The future of music, made here.

Remembering Violist and Former NEC Faculty Member Roger Tapping

January 21, 2022

Roger Tapping

The NEC community mourns the loss of Roger Tapping, a beloved teacher and talented violist who passed away on January 18, 2022 after a battle with cancer.

Roger was a former faculty member at NEC alongside his wife, cellist Natasha Brofsky, and their daughter Cordelia Tapping graduated from NEC’s undergraduate program in 2019. We send our condolences to Roger’s family and friends.

While on the faculty at NEC from 2008-2016, Roger served as Chair of Chamber Music, as well as taught studio viola and coached chamber music. Over the course of his illustrious career he was a member of the Juilliard String Quartet and the Takács Quartet (with whom he had won three Gramophone awards, one Grammy award, and earned three Grammy nominations). He also was on the faculty of many institutions and festivals, most recently at The Juilliard School. As a teacher and performer, he inspired countless musicians and music fans around the world.

Read full obituary

April 2021 Jordan Hall performance of Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Opus 47, featuring Roger Tapping, Natasha Brofsky, Pei-Shan Lee, and Donald Weilerstein.
recent news
NEC Welcomes Katarina String Quartet and Paddington Trio into Professional Programs

May 4, 2026

NEC Welcomes Katarina String Quartet and Paddington Trio into Professional Programs

Read More
From NEC Prep to the College: An Orchestral Pipeline to Excellence and Community

May 4, 2026

From NEC Prep to the College: An Orchestral Pipeline to Excellence and Community

Read More
Meet the Alumni Speaker and Marshals for NEC’s 2026 Commencement

May 4, 2026

Meet the Alumni Speaker and Marshals for NEC’s 2026 Commencement

Read More
  • NEC Welcomes Katarina String Quartet and Paddington Trio into Professional Programs

    May 4, 2026

    NEC Welcomes Katarina String Quartet and Paddington Trio into Professional Programs

  • From NEC Prep to the College: An Orchestral Pipeline to Excellence and Community

    May 4, 2026

    From NEC Prep to the College: An Orchestral Pipeline to Excellence and Community

  • Meet the Alumni Speaker and Marshals for NEC’s 2026 Commencement

    May 4, 2026

    Meet the Alumni Speaker and Marshals for NEC’s 2026 Commencement

  • From Grunge to the Houston Grand Opera: Conductor and NEC Alumnus James Gaffigan on His Path to the Podium

    April 27, 2026

    From Grunge to the Houston Grand Opera: Conductor and NEC Alumnus James Gaffigan on His Path to the Podium

  • NEC Presents Free, Family-Friendly Concert at DCR’s Hatch Memorial Shell

    April 22, 2026

    NEC Presents Free, Family-Friendly Concert at DCR’s Hatch Memorial Shell

  • Choral Program Features New Works by NEC Composers 

    April 20, 2026

    Choral Program Features New Works by NEC Composers