Water Invites Listeners On A Fluid Musical Journey With NEC Students, Faculty And Special Guest Multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily On Tuesday, November 10th

New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Musical Arts department presents Water, a concert inviting listeners on a fluid musical journey through sound, ritual, memory, and transformation on Tuesday, November 10 at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert is free, but tickets are required. Information at necmusic.edu.

Produced by Eden MacAdam-Somer and Anthony Coleman, Water features performances by CMA students and faculty with special guest multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily. The genre-spanning concert explores water as both a physical element and a powerful artistic metaphor, featuring George Brecht's Drip Music alongside traditional, original, and contemporary works that flow freely across musical styles and cultural traditions.

From meditative textures to rhythmic currents, improvisation to composed works, Water celebrates the many ways music can reflect, embody, and reimagine one of our most essential shared resources.

Pakistani-American artist Shahzad Ismaily is a primarily self-taught musician, composer, recording engineer, and producer who plays instruments including electric bass, drums, percussion, guitar, and synthesizers. He has recorded and performed with artists including Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Feist, Cass McCombs, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Beth Orton, Ben Frost, Damien Rice, Jolie Holland and Sam Amidon. Projects include Marc Ribot’s trio Ceramic Dog, the Grammy-nominated Love in Exile alongside Arooj Aftab and Vijay Iyer, and his recording space Figure 8 in Brooklyn.

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.

The Conservatory’s roster of alumni includes hundreds of music's most influential artists. That list includes Coretta Scott King, Florence Price, Tessa Lark, George Li, Inmo Yang, Yura Lee, Stefan Jackiw, Anthony Leon, Erica Petrocelli, Minsoo Sohn, Cecil Taylor, and Denyce Graves.

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 musical arts. The newly launched Institute for Concert Artists propels young artists to the heights of their careers. 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, NEC’s Expanded Education delivers training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students and adults.