At New England Conservatory in April, “the roof is rockin’, the joint is jumpin’" as jazz musicians, from the youngest students to the venerable masters, put their performing and compositional chops on display.
Jazz legend Bob Brookmeyer leads the NEC Jazz Orchestra in a concert of his music, April 21 at 8 p.m. in NEC’s Jordan Hall. Then, on April 26, he guides NEC composers in a performance of original compositions by the Jazz Composers Workshop Orchestra at 8 p.m. in Jordan Hall.
Throughout the month and beyond, student players — who might well be the jazz superstars of the future — perform their individually crafted repertoires in the intimate ambiance of NEC’s Keller Room. All performances in the Keller Jazz Series begin at 6:30 p.m. with dates on: April 4, 7, 14, 19, 25, 27, and May 2—4.
Students performing in set ensemble groupings will appear in concert April 6 at 8 p.m. in NEC’s Brown Hall. Freshman and Sophomore Ensembles will demonstrate their art on April 11 in Brown Hall. Both of these performances take place at 8 p.m.
Finally, Rebecca Shrimpton, jazz vocalist on the Preparatory School faculty, will perform standards and original music in a concert June 3 at 8 p.m. in the Keller Room. Featured on two PBS and NPR concert broadcasts and with recordings on Cadence and Rounder labels, Shrimpton will be backed by a knockout band featuring NEC faculty and alumni Allan Chase, alto saxophone; Eric Hofbauer ’98 M.M., guitar; and Rick McLaughlin ’99, bass.
All concerts are free and open to the public.
For more information, call the NEC Concert Line at (617) 585-1122 or visit NEC on the web at www.newenglandconservatory.edu/concerts
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY
Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 750 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world. Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide. Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.
The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions. On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, Contemporary Improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Collaboration Programs, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors. Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music and jazz.
NEC presents more than 600 free concerts each year in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, 100-year old, beautifully restored concert hall. These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz and opera scenes. Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.
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 more than two hundred stations throughout the United States.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
