Highlights include the 75th Anniversary of the Choral Department; the world premiere of Elena Langer's "Leonora's Dream;" opera scenes from Yiddish theater & more.
New England Conservatory has announced an expansive fall season of classical and contemporary music concerts featuring a diverse roster of ensembles and programming. Ensembles large and small perform in NEC's world-class venues, including Jordan Hall and the Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre.
A major highlight is the 75th Anniversary of the NEC Choral Department, founded in 1947 and led by Lorna Cooke DeVaron-the first woman appointed to such a leadership position at a collegiate level. Performances to celebrate the department include a concert on October 25, with "Beyond the Night Sky," a pillar work on the program composed by Cheryl Frances-Hoad which honors the 75th birthday of famed physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, and Cecilia McDowell's 'Night Flight," a work celebrating the achievements of American aviator Harriet Quimby. Following is a November 17 performance of Kile Smith's work "The Consolation of Apollo," a 30-minute a cappella work with percussion that tells the story of the Apollo 8 lunar mission. And the return of NEC Holiday Pops takes place in a festive concert on December 12 at Jordan Hall.
Hugh Wolff conducts the NEC Philharmonia in the world premiere of Elena Langer's "Leonora's Dream," a work in response to Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2 on November 16.
Performances by the NEC Philharmonia, Symphony, and Chamber Orchestra feature groundbreaking works by Jesse Montgomery, Silvestre Revueltas, Kati Agócs, Gunther Schuller, Henry Brant, Gary Powell Nash, Erqing Wang, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, John Luther Adams, Anna Clyne, Michael Tippet, Charles Ives, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Strauss, Claude Debussy, and many more.
The Opera Department presents "Scenes from Yiddish Theater" October 26-28; Benjamin Britten's "The Turn of the Screw" November 17-20; and an evening of Handel arias and Shakespeare monologues December 13-14. The Voice and Collaborative Piano Departments present a series of thought-provoking "Liederabend" and "Song and Verse" concerts.
For more information and a complete event calendar, visit https://necmusic.edu/concerts.
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7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-philharmonia-hugh-wolff-barber-revueltas-montgomery-ravel
NEC Philharmonia and conductor Hugh Wolff open the season with a program of Barber, Revueltas, Montgomery, and Ravel. Geneva Lewis '22 AD is the violin soloist in the Barber.
Hugh Wolff, conductor
Silvestre Revueltas, "Ventanas"
Samuel Barber, Violin Concerto (Geneva Lewis, violin)
Jessie Montgomery, "Caught by the Wind"
Ravel, Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2
8:00 p.m., Burnes Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/borromeo-string-quartet-haydn-and-bartok-1
Borromeo String Quartet is one of the most sought-after string quartets in the world, each season performing more than one hundred concerts of classical and contemporary literature across three continents. Audiences and critics alike have championed the Borromeo Quartet's revealing explorations of the complete quartet cycles of Beethoven, Brahms, and Bartók, and its affinity for making challenging repertoire approachable. This season, the quartet welcomes a new member, violist Melissa Reardon '02 MM, '03 GD.
Franz Joseph Haydn, String Quartet in C Major, Hob. III: 72
Béla Bartók, String Quartet No. 1 in A Minor, op. 7, Sz 40, BB 52
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/tuesday-night-new-music-1-0
Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series directed by student composers Andrew Minoo Dixon '23 and ChangJin Ha '24 under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-philharmonia-david-loebel-nielsen-agocs-beethoven
NEC Associate Conductor of Orchestras David Loebel leads the NEC Philharmonia in a program of works by Nielsen, NEC faculty composer Kati Agócs, and Beethoven.
David Loebel, conductor
Carl Nielsen, Helios Overture
Kati Agócs, Perpetual Summer (2010, rev. 2012)
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 in F Major, op. 68 "Pastoral"
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/first-monday-jordan-hall-oct
Join us as we celebrate 38 years of First Mondays, curated by Artistic Director Laurence Lesser. Programs feature well-loved classics and new compositions, performed by some of the finest chamber musicians in the world, free and open to all. First Mondays are fresh and full of imaginative pairings of well-loved classics and new works, performed in one of the finest places on the planet to hear music of this caliber: NEC's own Jordan Hall. This fall's repertoire features all-French music.
