News & Spotlights

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

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

Heather Wittels is a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra first violin section, the Director of Chamber Music at the University of Chicago, and Artist Faculty at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. Since 2022, Heather spends her summers serving as concertmaster of the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria. Prior to that she was the associate concertmaster of the

Gregor Kaelin is a business leader in the Swiss technology sectors. Currently, he serves as the General Manager Switzerland for wonderful.ai, a leading enterprise in Europe’s rapidly growing Agentic AI landscape. In this role, he oversees the deployment of next-generation AI agents tailored for the Swiss market.His extensive professional background includes a significant tenure as the Head of Fina

Dr. Solomon Cross is the Dean of Performing and Communication Arts at Pasadena City College in Pasadena California. Prior to this role, he served as the Vice Provost for the School of Creative Arts, Entertainment and Design at Dallas College. Additional roles include leading as an Executive Dean of Liberal Arts, Assistant Divisional Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, Discipline Coordinator of Human

Violist Dana Kelley, Assistant Principal of the National Symphony Orchestra, has been praised for her rich and beautiful tone. She has been a top prizewinner in the Sphinx Music Competition, the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, and Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. She is also a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the O

Watch Sahoko's full video interview here.An alumna with a distinguished international career, Sahoko Timpone has performed in opera, concert, and recital settings across North America, Europe, and Asia. Her recent engagements include Verdi’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, Der Fliegende Holländer with Opera Maine, and Mahler symphonies with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and Florida State University

Rayna Yun Chou is a violist, award-winning interdisciplinary artist, and producer recognized by Boston ARTery as one of “25 Artists of Color Transforming the Cultural Landscape.” She has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Taiwan National Concert Hall, and venues across the United States. Her public art projects, including Concert for One (2019, Boston & Cambridge) and Hear the Light (2020, Taiwan), have b

A 2023 recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Emi Ferguson '05 Prep thrives as both a soloist and a collaborator, appearing at major festivals and concert halls around the world.What does NEC Prep mean to you?I think every teenager who’s excited about the arts has a moment when they realize they’re no longer the odd one out, but suddenly swimming in a sea of peers who are just as passionate a

Ivan Linn is CEO of Generative AI music platform Wavv, the creator of the world's first large music language model: Musica. He is known for his work in the music production of video games in the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series. He is also the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Assassin's Creed Symphony World Tour, winning a GRAMMY in 2023. Linn is a member of the National Arts and S

Tenor Michael González has been praised as “visually and sonically stunning” and celebrated for his “beautiful tenor voice,” described as “the aural equivalent of silk” (BMI). Known for his bright, forward tone and exceptional diction, González is rapidly emerging as a distinguished artist in opera, solo, and choral performance.Recently, González captivated audiences at the National Opera Center i

Percussionist Chris DeChiara, a native of Burlington, Massachusetts, honed his craft at an earlyage, recording and playing the club circuit around Boston and New England before channelinghis lifelong love of music into academic and professional pursuits. DeChiara studied percussionperformance at the undergraduate and graduate levels under the tutelage of Will Hudgins(Boston Symphony Orchestra), Je

Sarah Joyce Cooper has received praise for her “meltingly beautiful” (Opera News) singing and “passionate power” (Parterre Box). Highlights for the 2024-25 season include her debut with Seattle Opera as Minnie Tate in the world premiere of Tazewell Thompson’s Jubilee; a return to Carnegie Hall as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, and Vivaldi’s Glori

Calling all NEC Prep alumni! Do you have a favorite memory, a teacher who inspired you, a performance that changed you, or friendships that made your time, your child’s time, or your student’s time at NEC Prep unforgettable? We want to hear from you! Please fill out this short form to share your NEC Prep story and update your alumni records.

Sarah Gilbert is an online Community Manager at Microsoft, where she leads engagement and strategy for Microsoft 365, Copilot, and Public Sector audiences across GCC, GCC High, and DoD environments. Before entering the tech world, Sarah trained and worked as a professional opera singer, earning her Master of Music from the New England Conservatory.Her background in classical music continues to sha

"The most directly communicative playing came from Wayne Hankin who played bagpipes with the soulful abandon of a medieval John Coltrane." (New York Times)Wayne Hankin is considered one of the major performers of early classical winds of his generation. He has performed on countless recordings and hundreds of concerts worldwide. Best known for his work with Cirque du Soleil, he has performed in 8

Holly Hyun Choe, born in South Korea and raised in Los Angeles, impresses with her presence and radiance on the podium. The Recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award 2025 and designated Principal Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, she remains a highly sought-after guest conductor in both the United States and Europe. After serving two years as assistant conductor of the Tonhalle-O

A violin virtuoso, fiddler, and composer raised in Washington DC, Lily Honigberg ’18, ’20 MM seamlessly weaves together a rich tapestry of Irish fiddle, classical, and contemporary improvisation in the music of singer song-writers, rappers, and artists. She is the featured fiddle player on Shaboozey’s 2024 hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, appears on FINNEAS’ second album, For Cryin’ Out Loud!, and played

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, official