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 Honored Among Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts 

October 27, 2025

NEC Honored Among Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts 

Read More
Dominique Eade Inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing

October 23, 2025

Dominique Eade Inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing

Read More
Pianists from New England Conservatory Win Top Prizes at Prestigious International Chopin Competition 

October 21, 2025

Pianists from New England Conservatory Win Top Prizes at Prestigious International Chopin Competition 

Read More
  • NEC Honored Among Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts 

    October 27, 2025

    NEC Honored Among Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts 

  • Dominique Eade Inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing

    October 23, 2025

    Dominique Eade Inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing

  • Pianists from New England Conservatory Win Top Prizes at Prestigious International Chopin Competition 

    October 21, 2025

    Pianists from New England Conservatory Win Top Prizes at Prestigious International Chopin Competition 

  • NEC Pianists Perform in Chopin Competition Finals

    October 20, 2025

    NEC Pianists Perform in Chopin Competition Finals

  • In “Flight,” NEC Opera Has Fun with Frustration

    October 20, 2025

    In “Flight,” NEC Opera Has Fun with Frustration

  • New England Conservatory Launches the Institute for Teaching Artistry, Announces Workshop Series

    October 20, 2025

    New England Conservatory Launches the Institute for Teaching Artistry, Announces Workshop Series