Marin Marais, "Sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève du Mont de Paris"
Adrienne Hyde, viola da gamba; Sarah Darling, violin; Peter Sykes, harpsichord
François Couperin, "L'Apothéose de Corelli"
Emi Ferguson, flauto traverso; Sarah Darling, violin; Adrienne Hyde, viola da gamba; Peter Sykes, harpsichord
Three Debussy Sonatas (TBA)
Laurence Lesser, cello; Motti Fang-Bentov, piano; Tessa Lark, violin; Sooyun Kim, flute; Zhanbo Zheng, viola; Krysten Keches, harp
8:00 p.m., Brown Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/callithumpian-consort-5
NEC faculty Stephen Drury created the Callithumpian Consort in the belief that new music should be an exciting adventure shared by performers and listeners alike, and that the brand new masterpieces of our day are beautiful, sensuous, challenging, delightful, provocative, and a unique joy.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/faculty-recital-meng-chieh-liu-0
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-wind-ensemble-charles-peltz
Charles Peltz, conductor
Gunther Schuller, Franfare
Richard Strauss, Serenade in Eb, Op. 7
Henry Brant, "Ghosts and Gargoyles"
Edgard Varèse, Intégrales
Paul Hindemith, Konzertmusik, Op. 41
Claude Debussy (arr. Volans), "L'isle Joyeuse"
The 20th century was a whirlwind of musical discovery and this concert celebrates some of its iconic groundbreakers. Bookended by Strauss and Debussy whose harmonic innovations set the stage for the explosions to follow, the concert features the patriarch of the avant garde Edgard Varèse (a Frank Zappa favorite) in his monumental Intégrales. On one side of Varèse we place the spatial music pioneer Henry Brant in his jazz influenced Ghost and Gargoyles and on the other, an original "bad boy", Paul Hindemith. Opening the program is our tribute to NEC's own pioneer Gunther Schuller in his "Franfare" - a musical firework for massed trumpets.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-chamber-orchestra-grieg-clyne-dvorak
Donald Palma, conductor
Edvard Grieg, Holberg Suite, op. 40
Anna Clyne, "Stride"
Antonín Dvořak, Serenade for Strings in E Major, op. 22
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/faculty-recital-maryann-mccormick-mezzo-soprano-and-jj-penna-piano
8:00 p.m., Williams Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/tuesday-night-new-music-2-0
Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series directed by student composers Andrew Minoo Dixon '23 and ChangJin Ha '24 under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-symphonic-winds-bill-drury-1
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-symphony-david-loebel-beethoven-nash-rimsky-korsakov
David Loebel, conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven, Leonore Overture No. 1, op. 138
Gary Powell Nash, "In Memoriam: Sojourner Truth" (1992)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, op. 35
6:00 p.m., Williams Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/liederabend-lxi
The NEC Liederabend series presents songs in a variety of languages-not only German-dating from the 19th century up to the present day.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-chamber-singers-erica-j-washburn-beyond-night-sky
The NEC Chamber Singers present a program of works linked by the theme of night and the universe: the mystery, beauty, and strangeness we find there. Texts are drawn from the Bible, Finnish folklore, Stephen Hawking, Octavio Paz, and others.
Erica Washburn, conductor
Josef Rheinberger, "Abendlied"
György Ligeti, "Éjszaka"
Eric Whitacre, "Water Night"
Johannes Brahms, In Stiller Nacht (WoO 34, No. 8)
Cheryl Frances-Hoadl, "Beyond the Night Sky"
Ēriks Ešenvalds, "Rivers of Light"
Samuel Barber, "To Be Sung on the Water"
Marie-Claire Saindon, "Constellation"
Cecilia McDowall, "Night Flight"
György Ligeti, "Reggel"
7:30 p.m., Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
https://necmusic.edu/events/perkin-opera-scenes-13
Enjoy an evening of scenes in the intimate setting of NEC's Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre. The repertory includes scenes from the Yiddish theater including Gilrod and Rumshinsky's Yiddish operetta, "Di Goldene Kale" ("The Golden Bride").
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-philharmonia-earl-lee-wang-mahler
Guest conductor and NEC alumnus Earl Lee ('15 GD) leads the NEC Philharmonia in a performance of "Labyrinth of Light" by fellow NEC alumnus Erqing Wang ('20) and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D Major ("Titan").
6:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/sonata-night-42
Under the direction of NEC faculty pianist Pei-Shan Lee, Sonata Night is an evening of piano-instrumental masterworks featuring collaborative pianists in partnership with their instrumental colleagues. Sonata, a musical term of several meanings, is used here to signify a duo form of equal partnership. Sonata Night programming spans a wide range of musical styles and features the world's greatest duo works from the Baroque through the 20th century, including compositional forms such as multi-movement suites and character pieces.
