Alumni Spotlight: Rick DellaRatta ’84, ’86 MM
How does someone overcome the extraordinary adversity of being an innovative jazz artist to build a spectacular career? Long known as one of the world’s finest jazz pianists, Rick DellaRatta first received major recognition as a composer in 1999 when his symphonic piece, "Permutata," was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. In 2004, he was recognized as a unique and influential vocalist when author Scott Yanow included him in his definitive book, The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide. Through a lifelong commitment to helping others reach their highest potential through jazz, as well as spreading harmony worldwide through his Jazz for Peace World Tour, DellaRatta is widely considered an innovator and visionary, a status cemented when The Foundation Center named him among the top musician-philanthropists of our time alongside Bono, Elton John, Peter Gabriel, and Sting. All of which has led to over 300 recent podcast appearances as well as the groundbreaking new book Paving the Path for Peace through Music: the Amazing Story of Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace! You can read the forward, excerpt, and click to purchase here.
Why did you choose NEC?
I chose NEC because of their legendary Classical Piano department, plus the opportunity to study jazz with Jacki Byard and composition with William Thomas McKinley.
What have you been up to since graduating from NEC? What projects have you been working on? Do you have any goals you are looking to accomplish?
Since graduating from NEC, I set out on an unprecedented artistic and philanthropic journey that began after witnessing the events of September 11, 2001, from a Lower Manhattan rooftop just a quarter-mile from Ground Zero. As the founder and artistic director of Jazz for Peace, I have spent the past 25 years using the transcendent quality of music to foster unity, cross-cultural dialogue, and global peace. One of our landmark initiatives brought Israeli, Palestinian, and American jazz musicians together on stage, earning praise from former U.S. President Barack Obama, who congratulated us on using music to promote a message of peace and unity, as well as author and journalist John Kiriakou, who commended our work as embodying the spirit of the Founding Fathers. Today, we are celebrating a list of seven unprecedented achievements, including reaching over one million weekly social media impressions, releasing new media interviews, and being listed alongside figures like Dostoyevsky, Orwell, and Kennedy on top historical quote rankings.
Looking ahead, my main goal is to empower people around the world to help fund world peace at 1% instead of 0% by choosing from six accessible participation options, five of which are completely free for anyone with the will to move our species forward. Moving into this next chapter, I am focused on expanding our podcast and media outreach, collaborating with international networks, and continuing to share the story of Jazz for Peace to inspire future generations of musicians, visionaries, and philanthropists.
What are some of your favorite memories from your time at NEC?
Learning music at a world-class level in all three areas of Jazz, Classical, and Composition.
Share a story about one of your favorite faculty or studio instructors.
One day while pursuing my Master's in jazz composition, I was approached by the great conductor William Thomas McKinley who told me that there was a record label called Master Musicians Collective that was looking for composers who had a mastery of both jazz and classical compositional styles. He shared that one of the upcoming recordings that they were doing was going to be held in London at the Beatles' Abbey Road studio and was going to feature the London Symphony Orchestra. He asked if I would like to write a piece just for that record and be a part of an extraordinary collective of modern living composers. I of course said yes and the piece I wrote called "Permutata" and released on master Musicians collective in 1999 is now heard regularly by people all over the world! Years later MMC also granted me permission to re-release it on the JAZZforPEACE CD!
How have your NEC experiences shaped your artistic approach?
My time at NEC was instrumental in shaping the way I approach music and performance today. Immersing myself in both classical traditions and jazz allowed me to blend different musical elements into a style that feels distinct and versatile. As author Debra R. Cerritelli noted in Paving the Path for Peace through Music: The Amazing story of Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace, this background across multiple musical languages has strongly influenced my overall creative and improvisational perspective.
Share any other stories about what has inspired you at NEC and beyond.
During my time at NEC and throughout my career, I have continually been inspired by the power of music to cross borders and connect people from all walks of life. Today, that inspiration comes from the incredible guests featured on The Jazz for Peace Podcast, a project that recently received a letter of praise from the United Nations for its work in global outreach. I am also deeply energized by our new spinoff, The Legacy Series, where we utilize advanced technology through Transync AI to collaborate with international artists from around the world. A recent highlight includes a feature with Takeshi Arima from Japan, where we discussed his music and philosophy before coming together for a unique live performance medley blending Japanese folk music, original compositions, and collaborative improvisation.
Do you have any advice for young musicians/current NEC students?
The music industry likes to lump together all of the musicians who have ever existed, and there is certainly no doubt that all of the greats should be listened to and studied. However, a musician who is performing today is in a separate category due to the fact that the music they are making is a message to the current time and Era that we are living in. Had the world paid more attention to those amazing masters during their lifetime, we would have been better off and the same holds true today. Let's make the arts and culture a bigger part of our collective conversation for a better world.
"When we fill our souls up with creativity, artistry and intelligence ...we have a better chance at avoiding the behavior that leads to destruction." - Rick DellaRatta
Learn More About Rick:
Current Job: Founder at: Jazz for Peace™
Degree: Bachelor of Music; Master of Music
Class Year: 1984; 1986
Major: Piano Performance; Jazz Composition
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