North End Music & Performing Arts Center

NEMPAC is delighted to announce this year’s honorees for our annual Soirée on the Prado fundraiser: Traci Walker Griffith, Executive Director of the Eliot K-8 Innovation School, and Robin Sidell, Chef and Owner of North Street Grille.

Join us on Thursday, September 24 as we celebrate two outstanding community leaders whose work has made a lasting impact on the North End, Boston, education, the arts, and beyond.

Traci Walker Griffith will retire this summer after more than 34 years of impactful leadership in education. A passionate advocate for equity, excellence, and the arts, Traci has helped shape a vibrant school culture where creativity, confidence, and empathy thrive. Through her leadership at the Eliot K-8 Innovation School and its strong partnership with NEMPAC, students and families have gained expanded access to high-quality arts education during and after school.

Robin Sidell has been a proud North End resident for more than 30 years and the chef and owner of North Street Grille for over two decades. Under her leadership, North Street Grille has become a beloved neighborhood staple and one of Boston’s top brunch destinations. Robin is also a dedicated supporter of local organizations, community events, cultural programming, and food security efforts throughout the North End and Boston.

The Soirée on the Prado is NEMPAC’s main fundraiser of the year, supporting music education and performing arts in our community for all.

Tables are now available, with individual tickets going on sale July 20.

To sponsor or purchase a table, please contact Sherri Snow at [[email protected]] or 857-239-9997.

NEMPAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All event sponsorships and table purchases are acknowledged in writing, and a portion is tax deductible under charity ID 04-3545228.

Last week on the Prado, NEMPAC was proud to co-host the Senior Social alongside New Health, the ABCD Center, the North End Library, and the Nazzaro Center (BCYF) as part of the North End Senior Programming Coalition 💙

With 12+ organizations sharing resources focused on health, community, and recreation—and live music from NEMPAC—it was a wonderful afternoon connecting with our senior community.

We were excited to highlight our adult programs, preview our upcoming Jazz in the Park series, and explore interest in a fall Senior Ukulele Class 🎶

Stay tuned for more senior-focused programming!

Congratulations student musicians-in-training of the Croft School, South End and NEMPAC teaching artist on their final performance last week in the South End!

NEMPAC was proud to support and pilot a Youth Strings Ensemble for Grades 1 & 2 and a beginning Ukulele Class for Kinders this year. Their final exceptional performance demonstrated how much the students learned over the year!

Before you break for summer, make your fall plans with NEMPAC! 🎶

Fall class and ensemble enrollment is open, with programming for students as young as 6 months, adults of all experience levels, and everyone in between.

This season, NEMPAC is offering group instrument classes, musical theatre, dance and movement, early childhood programs, production-based programs, ensembles, and adult classes.

Explore Fall 2026 offerings by program area:

🎵 Music Classes
Family Music Makers, Piano Discovery, Instrument Explorers, Guitar, Piano, Voice, Group Piano, and Group Guitar

🩰 Dance & Movement Classes
First Steps, Yoga Flow, Broadway Ballet, Musical Dancers, and Youth Dance Troupe

🎭 Musical Theatre Classes
Musical Theatre Discovery, Junior Musical Theatre, and Youth Musical Theatre Lab

🎸 Production-Based Programs & Ensembles
Youth Digital Lab, MT Troupe Holiday Show, The PAC Rock Band, The PAC Pop Stars, and The PAC Recycled Beats

🎹 Adult Programs
Beginner Piano, Piano Club, Beginner Guitar, Guitar Club, Beginner Ukulele, and Ukulele Club

Whether you’re planning for your child, your teen, or yourself, now is the perfect time to find the right program before summer begins ☀️

We hope to see you at NEMPAC this fall! Visit the link in our bio to explore programs and enroll.

Hundreds of participants and spectators showed up in full force for the 9th Annual Co****le Classic on the Rose Kennedy Greenway! 💙🎶

This incredible day of community and competition supports the Marshall Scholarship Fund, helping expand access to performing arts education at NEMPAC and the Community Music Center of Boston.

We were honored to welcome an amazing crowd, including Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor Maura Healey, alongside so many dedicated supporters of the arts.

Bravo to our student alum singer Soleil Desai for her beautiful rendition of the National Anthem.

A huge thank you to House Ways and Means Chair & State Representative Aaron Michlewitz for once again bringing this beloved event to life. And thank you to our wonderful hosts and partners at the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Shoutout to our dynamic MCs Tevin Wooten and Penny Kmitt for keeping the energy high all day long, Ed Kane and Big Night Live for the fantastic setup, DJ Kareem for the beats, Ward 8 for the bar, Pauli’s for lunch, and The Daily Catch, Cini’s and Ducali for their contributions.

