Black history is our shared history. This year’s Black History Month theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” explores the key influence African Americans have had in the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression.
Join the NEC community in celebrating the legacy and rich contributions of Black artists and artistry at NEC—past, present, and future.
Date: Wednesday, February 14th
Time: 6-7:15pm
Location: Brown Hall
Join CMA Co-Chair Hankus Netsky '76, '78 MM and Nedelka Prescod '12, Director of the NEC Gospel Ensemble, for a pre-concert talk about the artistic legacy of Mahalia Jackson.
Racialized Aesthetics in Music Talk by Dr. Chris Jenkins '03 MM
Date: Friday, February 16th
Time: 11am-12:30pm
Location: Burnes Hall
Date: Friday, February 16th
Time: 1:30pm
Location: Burnes Hall
*no reservations required
This panel will feature alumni Dr. Chris Jenkins '03 MM, Ashleigh Gordon '08 MM and Nedelka Prescod '12, along with NEC faculty member, Keith Jones.
Date: Monday, February 26th
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Jordan Hall
This 7th annual concert, presented by NEC’s Black Student Union and co-curated with Castle of our Skins, honors NEC's trailblazing activist and soprano alumna Coretta Scott King '54, '71 hon. DM. Alumna Ashleigh Gordon '08 MM, Founder of Castle of our Skins, will be performing in the concert.
NEC President’s Council member, alumnus, and World War II veteran, Marvin E. Gilmore, Jr. '51 DP, was featured in The Boston Globe this weekend as part of its Black History Month profile series, highlighting living civil rights leaders who were named Boston “heroes” on the 1965 Freedom Plaza that surrounds the Embrace sculpture. Read Marvin’s full profile here.
Castle of our Skins' BSU Intercollegiate Fellowship This fellowship is an opportunity for musicians from Black Student Unions at select Massachusetts conservatories to collaborate, create, and build a network of peers beyond institutional affiliation. NEC had 5 students participate in the fellowship this year. They performed on Sunday, February 4th at the Boston Center for the Arts.
Alumna Naledi Masilo '21 will perform at GBH Studios Naledi is a South African vocalist who will be sharing songs from her debut album, BATHO, at the JazzNOW event from GBH Music and JazzBoston on Thursday, February 8th in Fraser Performance Studio. She will perform at 7:15pm ET and virtually at 8pm ET.
This movement is led by the Groupmuse Foundation where Dara serves as Operations Manager. Planetary Music Movement is on a mission to transform music’s culture by celebrating and showcasing the artistry of Black musicians and composers. Listen to music by DARA + KYLE here.
