Teaching Artistry @ NEC Workshop Series

Teaching Artistry is a global field with the potential to inspire creativity and transform lives in communities around the world and online. However, engaging learners and audiences in the digital space and in international contexts can be challenging, requiring different skills and sensitivities to working in local communities. Through a variety of case studies, including the “Cellisimo Virtual Festival” and “Teach to Learn”, this interactive workshop will prepare participants with practical tools, attitudes, and frameworks that can help them launch their own global teaching artist projects.

Derek Beckvold is an arts leader, social entrepreneur, creativity educator, and multi-instrumentalist musician who has performed, taught, and implemented music programs in over 25 countries across five continents, including places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Palestine, and India.

He is the Executive Director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He previously served as Managing Director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, overseeing all aspects of the organization’s two award-winning orchestras, and previously served roles as the BPO’s Development Director and Education & Community Engagement Manager.

He is on the faculty at New England Conservatory in the Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department, teaching the classes “Fundraising & Grant Writing” and “Marketing & Audience Development”, in addition to individual student advising.

He is the Co-Founder of the international music education nonprofit, Teach To Learn, which has supported musicians in over 40 countries through online and in-person programs that build cross-cultural connections and collaborations. He frequently consults with international organizations on music education, and has been invited to present on music by institutions such as Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian Institution, UNICEF, and the US State Department.

He received a BM in Saxophone Performance from NEC, an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute, was a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India, and is a graduate of the Essentials of Orchestra Management program through Juilliard and the League of American Orchestras.

Israeli-Mexican-American cellist Michal Shein is a sought-after performer, acclaimed educator, and cultural leader dedicated to empowering the next generation of musicians in the United States and Latin America. She is Artistic Director of Cellisimo, a prestigious virtual festival that has reached more than 90 Latin American cellists from over 12 countries and has been described by Álvaro Bitrán of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano as “one of the most important and unique festivals of its kind in Latin America.”

A respected pedagogue, Michal’s students have been accepted to leading conservatories and festivals across the United States. She regularly gives masterclasses and serves as a juror at international competitions, and has been invited to speak at the Sphinx Conference, El Sistema USA, and New World Symphony. She serves on the faculty of New England Conservatory and Boston String Academy.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Michal performs internationally and recently released recordings with acclaimed guitarist and fellow NEC alum Adam Levin as the Shein Levin Duo.