News & Spotlights

Composer Andrew Rindfleisch ’90 MM has been named a finalist for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in music for his composition American Descent, a five-movement work for 13 players that premiered in October 2025.Commissioned and premiered by the NO EXIT New Music Ensemble, American Descent explores the decline of a once prosperous society into chaos, division, and violence. The work’s five movements

Alumna DoYeon Kim ’16 MM, ’18 GD has been featured in The New York Times, which described her as “an in-demand collaborator for some of the biggest innovators in improvised music.”A virtuoso of the gayageum, Kim is known for blending Korean traditional music with contemporary improvisation and jazz. Her studies at NEC’s Contemporary Improvisation program helped shape her distinctive artistic voice

In November, the Houston Grand Opera named NEC alumnus James Gaffigan ’01 its next music director. Gaffigan, who’s conducted opera and orchestral performances with major ensembles and companies in the United States and abroad, will serve as music director designate at the HGO during the 2026–2027 season and begin his tenure as music director at the start of the 2027–2028 season. We recently spoke

Meet our 2026 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, Matthew Shifrin '21, '23 MM (center) will address the graduating class as the Alumni Speaker, of

NEC has recognized a diverse group of alumni with its Entrepreneurial Musicianship (EM) Department Alumni Awards, highlighting projects that expand the boundaries of performance, education, and artistic collaboration.Among the honorees is Jenna Stokes ’23, whose work with the OUT Ensemble culminated in the debut album Seasons of Change. The project centers on themes of identity and transformation,

Saehyun Kim ’19 Prep, ’24 NEC/Harvard has signed an exclusive recording agreement with Warner Classics, positioning him among an internationally recognized roster of artists that includes Beatrice Rana, Piotr Anderszewski, Fazıl Say, and Mariam Batsashvili. His debut album with the label is scheduled for release in September 2026.The upcoming recording is structured around a Paris-inspired concept

Award-winning harpist and educator Alix Raspé Gray ’17 MM continues to expand her impact in music education with newly announced faculty appointments at Phillips Exeter Academy and the Longy School of Music of Bard College.These roles mark the latest additions to a dynamic teaching portfolio that already includes positions at Dartmouth College and Phillips Academy Andover. Across these institution

Hyeonseon Baek ’22 MM has been named a 2026 recipient of the Support for Artists Award from the New York State Council on the Arts.Now based in New York City, Baek is a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and educator known for his expressive style and focus on storytelling and improvisation. Originally from Korea, he was inspired by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Carmen McRae, and late

NEC proudly congratulates alumna Mei-Ann Chen ’95, ’98 MM on her appointment as Director of Orchestral Activities and Chair of the Conducting Program at the Manhattan School of Music, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year.A celebrated Taiwanese American conductor, Chen is recognized internationally for her dynamic artistry, versatility, and leadership on the podium. In her new role at Manhattan S

Leona Cheung '18 MM, '20 GD has been awarded the Opportunity Fund by the City of Boston in support of her upcoming recital, When Poetry Sings: Voices from the Far East. Leona will be accompanied by Angela Yam '21 GD and Zizhao Wang '18, '20 MM, '21 GD. The performance will take place on May 8 at the Pao Arts Center in Boston's Chinatown and will feature Cheung alongside two fellow NEC alumni singe

Congratulations to Leland Ko ’15 Prep, ’24 AD and Keila Wakao ’24 Prep, ’28, who have been named recipients of the 2026 Avery Fisher Career Grants.Ko and Wakao will be honored this evening during a ceremony and performance at WQXR’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space in New York City. Each recipient receives a $25,000 award to support career advancement, along with unrestricted use of the recordin

The daughter of a European composer and a Great American Songbook singer, native New Yorker Roberta Piket is a pianist and organist who loves to swing while exploring the more adventurous harmonic possibilities of jazz and improvised music.Roberta’s wide ranging abilities and interests are reflected in the roster of musicians with whom she has appeared professionally as a sidewoman: David Liebman,

Robert Couture '76 Prep, '80 is a graduate of NEC and is retired principal trombone at Boston Ballet Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera Orchestra, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra, and 2nd trombone with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He has toured with the Handel and Haydn Society, Alea III, and the Boston Pops. He performed extensively in the various New England regio

Tenor and voice pedagogue Josaphat Contreras ’22 MM has been honored with the 2026 Emerging Leaders Award from the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), recognizing his exceptional contributions as a performer, researcher, and educator.Contreras, hailed for his “flexible” ringing tenor notes and his ease with diverse repertoire, completed his Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy at NEC,

Alumni continue to make their mark on the world of professional music, achieving notable positions in leading orchestras and ensembles.Jensen Bocco ’20 has been named Second Bassoon with the San Francisco Ballet, earning a coveted spot in one of the nation’s premier ballet orchestras. Bocco’s appointment reflects both his exceptional musicianship and the rigorous training he received during his ti

Tanni Wang ’21 has been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council through the Boston Cultural Council program in support of her initiative, tTt Music Talk. The project centers on in-depth interviews with influential musicians and artistic leaders, aiming to preserve their insights while fostering meaningful dialogue across the evolving musical landscape.Since its launch, tTt Music Ta

Sound artist and composer Ross Wightman ’18 MM has been awarded Second Prize at the 2026 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, hosted by Georgia Institute of Technology.His instrument, Fiddle Henge, is a robotic array of four violins mounted on a bass drum and activated by a motorized bowing system, producing dense rhythmic textures and microtonal soundscapes. Inspired by mechanical instruments

Korean American violinist Danny Koo ’14, ’16 MM made his debut at Carnegie Hall this season, appearing for the first time in the venue’s intimate Zankel Hall. Known for his dynamic stage presence and broad reach across both the international concert stage and Korean media, Koo continues to build a reputation for combining artistic depth with a contemporary, audience-focused vision.For the performa

Violinist and vocalist Lysander Jaffe ’20 MM is featured in a recent article by WBUR highlighting the upcoming album Levyosn’s Dream by the Boston-based Jewish music ensemble Levyosn. The recording explores the rich traditions of Yiddish song while bringing a contemporary chamber-music sensibility to the repertoire.Founded by singer-songwriter Adah Hetko and Jaffe, Levyosn blends traditional Jewis

NEC alum Wendy Eisenberg '16 MM was featured on the cover of the new issue of UK music magazine, The Wire. The written piece by Stewart Smith dives into Wendy's new introspective self-titled solo album, among their many other collaborative projects.Wendy Eisenberg has spent the past decade as a fixture of independent music and an artist of inspired multiplicity. As a singer-songwriter, improviser,