7:30 p.m., Brown Hall
John Heiss, work TBD
Joan Tower, "Black Topaz"
Anthony Davis, "Wayang II (Shadowdance)"
Toru Takemitsu, "Rain Spell"
George Crumb, "Ancient Voices of Children"
Tuesday, November 1 | [nec]shivaree, Steve Drury, director
8:00 p.m., Williams Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/necshivaree
[nec]shivaree, the NEC Avant-Garde Ensemble directed by NEC faculty Stephen Drury, is the attack wing of NEC's new music program, performing the modern, the new, and the avant-garde. Sounds are provided by such composers as John Cage, Steve Reich, Morton Feldman, George Crumb, Galina Ustvolskaya, and Giacinto Scelsi. The performers have worked with composers John Zorn, John Luther Adams, Christian Wolff, and Frederic Rzewski.
6:00 p.m., Williams Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/liederabend-lxii
The NEC Liederabend series presents songs in a variety of languages-not only German-dating from the 19th century up to the present day.
7:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/song-and-verse-0
The Song and Verse recital series provides a platform for undergraduate singers at NEC to experience the unique and invigorating process of song preparation and performance-creating interpretations, building performance skills, and forging intellectual and musical connections with a wide literature.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/first-monday-jordan-hall-nov
Join us as we celebrate 38 years of First Mondays, curated by Artistic Director Laurence Lesser. Programs feature well-loved classics and new compositions, performed by some of the finest chamber musicians in the world, free and open to all. First Mondays are fresh and full of imaginative pairings of well-loved classics and new works, performed in one of the finest places on the planet to hear music of this caliber: NEC's own Jordan Hall.
Kaija Saariaho, "Clouds"
Kristopher Tong, violin; Nicholas Cords, viola; Lluis Claret, cello
Francis Poulenc, "Babar"
Paula Robison, narrator; Tae Kim, piano
Olivier Messiaen, "Quatuor pour la fin du temps" ("Quartet for the End of Time")
Ayano Ninomiya, violin; Soomin Kim, clarinet; Lluis Claret, cello; Pei-Shan Lee, piano
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-symphony-paul-biss-mussorgsky-simon-tchaikovsky
NEC Symphony, led by Paul Biss, explores Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain," Carlos Simon's "Elegy: A Cry from the Grave," and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F Minor.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-wind-ensemble-charles-peltz-nov
This program puts together music that has been played often here at NEC bringing great reward to the musicians and enjoyment to the audience. Two French favorites - Baroque dance delights from the court of Louis the 14th is followed by a brass tour de force: Tomasi's passionate and reverent Fanfares. John Luther Adams work for massed flutes was recorded to great acclaim by NEC's Callithumpian Consort and is coached here by NEC's own John Heiss. Michael Tippet broke new formal and rhythmic ground with jewelry "Mosaic," the first movement of his Concerto for Orchestra. New England itself claims America's most important composer - Charles Ives. His "Decoration Day" is a musical collage drawn from childhood memories of Memorial Day - the civil war veterans on parade, the horse carts, the fire wagons and of course, the marches played with more passion than accuracy by the village band.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-chamber-orchestra-veress-netsky-stravinsky
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of NEC's Contemporary Musical Arts department, the NEC Chamber Orchestra collaborates with the CMA in a performance of Chagall's "Mandolins," a suite by CMA co-chair Hankus Netsky featuring CMA student soloist G Korth Rockwell, mandolin. Also on the program are Sandor Veress' "Four Transylvanian Dances" and Stravinsky's Apollon musagète.
8:00 p.m., Williams Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/tuesday-night-new-music-3-0
Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series directed by student composers Andrew Minoo Dixon '23 and ChangJin Ha '24 under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-philharmonia-hugh-wolff-beethoven-langer-strauss
NEC Philharmonia performs Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2 and the world premiere of Elena Langer's "Leonora's Dream," a response to the Beethoven work. Also on the program is Richard Strauss' Don Quixote featuring Leland Ko ('24 AD) as cello soloist. Hugh Wolff conducts.
6:30 p.m., Burnes Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/sonata-night-43
Under the direction of NEC faculty pianist Pei-Shan Lee, Sonata Night is an evening of piano-instrumental masterworks featuring collaborative pianists in partnership with their instrumental colleagues. Sonata, a musical term of several meanings, is used here to signify a duo form of equal partnership. Sonata Night programming spans a wide range of musical styles and features the world's greatest duo works from the Baroque through the 20th century, including compositional forms such as multi-movement suites and character pieces.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-symphonic-choir-and-symphonic-winds-erica-j-washburn-and-bill-drury
NEC Symphonic Choir and Symphonic Winds present a joint program saluting the contributions of U.S. veterans. Kile Smith's "The Consolation of Apollo" sets the words of the Apollo 8 astronauts as they rounded the moon and saw the earthrise, as well as texts by Boethius describing Phoebus (Apollo) and our place in the universe, and the portion of the Genesis creation text which the astronauts read to the world as we gazed at the earth on the television transmission.
