Video: Watch Ethan Iverson “Piano Sonata' World Premiere At New England Conservatory

New England Conservatory has just released a video of the world premiere performance of pianist, composer, writer and NEC jazz faculty member Ethan Iverson's "Piano Sonata." The performance took place in NEC's famed Jordan Hall in the spring of 2022.

Iverson was a founding member of The Bad Plus, a game-changing collective with Reid Anderson and David King. His active associations include drummer Billy Hart and the Mark Morris Dance Group, and he has recorded projects for ECM featuring Mark Turner and Tom Harrell. Time Out New York selected Iverson as one of 25 essential New York jazz icons: "Perhaps NYC's most thoughtful and passionate student of jazz tradition-the most admirable sort of artist-scholar." Writing in DownBeat, Dan Ouellette called Iverson "a restless visionary...continues to evolve as a deep, enlightened, good-humored artist who has excelled in a variety of musical settings-from composing formal classical scores, to being the musical composer/ arranger for choreographer Mark Morris, to breaking jazz rules in The Bad Plus." He has taught at NEC since 2016.

The first fully accredited jazz studies program at a music conservatory, NEC's Jazz Studies Department was the brainchild of Gunther Schuller, who moved quickly to incorporate jazz into the curriculum when he became president of the Conservatory in 1967. Schuller hired Carl Atkins to head the department, as well as George Russell, Jaki Byard and Ran Blake. Among the "most acclaimed and successful in the world" (JazzTimes), the program has spawned numerous Grammy winning composers and performers and has an alumni list that reads like a who's who of jazz, while the faculty has included six MacArthur "genius" grant recipients (three currently teaching) and four NEA Jazz Masters. The foundation of its teaching and success begins with the mentor relationship developed in lessons between students and the prominent faculty artists. In addition to its two jazz orchestras, NEC's faculty-coached small ensembles reflect the Conservatory's inclusive approach to music making, with groups focused on free jazz, early jazz, gospel music, Brazilian music, and songwriting, as well as more traditional approaches to jazz performance. Each jazz student is encouraged to find their own musical voice while making connections and collaborating with a vibrant community of creative musicians, and to ultimately transform the world through the power of music.


Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts in 1867, the New England Conservatory (NEC) represents a model of music school that combines the best of European tradition with American innovation. This independent conservatory stands at the center of Boston's rich cultural history and musical life, presenting concerts at the renowned Jordan Hall on Huntington Avenue, recognized as Boston's Avenue of the Arts. As a not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of all ages, NEC cultivates a diverse, dynamic community, providing music students of more than 40 countries with performance opportunities and high-caliber training from 225 internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. Propelled by profound artistry, bold creativity and deep compassion, NEC seeks to amplify musicians' impact on advancing our shared humanity, and empowers students to meet today's changing world head-on, equipped with the tools and confidence to forge multidimensional lives of artistic depth and relevance.

NEC pushes the boundaries of music-making and teaching through college-level training in classical, jazz, and contemporary improvisation. Through unique interdisciplinary programs such as Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Performances & Partnerships, NEC empowers students to create their own musical opportunities. As part of NEC's mission to make lifelong music education available to everyone, the Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education deliver training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students and adults.