|
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in Boston, Massachusetts is the oldest independent conservatory in the United States. It is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with hundreds more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of Continuing Education. The conservatory offers 5 year joint double degree programs with Harvard University and Tufts University as well as cross registration with Tufts, Northeastern University, and Simmons College. Today, NEC is one of America's big-name conservatories, known widely for both its string department and Jordan Hall, NEC's hundred-year-old central performance space. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma once said, "I love Jordan Hall for its unbelievable acoustics. And for its warmth and intimacy. But most of all for the sense of event when you go there." The hall is home to some 600+ student performances each academic year, and is also frequently used by outside organizations, touring artists and guests.
History
Campus The NEC campus consists of three buildings occupying the block on Gainsborough Street between St. Botolph Street and Huntington Avenue, one block from the corner of Huntington and Massachusetts Avenue where the world renowned Boston Symphony Hall is situated. The Jordan Hall Building whose main entrance is located at 30 Gainsborough Street with a side door at 290 Huntington Avenue is NEC's main building, home to Jordan Hall, Williams Hall, Brown Hall, the Keller Room, the Idabelle Firestone Audio Library, the Performance Library, professor studios/offices, and practice rooms. The second building, at 33 Gainsborough street, is the Residence Hall, a coed dormitary which also houses the Harriet M. Spaulding Library and the "Bistro 33" dining center. The 3rd building, entitled the "St. Botolph Building", at 241 St. Botolph street, contains the St. Botolph Hall, a computer laboratory, the office of admissions, additional studios and practice rooms. Preparatory School New England Conservatory's Preparatory School is an open enrollment institution for pre-college students that offers music classes and private instruction for young musicians, and fosters over 20 small and large ensembles. Students enrolled in New England Conservatory's Preparatory School may participate in the Certificate Program, allowing students to achieve their optimum performance skills, competence in music theory, and a knowledge of the literature that includes choral, orchestral, and chamber, as well as solo repertoire. New England Conservatory's Preparatory is home to one of the world's leading youth orchestras, the highly selective Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (YPO), headed by Benjamin Zander. Recent YPO tours have included trips to Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, Guatemala, Mexico City, Havana and Cuba. The Preparatory School also houses the Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble (MYWE), a touring wind ensemble open to advanced high school woodwind, brass, and percussion players. The Preparatory School routinely sends students to the finest conservatories and universities in the world. School of Continuing Education New England Conservatory's School of Continuing Education allows members of the surrounding community to experience the benefits of New England Conservatory's world class instruction, offering classes, lessons, and ensemble opportunities to musicians of any background. At NEC's School of Continuing Education members can participate in chamber, jazz, and vocal ensembles, an opera studio, an adult chorale, a Klezmer Band, and a Community Gospel Choir. In addition, NEC's School of Continuing Education offers classes in several fields including music history, music theory, and Alexander technique, many of which are instructed by members of the New England Conservatory college faculty. Also of note NEC is co-founder and educational partner of From the Top, a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States. The official mascot of NEC is the Fighting Penguin. Notable alumni Notable present and former faculty Notes | ||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||
 |
|
| |