Dave Holland, John Coltrane Centennial Concert & More Set for NEC Fall Jazz and CMA Season

New England Conservatory's Jazz Studies and Contemporary Musical Arts departments have revealed their Fall 2026 season, featuring concerts, master classes, artist residencies, jam sessions and more. Highlights include a John Coltrane Centennial Concert, the John McNeil Memorial Concert, residencies with Dave Holland and Gordon Beeferman and a master class with Gaia Wilmer. Nearly all NEC events are free, with many also available via livestream.

The Contemporary Musical Arts season will include an opening faculty concert spanning musical traditions and styles, a residency with composer and improviser Gordon Beeferman and Water, a concert featuring students, faculty and special guest Shahzad Ismaily. Jazz Studies will welcome bassist, composer and bandleader Dave Holland for a residency and present the annual John Coltrane celebration in honor of the saxophonist's centennial.

BOWER JAM SESSIONS

Tuesday, September 8 at 7 p.m. — Bower Stage, Student Life and Performance Center

NEC faculty member Mark Zaleski will lead the free jam session, open to musicians of all levels. Additional sessions will take place September 15, 22 and 29 and November 17 and 24.

OPENING NIGHT CMA FACULTY CONCERT

Wednesday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. — Jordan Hall

Contemporary Musical Arts faculty will open the year with a program drawing on jazz, music of the African diaspora, Asian, Middle Eastern, Jewish and American traditions, avant-garde, classical music, pop and more. Performers include Department Chair Eden MacAdam-Somer, Assistant Chair Akram Haddad, Hankus Netsky, Anthony Coleman, Mal Barsamian, Nima Janmohammadi, Lautaro Mantilla, Liz Knowles, Erin Hogan and Jerry Leake, among others.

CMA OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, September 13 at 2 p.m. — Pierce Hall

Eden MacAdam-Somer, Hankus Netsky, Erin Hogan, Warren Senders and Steve Netsky will lead introductory workshops covering harmony singing, songwriting, improvisation, Hindustani singing, Klezmer music and more. The event is open to all experience levels.

CMA OPEN MIC

Sunday, September 13 at 7 p.m. — Pierce Hall

The CMA Open House will conclude with an open mic featuring students performing original music and creative interpretations spanning folk, rock, jazz and avant-garde traditions from around the world.

MEHMET SANLIKOL FACULTY RECITAL

Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m. — Jordan Hall

Grammy-nominated composer and NEC faculty member Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol will present a faculty recital. A jazz pianist, multi-instrumentalist, singer and ethnomusicologist, Sanlıkol's work draws on a range of musical traditions.

DAVE HOLLAND RESIDENCY

Tuesday, September 22-Thursday, September 24

Bassist, composer and bandleader Dave Holland will return to NEC for a residency featuring master classes, coaching sessions, discussions and a concert.

DAVE HOLLAND JAZZ COMPOSITION & THEORY MASTER CLASS

Tuesday, September 22 from 1-2:30 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

Holland's residency will begin with a Jazz Composition & Theory master class.

DAVE HOLLAND JAZZ ENSEMBLES MASTER CLASS

Wednesday, September 23 from 1-3 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

Holland will continue his NEC residency with a Jazz Ensembles master class.

DAVE HOLLAND RESIDENCY CONCERT

Thursday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m. — Jordan Hall

Holland will conclude the residency with a concert at Jordan Hall.

JOHN MCNEIL MEMORIAL CONCERT

Sunday, October 4 at 8 p.m. — Jordan Hall

NEC will honor trumpeter, composer, educator and longtime faculty member John McNeil with a memorial concert featuring guest artists, colleagues, alumni and friends.

Performers include pianists Randy Ingram, Carmen Staaf, Mark Shilansky and Ethan Iverson; saxophonists Jeremy Udden and Frank Kozyra; trumpeters Mark Tipton, Peter Kenagy and Dave Adewumi; vocalist Allegra Levy; bassist Bob Nieske; and drummer Austin McMahon.

GORDON BEEFERMAN RESIDENCY ARTIST TALK

Wednesday, October 14 at 10:30 a.m. — Pierce Hall

Composer, pianist and improviser Gordon Beeferman will discuss his creative practice, interdisciplinary collaborations and experimentation in contemporary music.

GORDON BEEFERMAN RESIDENCY CONCERT FEATURING EDEN MACADAM-SOMER

Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 p.m. — Jordan Hall

Beeferman will be joined by CMA Department Chair Eden MacAdam-Somer, faculty member Joe Morris and NEC students for a program spanning songs, compositions, solo piano improvisations and scored improvisations for trio and large ensemble.

The program will include The Sway, commissioned by and written for MacAdam-Somer in honor of the CMA department's 50th anniversary.

