. An alumna of NEC with an MM in Instrumental Conducting as a student of Charles Peltz and GD in Choral Conducting as a student of Erica Washburn, González-Granados is also the founder of Unitas Ensemble in Boston, which highlights Latinx musicians and composers.
Faculty member in music history and musicology, Ellen Exner, helped launch a new granting initiative aimed at expanding diversity in the study and performance of Bach and classical music, in her role as vice president of the American Bach Society. “It’s fine to study Bach, his world, and the things that he experienced, but Bach belongs to all of us now,” comments Exner. “One cannot study these things in isolation. It’s never been more clear how much expanding we need to do.”
Faculty member, jazz vocalist Dominique Eade ‘82, MM ‘89 was interviewed recently on The Jazz Session with Nicky Schrire, discussing NEC and some of Eade’s notable former students and alumni from the Jazz Vocal Program, which she founded. Listen to the interview
Pianist and former faculty member Fred Hersch ‘77 released a new album on January 7, Breath by Breath, which features The Crosby Street String Quartet and other collaborators. Learn more
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Aoife O'Donovan ‘03 is releasing her new album Age of Apathy on January 21. Learn more and see upcoming performance dates