Wed, June 26
The Cassatt String Quartet has announced violist and NEC alumna Emily Brandenburg ’15 MM as its new member. Brandenburg will succeed Rosemary Nelis, who joined the group in 2022 and is leaving to focus on other projects. Other quartet members include violinists Jennifer Leshnower and Muneko Otani, who studied at NEC in the '80s, and cellist Gwen Krosnick ’13 MM.
Wed, June 19
This spring at NEC, a group of violin students in faculty member Ayano Ninomiya's studio arranged the
Dichterliebe song cycle, composed for voice by Robert Schumann based on the poetry of German romantic poet Heinrich Heinne, for the violin. The students collaborated to develop a new musical notation system they could use as they translated the scores of each song. After weeks of experimenting, integrating new skills, and receiving coaching from Ninomiya and guest faculty Tanya Blaich, students presented the final cycle—fully reimagined for the violin.
Fri, June 14
Violinist and NEC alumnus Liyuan Xie ’22 has been appointed the Cleveland Orchestra’s first associate concertmaster.
Mon, June 3
Built in 1711 and donated to NEC in 1999 by alumna John Hsu ’53, ’55 MM, ’71 hon. DM, the Tecchler is one of the finest instruments in NEC’s collection and is among the few offered to students in an annual in-house competition. The remarkable instrument underwent a significant restoration throughout the last year before being offered recently to cellist Annie Hyung ’25 MM, its new holder for 2024-2025.
Sun, June 2
Violinist Joshua Brown ’22, ’24 MM, ’26 AD won Second Prize at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition, along with both audience prizes. He receives €20,000 and concert opportunities in Belgium and abroad for his win. Fellow NEC alumni Julian Rhee ’22, ’24 MM and Minami Yoshida ’21, ’24 MM also finished as laureates, placing fifth and sixth, respectively.