New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Musical Arts Program Shines A Spotlight On Alumni Including Aoife O’Donovan, Sarah Jarosz, John Medeski

New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Musical Arts program showcases the musical achievements of department alumni with Coast to Coast, a month-long celebration June 1 – 30, 2023. Featured are artists in a wide array of genres including jazz, folk, klezmer, Indian classical, bluegrass, original music and more.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to cap our 50th Anniversary Celebration than shining a light on our brilliant alumni,” says department Co-Chair Eden MacAdam-Somer. “By highlighting their performances during one single month, Coast to Coast will show the remarkable diversity, versatility and vision of our graduates.”

Members of the public can follow New England Conservatory’s Instagram stories and check the NEC website to follow the month-long musical journey highlighting alumni and faculty events across the United States and around the world.

Featured events include

• Thursday, June 1 in Brighton, UK, Editrix, Wendy Eisenberg
• Saturday, June 3 in Portland, ME, KlezMaineia!, Mattias Kaufmann & Lysander Jaffe
• Tuesday, June 6 in Allston, MA, Lautaro Mantilla
• Wednesday, June 7 in Cambridge, MA, Heart of Hearing, Bert Seager
• Friday, June 9 in New York, NY, We Refract: ChamberQueer Festival, Rajna Swaminathan
• Saturday, June 10 in Doolin, Ireland, Doolin Folk Festival, Aoife O’Donovan
• Tuesday, June 13 in Brooklyn, NY, CLAK, Caroline Khun, Aaron Edgecomb
• Wednesday, June 14 in San Francisco, CA, John Medeski
• Thursday, June 15 in Telluride, CO, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Sarah Jarosz
• Saturday, June 17 in Somerville, MA, NEC Live at the Burren, Farayi Malek, Lucy Little, Miguel Landestoy, Kelly Bray, Katie Martucci
• Sunday, June 18 in Houston, TX, Indian classical piano, Utsav Lal
• Wednesday, June 21 in Boston, MA, Ezekiel’s Wheels, Abigale Reisman
• Thursday, June 22 in Philadelphia, PA, Ice Box Project Space, Isabel Crespo Pardo
• Friday, June 23 in Montreal, QC, Suoni Per Il Popolo, Allison Burik, Matana Roberts, Wendy Eisenberg
• Saturday, June 24 in Boston, MA, WasFest, John Medeski
• Sunday, June 25 in Houston, TX, Houston Fiddle Fest, Mike Block
• Monday, June 26 in Denver, CO, Denver Botanic Gardens, Lily Henley
• Thursday, June 29 in Cambridge, MA, The Ladles, Katie Martucci, Caroline Kuhn
• Friday, June 30 in Providence, RI, Rong at AS220, Olivia Becker

About Contemporary Musical Arts

Founded in 1972 by Gunther Schuller and Ran Blake, NEC’s Contemporary Musical Arts program, originally called Third Stream, prepares musicians for today's musical world. The department brings together a diverse group of the world’s finest young artists in a setting where they can grow in a community of composers, performers and improvisers. This year NEC changed the name to Contemporary Musical Arts to acknowledge the breadth of the program’s training. With an emphasis on detailed listening to and performance of diverse oral musical traditions, advanced aural skills, conceptual ideas and interdisciplinary collaboration, the CMA program is uniquely positioned to cultivate the complete 21st century global musician.

Alumni of the department, “a thriving hub of musical exploration” (Boston Globe), include Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz, composer and clarinetist Don Byron, virtuosic pianist and jam-band pioneer John Medeski, internationally acclaimed vocalist and educator Dominique Eade, klezmer clarinet virtuoso Michael Winograd, contemporary singer songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, and current co-chair Eden MacAdam-Somer, a virtuoso violinist, vocalist, percussive dancer and scholar.

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. 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.