And to our sponsors, volunteers, players, and attendees—thank you. Your enthusiasm and generosity made this day unforgettable and continue to keep the arts thriving and accessible across Boston. 🎶✨

What a beautiful celebration of music and growth at our Spring Recitals on May 31 & June 6 in the Ballroom at Charlestown Working Theater! 🌸🎶

Across two weekends, students from the studios of Michael Semanic, Samuel Batista, Petch Chirachitra, Rafael Natan, Nicholas Tsang, Dermot Gleeson, Ben Xia, Jessica Yuma, Giovanna Spiotti, Xiaolan Ruan, Kristine Terranova, Jayson Banton, Anissa Perona, Andrea La Rose, Luping Xu, Dan Raney, Woon Qing, Yingqi Wang, Shawn Meehan, Jack Byrne, Thompson Wang, Xiaoxiao Yang, Jhon Alvarado, Laura Raty, Bailey Kolapudi, Stephen Allen, and Harriet Hung took the stage—sharing their hard work, artistry, and joy with a full house of family and friends. We are so proud of every performer and grateful to our incredible faculty for guiding them throughout the year.

🎸 And we’re turning up the volume this fall with NEMPAC Rock Band!

We are excited to offer TWO audition-based sections:
• Ages 8–12 in Charlestown (Mondays at 4:30 PM) with longtime instructor Jack Byrne
• Ages 10–14 in the North End (Tuesdays at 3:25 PM) with Dan Raney

Location preference will be considered for placement—so get ready to jam, collaborate, and rock out on stage starting this September!

Enrollment is now open for all Fall 2026 Youth and Adult classes and ensembles! We have several group instrument, musical theatre, dance, early childhood, and adult classes and ensembles to choose from.

A couple of weeks ago we announced our new naming convention, which allows us to group programming by age, thereby simplifying your search for what applies to you or your child/children. That new naming convention includes:

Family - ages 6 months to 4 years
Kids - ages 4-6
Junior - ages 6-8
Youth - ages 8-12
The Performing Arts Center (PAC) - ages 9-14
Adult - ages 18+

Please see below for all of our Fall programming organized by the naming convention listed above:

FAMILY (Ages 6 months to 4 years):

Family Music Makers - music
Family First Steps - dance & movement
Family Yoga Flow - yoga

KIDS (Ages 4-6):

Kids Piano Discovery - piano
Kids Musical Theatre Discovery - musical theatre
Kids Broadway Ballet - dance

JUNIOR (Ages 6-8):

Junior Instrument Explorers - instrument families
Junior Musical Dancers - dance
Junior Guitar Explorers - guitar
Junior Piano Explorers - piano
Junior Voice Explorers - voice

YOUTH (Ages 8-12):

Youth Musical Theatre Lab - musical theatre
Youth Digital Lab - music production
Youth Dance Troupe - dance
Youth Group Piano - piano
Youth Group Guitar - guitar
MT Troupe Holiday Show - musical theatre production

THE PAC (Ages 9-14):

The PAC Rock Band - ensemble
The PAC Pop Stars - ensemble
The PAC Recycled Beats - ensemble

ADULT (Ages 18+):

Adult Beginner Piano - piano
Adult Piano Club - piano
Adult Beginner Guitar - guitar
Adult Guitar Club - guitar
Adult Beginner Ukulele - ukulele
Adult Ukulele Club - ukulele

ALL AGES
Holiday Community Choir - ensemble (enrollment will open for this program in early fall)

We hope to see you in one or more of our programs this fall!

Summer is a wonderful time to continue your musical journey... or begin a new one at NEMPAC! Our summer lesson session runs from July 6th through August 28th ☀️

Most students register for a package of six lessons, then work with NEMPAC’s administrative team and their assigned instructor to create a schedule that is convenient and flexible throughout the summer.

We are proud to offer need-based tuition assistance for students of all ages and abilities, helping ensure that everyone has access to music education. You’ll find more information about scheduling, availability, and tuition support at our website at the link in our bio, or send us a DM for the link! 🎶

Join us this Sunday, June 7 (12–4 PM) on the Rose Kennedy Greenway for the 9th Annual North End Co****le Classic!

🎉 Grab your FREE Spectator Pass to join the fun + get automatically entered to win North End restaurant gift cards (must be present to win).

🎟️ Don’t miss your chance to score big in our Silent Auction—featuring prizes like concert tickets, sports experiences, and more. Bidding closes at 4 PM!

✈️ Enter our JetBlue raffle for a chance to win 2 roundtrip flights, plus additional raffles for Red Sox tickets, gift cards, and more—drawings start at 3:30 PM.

🌍 Feeling lucky? Enter to win World Cup tickets (limited entries available!).

Come for the community, stay for the prizes—we’ll see you there! ☀️