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Why do I give?
“One of the best things that have happened to me is being reconnected with NEC.”
–William Brohn '58 M.M., composer/arranger
Tony Award winner William Brohn ’58 M.M. is a New York theatre wizard whose orchestrations have led to the success of such shows as Ragtime and Wicked.
Brohn played bass in the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler, and he still believes in the power of a live orchestra. This makes his rich orchestrations stand out in an era of Broadway scoring that has become increasingly reliant on synthesized substitutions for live musicians.
Brohn received a 1998 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for Ragtime, and multiple awards for Wicked, which seems destined to be a Broadway and touring evergreen. Brohn's most recent hit, Mary Poppins, is expected to have Broadway "legs" as well.
Brohn reentered the life of New England Conservatory as a member of the Board of Visitors, and by facilitating successful NEC events around Wicked performances in New York and Boston. In 2005 he joined forces with his friends Janice Guilbault and the late George Guilbault ’56 to fund the Musical Theater Scholarship at NEC, which currently supports two voice students. It's a perfect tribute to Guilbault's career as a singer and vocal arranger and Brohn's Broadway career.
Brohn didn’t stop there. Now an Overseer, he also acts as a mentor to current students, and is a generous Annual Fund donor and charter member of the Chadwick Circle. When he says “One of the best things that have happened to me is being reconnected with NEC,” he refers to a connection that has unfolded to reveal many uniquely fulfilling dimensions.