Thu, November 17, 2022 | 7:30pm
Fri, November 18, 2022 | 8:00pm
Sat, November 19, 2022 | 8:00pm
Sun, November 20, 2022 | 7:00pm
Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-opera-turn-screw
Based on Henry James's chilling novella, Benjamin Britten's "The Turn of the Screw" tells the story of a governess desperate to protect her children from evil as they experience strange encounters at a remote country house. Robert Tweten conducts NEC graduate opera students and members of the NEC Philharmonia.
8:00 p.m., Burnes Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/borromeo-string-quartet-haydn-and-bartok-2
Borromeo String Quartet is one of the most sought-after string quartets in the world, each season performing more than one hundred concerts of classical and contemporary literature across three continents. Audiences and critics alike have championed the Borromeo Quartet's revealing explorations of the complete quartet cycles of Beethoven, Brahms, and Bartók, and its affinity for making challenging repertoire approachable. This season, the quartet welcomes a new member, violist Melissa Reardon '02 MM, '03 GD.
Franz Joseph Haydn | String Quartet in F Major, op. 74 no. 2, Hob. III:73
Béla Bartók | String Quartet No. 2, op. 17, Sz 67, BB 75
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/faculty-recital-kenneth-radnofsky-saxophone
8:00 p.m., Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
https://necmusic.edu/events/undergraduate-opera-scenes-1
NEC's Undergraduate Opera Studio, Michael Meraw artistic director, offers an introduction to performance skills in opera and lyric theatre and the discipline of being a professional singer to undergraduate voice majors.
8:00pm, Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/chamber-music-gala-2
In December, April, and May, New England Conservatory fills the air with the sounds of piano trios, string quartets, and more, both day and night. Performers include NEC's faculty of chamber music superstars, and the students coached by these great artists.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/first-monday-jordan-hall-dec
Join us as we celebrate 38 years of First Mondays, curated by Artistic Director Laurence Lesser. Programs feature well-loved classics and new compositions, performed by some of the finest chamber musicians in the world, free and open to all. First Mondays are fresh and full of imaginative pairings of well-loved classics and new works, performed in one of the finest places on the planet to hear music of this caliber: NEC's own Jordan Hall.
Maurice Ravel, "Chansons madécasses"
MaryAnn McCormick, mezzo-soprano; Renée Krimsier, flute; Blaise Déjardin, cello; Cameron Stowe, piano
Henri Dutilleux, "Ainsi la nuit"
Jupiter String Quartet
Gabriel Fauré Piano Quartet No. 2, in G minor, Op. 45
Donald Weilerstein, violin; Cathy Basrak, viola; Blaise Déjardin, cello; Alessio Bax, piano
8:00 p.m., Williams Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/tuesday-night-new-music-4-0
Tuesday Night New Music is a student-run, faculty-supervised concert series directed by student composers Andrew Minoo Dixon '23 and ChangJin Ha '24 under the supervision of composition chair Michael Gandolfi.
6:00 p.m., Williams Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/liederabend-lxiii
The NEC Liederabend series presents songs in a variety of languages-not only German-dating from the 19th century up to the present day.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-chamber-singers-symphonic-winds-navy-band-ne-holidays
It's a holiday celebration at NEC! This family-friendly choral and winds concert features popular holiday tunes, seasonal sweaters, Santa hats, and a singalong. Join us for a festive evening featuring the NEC Chamber Singers, NEC Symphonic Winds, and Navy Band Northeast, led by conductors Erica Washburn, William Drury, and Lt. Joel Borrelli-Boudreau.
8:00 p.m., Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-opera-handel-arias
Join first year graduate students as they present an evening of Handel arias and Shakespeare monologues.
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-philharmonia-mei-ann-chen-clyne-dukas-strauss-tchaikovsky
Guest conductor and NEC alumna, Mei-Ann Chen ('95, '98 MM), leads the NEC Philharmonia in a performance of Anna Clyne's "Masquerade," Dukas "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," Strauss'
Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks," and the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1. The Tchaikovsky soloist will be the winner of the annual concerto competition.
Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts in 1867, the New England Conservatory (NEC) represents a new model of music school that combines the best of European tradition with American innovation. The school stands at the center of Boston's rich cultural history and musical life, presenting concerts at the renowned Jordan Hall. 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.
As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of all ages from around the world, NEC is recognized internationally as a leader among music schools. It 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. 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, it 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 delivers training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students and adults.
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