NEC JAZZ ORCHESTRA: BLUES AND THE ABSTRACT TRUTH

Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. — Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre

The NEC Jazz Orchestra will explore approaches to the blues in music for voice and big band. The program will range from Count Basie's “Every Day I Have the Blues” and Duke Ellington's “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” to Julius Hemphill's “Hard Blues” and Gil Evans' “La Nevada.”

GAIA WILMER MASTER CLASS

Monday, October 26 at 4 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

Composer, arranger, saxophonist and bandleader Gaia Wilmer will lead a master class. Wilmer's work bridges jazz, Brazilian music and free improvisation.

WATER WITH SHAHZAD ISMAILY

Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. — Jordan Hall

Produced by Eden MacAdam-Somer and Anthony Coleman, Water will feature students and faculty of NEC's Contemporary Musical Arts Department alongside special guest multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily.

The genre-spanning program explores water through sound, ritual, memory and transformation and includes George Brecht's Drip Music alongside traditional, original and contemporary works.

Gunther Schuller LEGACY CONCERT: THE SPIRIT OF '57

Sunday, November 22 at 8 p.m. — Jordan Hall

The Gunther Schuller Society, NEC students, faculty and alumni will celebrate Schuller's musical and educational legacy with a program inspired by the 1957 Brandeis concert that launched his concept of the Third Stream.

The concert will bring together contemporary improvisation with traditional Chinese, Hindustani, jazz and Yiddish music, alongside Schuller's Transformation, reimaginings of his “Magic Tone Row” and Gordon Beeferman's The Sway. Performers include saxophonist and NEC alumna Sam Spear, CMA faculty members Eden MacAdam-Somer and Hankus Netsky and students from the CMA and Jazz Studies departments.

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: CECIL MCBEE AND Joe Morris STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Monday, November 23 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

The Jazz from Eben Jordan series will feature student ensembles led by bassist Cecil McBee and guitarist, composer and improviser Joe Morris.

CMA SMALL ENSEMBLE CONCERT

Wednesday, November 30 from 7-10 p.m. — Pierce Hall

The Contemporary Musical Arts chamber music showcase will feature the Contemporary Vocal ensemble led by Erin Hogan, Jewish Music led by Hankus Netsky and Mandé West African led by Balla Kouyaté.

NEC JAZZ COMPOSERS WORKSHOP ORCHESTRA

Tuesday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m. — Brown Hall

Led by pianist, composer and NEC faculty member Frank Carlberg, the NEC Jazz Composers Workshop Orchestra will present its first concert of the 2026-27 academic year, featuring original works by student composers.

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: BRAZILIAN, JOHN LOCKWOOD AND MARK ZALESKI STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Thursday, December 3 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: JASON MORAN AND MARK TIPTON STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Monday, December 7 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

JASON PALMER FACULTY RECITAL

Monday, December 7 at 8 p.m. — Brown Hall

Trumpeter, composer and NEC faculty member Jason Palmer will present a faculty recital. Palmer has performed with artists including Roy Haynes, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Roy Hargrove and others and has recorded 14 albums under his own name.

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: EARLY JAZZ, TED REICHMAN AND NON-MAJORS STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Tuesday, December 8 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: DOMINIQUE EADE'S JAZZ VOCAL AND SONGWRITING STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Wednesday, December 9 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

NEC JAZZ ORCHESTRA: JOHN COLTRANE CENTENNIAL CONCERT

Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. — Jordan Hall

Jazz Studies Assistant Chair Mark Tipton will conduct the NEC Jazz Orchestra with saxophonist and NEC faculty member Jerry Bergonzi in a celebration of John Coltrane's centennial.

The concert will feature interpretations of works spanning Coltrane's career, celebrating the saxophonist and composer's musical legacy.

CMA SMALL ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL

Sunday, December 13 from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. — Pierce Hall

The day-long festival will feature music, food and dance, with performances by the Ted Reichman Electronic Music and Anthony Coleman ensembles alongside Irish Ceol, Early Jazz, Persian, Alternative/Indie/Punk Rock, World Music, Songwriters Workshop and Studio 265 ensembles.

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: BOB NIESKE AND FRANK CARLBERG STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Monday, December 14 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: JOHN LOCKWOOD AND JERRY BERGONZI STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Tuesday, December 15 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: Mark Walker LATIN, ANNA WEBBER AND JASON PALMER STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Wednesday, December 16 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

JAZZ FROM EBEN JORDAN: WORLD RHYTHMS, JAZZ COMPOSERS AND GOSPEL STUDENT ENSEMBLES

Thursday, December 17 at 7 p.m. — Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

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