In addition to participation in NEC's orchestras and chamber music ensembles, there are specialized ensembles available to woodwind, brass, and percussion instrument majors.
Charles Peltz Director of Wind Ensemble Activities
William Drury Associate Conductor of Wind Ensembles
Frank Epstein Director, NEC Percussion Ensemble
Charles Peltz unleashes the NEC Wind Ensemble in an environmental piece performed in a neighboring locale uniquely suited for its 58 dispersed performers.
One of Mingus's classic recordings, the album version was conducted by Gunther Schuller, but until this 2014 NEC concert, it had never been performed before an audience in its original orchestration.
Student Elmer Churampi steps out of the ensemble for this concerto solo opportunity.
Many of NEC's wind and brass players have gone on to leadership roles in U.S. military bands.
Occupant of NEC's Donna Hieken Chair Flute Chair, Paula Robison performs with the students of her department.
NEC Wind Ensemble, conducted by Charles Peltz, offers students an opportunity to play literature from the Renaissance through the present day for wind, brass, and percussion. Each year a number of faculty and students appear as soloists in Wind Ensemble concerts. In addition to its concert series in Jordan Hall, the ensemble sometimes performs at national music conferences as well as at various venues in and around Boston. During the past two decades, the Wind Ensemble has commissioned and premiered new works by Pulitzer Prize composers Michael Colgrass, John Harbison, and Gunther Schuller, plus other distinguished composers such as Sir Michael Tippett, Daniel Pinkham, and William Thomas McKinley. Through performances and recordings, the Wind Ensemble has established a reputation as one of the country’s premier wind ensembles. Recent recordings for Mode extend a recording tradition that dates back to the 1960s and the founding of the ensemble by Frank Battisti.
NEC Symphonic Winds, conducted by William Drury, performs woodwind, brass, and percussion repertoire from the Renaissance through the present day for octet to full wind ensemble. Important works that are sometimes neglected because of unusual instrumentation form an integral part of four annual Jordan Hall concerts. Bronze Music, the ensemble's debut CD on Albany Records (under its previous name, Jordan Winds) includes works by Larry Bell, Peter Child, Linda Dusman, Joshua Feltman, Gerald Levinson, David Macbride, and Malcolm Peyton.
Symphonic Winds also reads standard orchestral repertoire that serves to improve members’ ensemble skills.
A brief cellphone clip of NEC brass players bringing Ravel's Bolero to Boston's South Station during the afternoon rush.
Former Boston Symphony Orchestra trombonist Norman Bolter lines up every NEC brass student he can lay his hands on to give Strauss's heroic sounds their due.
Norman Bolter is a former Boston Symphony Orchestra trombonist.
Four S Saxophone Quartet:
Suzanne Grant, alto sax
Samuel Meyer, alto sax
Stephanie Muñoz, tenor sax
Morgan Smallwood, baritone sax
coached by Kenneth Radnofsky
NEC's annual Brass Bash is a Jordan Hall concert that puts the spotlight on current and former Boston Symphony Orchestra members who teach at NEC, along with their students—often performing side by side. Students enrolled in Horn Class, Trumpet Class, Trombone Class, and Tuba Class perform in Brass Bash.
World premiere performance, one of many works introduced by the NEC Percussion Ensemble.
Flutist Paula Robison of the faculty brought her personal history with Leonard Bernstein and this piece to this performance.
Composer Gunther Schuller's time as president of NEC is legendary. NEC ensembles continue to perform his eclectic, innovative music, including this work commissioned by NEC for Schuller's 80th birthday celebration in 2005, and subsequently recorded for Naxos.
American Music for Percussion comprises two Naxos CDs of music commissioned and premiered by the NEC Percussion Ensemble, drawing on composers who had not previously written for this configuration.
NEC Percussion Ensemble, conducted by Frank Epstein, performs twice a year in Jordan Hall and makes appearances throughout Boston.
The repertoire has included premieres of works by Irwin Bazelon, Elliott Carter, Peter Child, Edward Cohen, John Harbison, Jennifer Higdon, Fred Lerdahl, Robert Rodriguez, Felicia Sandler, Gunther Schuller, and Joan Tower. Most of these works appear on the two Naxos CDs released under the American Music for Percussion banner in 2011.
Guest artists appear occasionally with the ensemble, and there are opportunities for solo performances.
The ensemble is open to all percussionists.