NEC Update Vol. 3, No. 1, September 4, 2006

Register for Continuing Ed courses

NEC's School of Continuing Education (SCE) is open for business, with fall semester classes starting in the middle of September.

Most SCE classes are one-semester, stand-alone topics, and meet at times that are convenient for working people. Lessons, courses, ensembles, and integrated full-time programs make the resources of one of the world's leading music institutions available to everyone.

New this fall: Kodaly Level I Certification Coursework.

Download SCE catalog and registration form.

Callery scores second "24" Emmy

Composer Sean Callery '87 (in photo) was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)" in ceremonies televised August 27. Callery's work on the fourth season of the popular series "24" was recognized in a sweep that included the show itself, star Kiefer Sutherland, and director Jon Cassar. Callery has been nominated all four seasons that the show has run on television, and also won for the first season.

Fans of "24" know that Callery's music pervades the episodes and functions like a character in its own right--and is as hyperkinetic as lead character Jack Bauer (Sutherland). Last winter a video game version of the show was introduced, also with music by Callery scored for full orchestra.

Cross NEC's "Bridge" to your next job

In the year since its launch, NEC's Bridge has become a highly valued online resource for musicians exploring the job market, with subscribers from both within and outside the NEC family. Here is testimony from two NEC alumnae.

Violist Capella Sherwood '04 M.M. and her fiance were making plans to move to her native Canada. "I was looking at Bridge and saw that the Canadian Opera Company was having a section audition, so I thought: Why not?" Sherwood did not win the audition, but was invited to sub. "I have been asked to play every concert since then! We are about to start performances of the Ring Cycle to open Canada's newly built Opera House. It is quite exciting!"

Soprano Linda Balliro '91 used Bridge to find a job as vocal coach for Jack's World, a musical show held at the Strand Theater in Dorchester last May. "The cast was composed of children and adults, amateur, semi-professional, and professional. Some of the singers had a history of belting songs, leaving their voices tired and hoarse. I was thrilled to be able to show people how to sing without hurting themselves, but still in a style that is popular."

Bridge is free for NEC alumni, and available as a paid subscription to all others.

NEC's Jordan Hall concert season opens September 11 with a performance by harpsichordist John Gibbons of the faculty, in a masterwork by J.S. Bach.

Gibbons has been performing the Goldberg Variations throughout his career, and recorded the work in 1978 for Titanic. (Sorry, it's out of print and hard to find.) This endlessly fascinating set of variations, reputedly created by Bach to distract an insomniac nobleman, always promises adventure--particularly at the hands of a performer who keeps it close to his fingertips.

Streaming audio: Beethoven's "Kreutzer"

photo by Andrew Hurlbut

This month's Live from NEC streaming audio clip is a performance of Beethoven's "Kreutzer" Sonata by James Buswell of the violin faculty and pianist Gloria Chien '99, '01 M.M., '04 D.M.A.

With this audio clip, and Buswell's September 13 faculty recital at NEC's Jordan Hall, NEC supplements James Levine's ongoing project at the Boston Symphony Orchestra to explore the works of Beethoven and Schoenberg in depth.

As NEC Update enters its third year of publication, we'd like to hear from you on how this e-newsletter measures up to your expectations for news from New England Conservatory. We're also interested in learning how you go about finding news and information in general, in this information-packed age.

Please take a few minutes to fill out NEC's reader survey.