Live from the NEC Campus in Boston – Select Events Streaming Worldwide
New England Conservatory (NEC) announces the winter-spring 2022 series of master classes and residencies by world-class artists. Happening across classical music, jazz, contemporary improvisation, and composition, trailblazing visiting artists include composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, flutist/saxophonist/composer Anna Webber, bassist/composer Dave Holland, pianist Jason Moran, violinist Edward Dusinberre, singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane, pianist Kirill Gerstein, cellist Paul Katz, violist Dimitri Murrath, collaborative pianist James Baillieu, Irish music violinist Liz Knowles, cellist Guy Johnston, pianist Jonathan Biss, conductor and coach Teresa Rodriguez, violinist Karla Donehew Perez, and guitarist Grisha Goryachev.
Select events in January will be publicly viewable via livestream only, due to Covid precautions. In person audiences will be welcomed back to the halls beginning in February (subject to change). All livestreams and other streamed performances are free and can be found on the NEC website. Some performances will be broadcast via NEC’s YouTube channel for on-demand viewing.
More information about master classes: https://necmusic.edu/Master-Classes-Residencies
For detailed information, including Covid precautions, please visit https://necmusic.edu/concerts.
Event dates and details subject to change.
WINTER-SPRING 2022 MASTER CLASSES AND RESIDENCIES
Tuesday, January 25 | Kirill Gerstein Piano Master Class
4:00 p.m., Williams Hall and streaming
The multifaceted pianist Kirill Gerstein has rapidly ascended into classical music’s highest ranks. With a masterful technique, discerning intelligence, and a musical curiosity that has led him to explore repertoire spanning centuries and styles, he has proven to be one of today’s most intriguing and versatile musicians. His early training and experience in jazz has contributed an important element to his interpretive style, inspiring an energetic and expressive musical personality that distinguishes his playing.
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.
Thursday, January 27 | James Baillieu Voice and Collaborative Piano Master Class
12:00 p.m., Williams Hall and streaming
Described by The Daily Telegraph as "in a class of his own," James Baillieu is one of the leading song and chamber music pianists of his generation. Baillieu is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, a coach for the Jette Parker Young Artist Program at the Royal Opera House, a course leader for the Samling Foundation, and is head of the Song Program at the Atelier Lyrique of the Verbier Festival Academy. He also is International Tutor in Piano Accompaniment at the Royal Northern College of Music. He has given solo and chamber recitals throughout the world and collaborates with a wide range of singers and instrumentalists including Benjamin Appl, Jamie Barton, Ian Bostridge, Allan Clayton, Annette Dasch, Lise Davidsen, the Elias and Heath Quartets, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Adam Walker, and Pretty Yende.
Anna Webber Residency
Monday, February 7 | Anna Webber Master Class
1:00 p.m., Eben Jordan and streaming
Anna Webber is a flutist, saxophonist, and composer whose interests and work live in the aesthetic overlap between avant-garde jazz and new classical music. She was recently named a 2021 Berlin Prize Fellow and was voted the top “Rising Star” flutist in the 2020 DownBeat Critic’s Poll.
Tuesday, February 8 | Anna Webber conducts NEC Jazz Composers’ Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
As part of her NEC residency, trailblazing composer, flutist and saxophonist Anna Webber conducts The NEC Jazz Composers' Orchestra in her recent works for big band. She also performs with a quartet of jazz department students in a program of music from her recent release IDIOM as well as other small group pieces. Webber’s interests and work live in the aesthetic overlap between avant-garde jazz and new classical music.
Anna Webber © Evan Shay
Tuesday, February 8 | Paul Katz Cello Master Class
7:00 p.m., Brown Hall
NEC Faculty Paul Katz is known to concertgoers the world over as cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, which, during an international career of 26 years, made more than 2,500 appearances on four continents. As a member of this celebrated ensemble from 1969 to 1995, Katz performed at the White House and on many television shows, including "CBS Sunday Morning," NBC's "Today Show," "The Grammy Awards" (the first classical musicians to appear on that show), and in "In The Mainstream The Cleveland Quartet," a one-hour documentary televised across the U.S. and Canada.
Thursday, February 10 | Dimitri Murrath Viola Master Class
10:00 a.m., Williams Hall and streaming
Born in Brussels, Belgian-American viola player and NEC Artist Diploma alum Dimitri Murrath has made his mark on the international scene, performing regularly as a recitalist and soloist in venues including the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Royal Festival Hall, and Théâtre de la Ville. A first-prize winner at the Primrose International Viola Competition, he has won numerous awards, including second prize at the First Tokyo International Viola Competition and the special prize for contemporary work at the ARD Munich Competition. He is a recipient of a 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant through which he recorded and released his first solo album recording music by Vieuxtemps, Clarke, and Hindemith.
