NEC's CMA Small Ensemble Festival Will Include Jazz, Folk, World Music & More

NEC's Contemporary Musical Arts Spring Ensemble Festival will highlight students performing music from a range of traditions including West African, Middle Eastern, Jewish, American Roots, and Indie/Punk/Art Rock.

Concerts will take place on Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 29. There will be an all-day festival on Sunday, May 3.

Join a trio of joyful celebrations of community, tradition, and great music at the CMA Spring Ensemble Festival, a series of end-of-semester events featuring student ensembles from across the program. The performances present the work NEC students have developed throughout the semester in collaboration with faculty mentors and fellow performers. The festival highlights the CMA program's wide-ranging musical approaches, including original compositions, experimental works, collaborative projects, and innovative interpretations of contemporary repertoire. The festival culminates in a day-long event showcasing bold creativity and boundary-pushing performance as CMA ensembles share the culmination of their semester's artistic exploration. Admission to festival events is free.

Tuesday, April 21 in Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

Info at necmusic.edu.
6:30-7:15 p.m., Joe Morris Ensemble (Joe Morris)
7:30-8 p.m., CMA Early Jazz Ensemble (Anthony Coleman)
8:15-9 p.m., Jewish Music Ensemble (Hankus Netsky)

Wednesday, April 29 in Eben Jordan Ensemble Room

8-9 p.m., R&B Ensemble (Joseph Copeland)

Sunday, May 3 in Pierce Hall

Info at necmusic.edu
11-11:45 a.m., Mandé West African Music Ensemble (Balla Kouyaté)
Noon-12:45 p.m., World Music Ensemble (Akram Haddad)
1-1:45 p.m., Irish Ceol Ensemble (Liz Knowles)
2-2:45 p.m., American Roots (Eden MacAdam-Somer)
3-3:45 p.m., Middle Eastern Music (Mal Barsamian)
4-5 p.m., Indie/Punk/Art Rock Ensemble (Lautaro Mantilla)
5-6 p.m., Break
6-6:45 p.m., Interdisciplinary Ensemble (Linda Chase)
7-7:45 p.m., CMA Arranging/Re-comp Ensemble (Farayi Malek) 
8-9 p.m., Open Mike featuring Songwriters Workshop (Steve Netsky)

About New England Conservatory (NEC)

Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1867, 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.