Community Spotlight: Black History Month

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Join the NEC community in celebrating the legacy and impact of Black artists and artistry at NEC - both at the conservatory and beyond.

Marvin E. Gilmore Jr. '51 DP, '24 hon. DM Celebrates His 100th Birthday and Receives Honorary Doctorate
NEC alumnus and President’s Council Member Marvin E. Gilmore Jr. '51 DP, '24 hon. DM took center stage at Jordan Hall on Saturday, September 21, to celebrate his 100th birthday. Gilmore officially turned 100 on Monday, September 23. In a special reception on October 4, Gilmore was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from NEC celebrating his distinguished career and his legacy, which was presented by Ken Schaphorst ’84 MM, Co-Chair of the Jazz Department. Read more about this milestone here.

Adam Eccleston ’10 MM Receives 2024 Spark Award
Adam Eccleston ’10 MM has been named a recipient of the 2024 Spark Award for Oregon Artists, a prestigious honor from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation. The award, which includes $25,000 in funding, supports mid-career artists in their creative development. Adam serves as Chair of the Recording Inclusivity Initiative. The RII was created by All Classical Radio, a public station based in Portland, OR, which seeks to address the gap of classical music composers and musicians from underrepresented communities. Adam shared, "So far, we've completed two of the three albums. Composers, librarians, musicians, historians, conductors and everyone in between from all over the world were all open to submit pieces that they knew of that have never been recorded; and we selected half living and half posthumous composers' music to record. Bringing in composers from around the world to work directly with the radio station and the musicians that would record their piece. It's an incredibly rewarding process as a musician and arts leader." 

NEC Students Attend Sphinx Connect
Six NEC students attended the Sphinx Connect Conference in January, where they had affirming, meaningful, and fun experiences. The students consisted of NEC Student club leaders and Cultural Equity and Belonging (CEB) Student Ambassadors. Students attended panel sessions, spoke with leading performers, faculty, and administrators in the music field, and attended concerts and the Sphinx competitions. They were able to try out new violins, ask insightful questions, and make many transformative connections throughout the conference and at networking events.