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.
Thursday, February 10 | Grow Your Art Pitch Night
6:00 p.m. ET and streaming
NEC students and recent alumni compete for up to $7,500 to help develop the business side of their musicianship. The competitive application process is modeled on real-world grants, and finalists present at this live pitch event, a collaboration between NEC’s Jazz Studies and Entrepreneurial Musicianship departments.
Grow Your Art is made possible through the generous support of an anonymous donor.
Date TBA | Grisha Goryachev Guitar Master Class
7:30 p.m., Pierce Hall and streaming
A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grisha Goryachev is renowned for his extraordinary musical sensitivity and technical virtuosity in both classical and flamenco styles. Grisha is one of very few guitarists in the world who is reviving the tradition of solo flamenco guitar in a concert setting that was practiced by legendary flamenco masters such as Ramón Montoya and Sabicas. Grisha received his Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Musical Arts (dissertation pending) degrees from NEC, where he studied under guitar virtuoso Eliot Fisk.
Tuesday, March 1 | Jason Moran Master Class
2:00 p.m., Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
Wednesday, March 2 | Solo concert featuring Jason Moran and students
8:00 p.m., Burnes Hall
NEC Jazz faculty member Jason Moran, “the most provocative thinker in current jazz,” (Rolling Stone), will perform on this concert of solo works as will his students. One of the most influential and innovative pianists in jazz, Moran is a boundary defying artist whose work is influenced by classical, blues, funk, hip-hop, rock and the art world. A MacArthur fellow, Moran also serves as the Kennedy Center’s Artistic Director for Jazz.
Jason Moran © Andrew Hurlbut / NEC
Sunday, March 6 | Karla Donehew Perez Violin Master Class (NEC Prep)
11:00 a.m., Keller Room
A founding member of the Catalyst Quartet, Karla Donehew Perez maintains a busy performance schedule throughout the United States and around the world. Born in Puerto Rico, Donehew Perez began playing the violin at age three and made her solo debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony at 9 years old. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and collaborated with artists such as Joshua Bell, Zuill Bailey, Awadagin Pratt, Anthony McGill, Stewart Goodyear, Frederica von Stade, Garry Karr, and members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, and Takács quartets. Donehew Perez has been guest concertmaster at the Tucson Symphony and spent two years as a fellow at the New World Symphony, where she was often concertmaster or principal second violin.
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Robert and Jane Morse Endowed Chamber Music Fund.
Tuesday, March 8 | Guy Johnston Cello Master Class
2:00 p.m., Pierce Hall and streaming
Guy Johnston is one of the most exciting British cellists of his generation. His early successes included winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year, the Shell London Symphony Orchestra Gerald MacDonald Award and a Classical Brit. He has performed with many leading international orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Britten Sinfonia, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Moscow Philharmonic and St Petersburg Symphony. Guy was privileged to perform as part of the Wigmore Hall and BBC Radio 3 special series of concerts, live streamed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He gave weekly outdoor impromptu recitals in his home village in Dorset, which was featured by BBC during the UK lockdown.
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.
March 13-18 | Teresa Rodriguez Collaborative Piano and Opera Residency
This is available for NEC students only. There are no public master classes associated with this residency
Mexican pianist, conductor, and coach, Teresa Rodriguez, joins NEC's Collaborative Piano and Opera programs for a week-long residency with private coaching. Students will have the opportunity to work with Ms. Rodriguez on repertoire by Spanish and Central American composers.
This residency is made possible by the Ruth S. Morse Fund for Visiting Scholars in Voice.
Gabriel Kahane Residency
Tuesday, March 29 | Gabriel Kahane Songwriting Master Class
7:00 p.m., SLPC Room G01
NEC's Contemporary Improvisation Department hosts a residency with singer-songwriter, pianist, and composer Gabriel Kahane. Over the past decade, Kahane has established himself as a distinct and penetrating voice, responding in his music to many of the most compelling issues of our time. He is also well known for his work bridging the worlds of folk and classical music, with commissions that include string quartets and symphonic compositions, tours with Andrew Bird and the Punch Brothers and recordings with Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Blake Mills.
Wednesday, March 30 | Gabriel Kahane leads a discussion of his music
2:30 p.m., Pierce Hall
April 4-8 | Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – 2022 Malcolm Peyton Composer Artist-in-Residence
Composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich is the recipient of numerous prizes and honors, including the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in Music (the first woman ever to receive this coveted award). A prolific composer in virtually all media, Zwilich’s works have been performed by most of the leading American orchestras and by major ensembles abroad. As NEC’s Malcolm Peyton Composer Artist-in-Residence, she will lead master classes and workshops with NEC’s composition department April 4-8, 2022.
