Performances + Events
Voice and Opera
Apply your skills by participating in the many performance opportunities for vocalists at NEC, including opera productions, opera scene programs, workshops of new operas, Liederabend Song Series performances, and choral concerts, including major works with orchestra and student soloists.
Undergraduate Opera Studio
The Undergraduate Opera Studio (UGOS) is a unique, auditioned program at NEC exclusively for undergraduate voice majors who have successfully completed their first-year promotional exam. Designed as an introduction to the art of opera and lyric theater, UGOS cultivates foundational performance skills while introducing students to the discipline and expectations of the professional singing world.
In a supportive and artistically rigorous environment, students receive training in acting, movement and stage deportment, score preparation, recitative style and preparation, and audition techniques, while working closely with world-class faculty through individualized coaching and stage rehearsals. Repertoire is selected to suit each singer’s vocal and artistic development, providing meaningful, hands-on performance experience.
The UGOS season includes a fully staged opera scenes program in the fall and a complete one-act or full-length opera production in the spring. Recent performances have included Hansel und Gretel, Die Fledermaus, Così fan tutte, and L’elisir d’amore.
Graduate Opera Studies
The Graduate Opera Department at NEC is a unique, exciting program dedicated to helping each singer reach their full performance potential. Our world-class faculty is committed to working with each student individually, addressing their specific needs as a developing young singer. The curriculum includes movement and acting classes, a performance skills class (Opera Workshop), regular coaching with our extraordinary faculty, and many performance opportunities.
These include fully designed and produced opera productions, semi-staged productions, scenes and aria programs, outreach productions, workshopping new works in development, and more. The repertoire is designed to help students acquire the skills necessary to deliver honest and imaginative performances. Our repertoire is drawn from the full cannon, and we expose singers to various styles and languages.
Recent repertoire has included La Calisto (Cavalli), Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), An American Dream (Perla), L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Ravel), La bohème (Puccini), Svadba (Sokolovic), The Turn of the Screw (Britten) and L’Arbore di Diana (Soler).
Song and Verse
Launched in Fall 2020, NEC’s Song and Verse recital series offers undergraduate singers a dynamic platform to explore the art of song in all its depth and nuance. Through the preparation and performance of solo vocal repertoire, students cultivate interpretive insight, expressive technique, and a deep intellectual and musical engagement with a wide-ranging literature.
In collaboration with NEC’s vocal arts faculty, students explore global traditions of song, engaging with works by both celebrated and emerging composers and poets. The series is grounded in a commitment to artistic diversity, offering programs that reflect a broad spectrum of cultural voices and creative expression.
By participating in Song and Verse, students develop the unique storytelling skills that song demands — where music and poetry converge to communicate the human experience with intimacy and power.
Liederabend
Literally meaning “evening of song,” the Liederabend tradition dates back to the 19th century, when musicians and music lovers would gather in intimate settings to share performances of vocal music. These gatherings typically featured singers and pianists performing works by the composers of their day. In classical music, these pieces are known as art songs, and in German, Lieder.
The 19th century was the golden age of German song, when composers found powerful inspiration in the poetry of the Classical and Romantic eras. While voice and keyboard works existed earlier, this convergence of literature and music gave rise to the genre we now call the Lied.
Today, NEC’s Liederabend series carries this tradition forward, presenting art song repertoire from the 19th century to the present, performed in a variety of languages. The series serves as an intensive lab for both voice and collaborative piano majors, focusing on comprehensive song study, detailed score preparation, and refined performance practice. Through this ongoing series, students deepen their understanding of poetic and musical interpretation, while honing the essential skills of expressive collaboration.
Symphonic Choir
NEC’s Symphonic Choir allows students to perform music from all styles and periods of choral literature, extending beyond traditional Western masterpieces to the music of non-European cultures, from Native American chant to works from Asia and the Middle East. Each year, the Symphonic Choir gives several concerts, performing a cappella and with orchestra.
Chamber Singers
NEC Chamber Singers is an auditioned ensemble of 26-32 singers performing challenging works from all style periods, including a cappella and with instruments. This select choir performs several times a year on campus in NEC’s famed Jordan Hall and off campus at various venues in Boston. In recent years, the Chamber Singers have performed the works of many NEC faculty and student composers. All students, regardless of major and year, are welcome to audition at the start of the fall semester.
First and Second Year Undergraduate Voice Showcases
Each semester, first- and second-year voice majors at New England Conservatory present public showcases featuring a diverse selection of vocal repertoire. These performances are the culmination of their ongoing work in vocal technique, musical interpretation, and stage presence.
In addition to honing their artistry, students develop essential communication skills by introducing their pieces and providing historical or personal context, creating a more engaging and informative experience for the audience.
This practice-to-performance model supports students in building the confidence and versatility needed for future degree recitals, professional auditions, and community outreach, laying a strong foundation for their continued growth as performing artists.
