Alumni Spotlight: 2025 Commencement Alumni Speaker & Marshals
Published on May 1, 2025
Meet our 2025 Commencement Alumni Speaker and Marshals!
Alumni hold a meaningful place in NEC’s Commencement celebrations. Each year, graduates from reunion classes are invited to take part by serving as alumni marshals and speakers, representing the broader alumni community.
At this year’s Commencement, Brian McCreath ’90 MM (center) will address the graduating class as the Alumni Speaker, officially welcoming them into the alumni community. Ellen McLain ’75, ’77 MM (right) and Mark Tse ’15 MM (left) will serve as Alumni Marshals, leading the ceremonial procession.
Brian McCreath ’90 MM
Alumni Speaker
Alumni Speaker
Brian McCreath ’90 MM produces and hosts CRB's Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts from Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, Executive Produces WCRB In Concert, and produces and hosts The Bach Hour. As Director of Production, he also oversees GBH Music productions from the Fraser Performance Studio. He came to GBH in 2004 as a digital content producer and produced and hosted GBH's weekend morning classical program for five years. Brian has also hosted live broadcasts and video streams from GBH's Fraser Performance Studio, live broadcasts of the Handel and Haydn Society from Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall. He began his radio career as a Production Assistant at Wisconsin Public Radio. He holds degrees in Trumpet Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and The College of Wooster.
Ellen McLain ’75, ’77 MM
Alumni Marshal
Alumni Marshal
Ellen McLain ’75, ’77 MM, soprano, has sung throughout the United States and Europe in opera and music theater. She studied with Barbara Wallace at NEC, receiving a Bachelor of Music with Honors in 1975 and Master of Music with Honors in 1977 on a Rowe Scholarship. Ellen has sung principal roles with Seattle Opera, Tacoma Opera, The 5th Avenue Theatre, and The Village Theatre. Video gamers know her as the voice of “GLaDOS” in PORTAL.
Mark Tse ’15 MM
Alumni Marshal
Alumni Marshal
Dr. Mark Tse '15 MM is a conductor and educator, serving as Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education at the University of Saskatchewan. He conducts the University’s Wind Orchestra and Concert Band, and is an instructor of conducting and instrumental music teaching in secondary schools. Dr. Tse is dedicated to co-creating opportunities for everyone to cultivate the joy of music, which includes musicians, conductors, composers and audiences, as well as people and genres who have historically been marginalized from orchestral music. He holds numerous degrees in conducting and music education from the University of Washington, the New England Conservatory, Western University, and the University of Toronto.
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