This residency is made possible through the generous support of the Malcolm Peyton Composer Artist-in-Residence Fund.
Monday – Wednesday, April 4 - 6 | Irish Music Residency with Liz Knowles
Details TBA.
Liz Knowles has brought her distinctive sound–the fire and finesse of Irish fiddle music combined with the tonal richness of the classical violin–to concert stages and festivals across the world. Liz was a fiddler for “Riverdance,” a member of the renowned Cherish the Ladies and today she performs with another all-star female super-group, the highly acclaimed String Sisters, as well as the trio Open the Door for Three. She recently co-produced an album for Liz Carroll for the Art Institute of Chicago for their exhibition "Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690-1840.” She’s also collaborated with the Bang-on-a-Can Orchestra, Bobby McFerrin, and Paula Cole.
Dave Holland Residency
Tuesday, April 5 | Dave Holland Master Class
2:00 p.m., Pierce Hall and streaming https://necmusic.edu/events/dave-holland-master-class-0
This residency is made possible through the generous support of an anonymous donor.
Thursday, April 7 | Dave Holland Residency Performance with Jazz Ensembles
7:30 p.m., Brown Hall and streaming
As part of his week-long residency, visiting artist-in-residence bassist, composer and bandleader Dave Holland presents a concert with student jazz ensembles. Holland’s passion for musical expression of all styles, and dedication to creating consistently innovative music ensembles have propelled a professional career of more than 50 years, and earned him top honors in his field including multiple Grammy awards and the title of NEA Jazz Master in 2017.
This residency is made possible through the generous support of an anonymous donor.
Dave Holland © Andrew Hurlbut / NEC
Thursday, April 21 | Jonathan Biss Piano Master Class
3:00 p.m., Williams Hall and streaming
Jonathan Biss, Mildred Levinson Piano Artist-in-Residence, presents a master class featuring students from the NEC Piano Studios. Biss is a world-renowned pianist who shares his deep curiosity with music lovers in the concert hall and beyond. In addition to performing with leading orchestras, he continues to expand his reputation as a teacher, musical thinker, and one of the great Beethoven interpreters of our time. He is Co-Artistic Director alongside Mitsuko Uchida at the Marlboro Music Festival, where he has spent fourteen summers. He also led a popular online course via Coursera, which has reached more than 150,000 people from nearly every country. He has written extensively about the music he plays and has authored four audio- and e-books, including “UNQUIET: My Life with Beethoven” (2020), the first Audible Original by a classical musician.
This master class is made possible by Edith Michelson Milender in honor of her mother Mildred Levinson ‘29.
Sunday, May 1 | Edward Dusinberre Violin Master Class
2:00 p.m., Brown Hall and streaming
As first violinist of the Takács Quartet, Edward Dusinberre has won a Grammy and awards from Gramophone Magazine, the Japanese Recording Academy, Chamber Music America and the Royal Philharmonic Society. Outside of the quartet, he has made a recording of Beethoven's violin sonatas nos. 9 ("Kreutzer") and 10 on the Decca label, and recently performed "Costa Concordia," a concerto composed for him by Jeffrey Nytch, inspired by the tragic story of violinist Sándor Fehér who drowned on the cruise ship of that name in 2012. Dusinberre is also an author. His book—”Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet”—takes the reader inside the life of a string quartet, melding music history and memoir as it explores the circumstances surrounding the composition of Beethoven's quartets and the Takács Quartet's experiences rehearsing and performing this music.
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.
About New England Conservatory (NEC)
Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts in 1867, the New England Conservatory (NEC) represents a new model of music school that combines the best of European tradition with American innovation. The school stands at the center of Boston’s rich cultural history and musical life, presenting concerts at the renowned Jordan Hall. As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of Propelled by profound artistry, bold creativity and deep compassion, NEC seeks to amplify musicians’ impact on advancing our shared humanity, and empowers students to meet today’s changing world head-on, equipped with the tools and confidence to forge multidimensional lives of artistic depth and relevance.
As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of all ages from around the world, NEC is recognized internationally as a leader among music schools. It cultivates a diverse, dynamic community, providing music students of more than 40 countries with performance opportunities and high-caliber training from 225 internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. NEC pushes the boundaries of music-making and teaching through college-level training in classical, jazz and contemporary improvisation. Through unique interdisciplinary programs such as Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Performances & Partnerships, it empowers students to create their own musical opportunities. As part of NEC’s mission to make lifelong music education available to everyone, the Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education delivers training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students and adults.
