New England Conservatory
and the Boston Symphony Orchestra
In 1881, Henry Higginson called upon 19 members of the New England Conservatory faculty to serve as section leaders in his new Boston Symphony Orchestra. The connection persists—today nearly half of the BSO is composed of Conservatory faculty and alumni. Each year NEC celebrates its BSO brass faculty and their students at a Brass Bash concert. The BSO has added NEC alumni to its string rosters during five successive seasons. Two of the newest additions, violinist Julianne Lee and cellist Blaise Dejardin, were hired while still enrolled at NEC.
NEC representation in the BSO
first violin
Malcolm Lowe, concertmaster, NEC College faculty
Bo Youp Hwang, NEC Preparatory faculty
Kelly Barr, NEC Preparatory faculty
Jason Horowitz '93, '96 A.D., NEC Preparatory faculty
second violin
Haldan Martinson '97 M.M., principal
Valeria Vilker Kuchment, NEC College faculty
Glen Cherry '95
Julianne Lee '07 G.D.
viola
Michael Zaretsky, NEC Preparatory faculty
Rachel Fagerburg '81
Kasuko Matsusaka, NEC Preparatory faculty
cello
Mickey Katz '03
Blaise Dejardin '07 M.M., '08 G.D. (beginning fall 2008)
bass
Edwin Barker '76, principal
Lawrence Wolfe '70, NEC College faculty
Dennis Roy '89, NEC Preparatory faculty
James Orleans, NEC College faculty
Todd Seeber, NEC College faculty
John Stovall '83
Benjamin Levy '02
flute
Elizabeth Rowe, principal, NEC College faculty
oboe
John Ferrillo, principal, NEC College faculty
Mark McEwen, NEC College faculty
Keisuke Wakao, NEC College faculty
Robert Sheena, english horn, NEC Preparatory faculty
clarinet
Thomas Martin, associate principal and E-flat clarinet, NEC College faculty
Craig Nordstrom, bass clarinet, NEC College faculty
bassoon
Richard Svoboda, principal, NEC College faculty
Richard Ranti, associate principal, NEC College faculty
Gregg Henegar, contrabassoon, NEC College faculty
horn
James Sommerville, principal, NEC College faculty
Richard Sebring '77, associate principal, NEC College faculty
Jay Wadenpfuhl, NEC College faculty
Jason Snider, NEC College faculty
Jonathan Menkis, NEC College faculty
trumpet
Thomas Rolfs '78, principal
Peter Chapman, NEC College faculty
Benjamin Wright, NEC College faculty
trombone
Ronald Barron, principal, NEC College faculty
Norman Bolter '77, NEC College faculty
Douglas Yeo, bass trombone, NEC College faculty
tuba
Mike Roylance, principal, NEC College faculty
percussion
Frank Epstein '69 M.M., NEC College and Preparatory faculty
J. William Hudgins, NEC College faculty
harp
Ann Hobson Pilot, principal, NEC College and Preparatory faculty
voice and chorus
John Oliver '67 M.M., conductor, Tanglewood Festival Chorus
past BSO members with NEC affiliation (partial list)
Marylou Speaker Churchill '67, violin, NEC College and Preparatory faculty
Harry Ellis Dickson '29 DP, '30 DP, '87 hon. D.M., violin
Max Hobart, violin, NEC Preparatory faculty
Louis Krasner, violin, former NEC faculty
George Norwood Humphrey '29, viola
Eugene Lehner, viola, former NEC faculty
Carol Procter '63, '65 M.M., cello
Fenwick Smith, flute, NEC College faculty
Ralph Gomberg, oboe, former NEC faculty
Wayne Rapier, oboe, former NEC faculty
Scott Andrews '94, clarinet
Daniel Katzen, horn, former NEC faculty
Richard Mackey '50, horn, NEC College faculty
Steve Emery, trumpet, NEC College faculty
Gerard Goguen '51 DP, trumpet, former NEC faculty
Charles Schlueter, trumpet, NEC College faculty
Roger Voisin '30, '91 hon. D.M., principal trumpet, former NEC faculty
William Gibson, principal trombone, former NEC faculty
Vic Firth '52, '92 hon. D.M., timpani
Louis Langford (Came) Pappoutsakis '37, harp, former NEC faculty
updated 17 June 2008