New England Conservatory Alumni

Neuroscientist, musician, and technologist Arun Asthagiri '20 Prep, '24 has participated in a study on how the brain reacts to live music as a collaboratory project between NEC and Northeastern University.

Arun is an interdisciplinary scientist and musician who has played the violin for nearly two decades, earning a Bachelor of Music from NEC before pursuing a PhD at Northeastern University’s Music Image and Neural Dynamics lab. His research bridges systems neuroscience, music cognition, and affective science to investigate how the predictive brain derives meaning and pleasure from music. Specifically, his work explores how the brain uses music to predict bodily signals (interoception) and has previously examined the unique impact of live versus recorded music on the brain, as well as health-based musical applications for cognitive health. Currently, Arun utilizes biofeedback and machine learning techniques to study musical predictions and brain dynamics in naturalistic settings.

Read more about this fascinating study through the link below:

How The Brain Reacts to Live Music: Arun Asthagiri '20 Prep, '24 Participates in a Collaboratory Study with NEC and Northeastern University | NEC Alumni Network Neuroscientist, musician, and technologist Arun Asthagiri '20 Prep, '24 has participated in a study on how the brain reacts to live music as a collaboratory pro

Dr. J LanYe’ '68 MM, DMA, explores the powerful role of music in mapping escape routes to freedom from chattel slavery. She will return to Lakeside Chautauqua this Juneteenth to share groundbreaking research on the African American spiritual. She will introduce newly uncovered decoding methods that reveal how these songs functioned as sophisticated strategic tools in the resistance to and dismantling of chattel slavery. This presentation goes beyond traditional musical history, offering a rare look at the intelligence and strategy embedded within the genre—insights that remain largely unknown to the general public.

Read more through the link below:

The Music That Helped Stop Slavery: Dr. J LanYe' '68 MM, DMA to Present on Juneteenth at Lakeside Chautauqua | NEC Alumni Network Dr. J LanYe’ '68 MM, DMA, explores the powerful role of music in mapping escape routes to freedom from chattel slavery. She will return to Lakeside Chautauqua

Thirteen years after founding Castle of our Skins, NEC alumni Ashleigh Gordon ’08 MM and Anthony Green ’08 MM have prepared the organization to reclaim a vital artistic space in Boston and further empower Black artists far beyond.

In mid-May, the nonprofit organization, which “centers Black arts, culture, and history,” presented a concert at the Goethe Institut called The Castle We Built, featuring solo and duo performances by Gordon, a violist, and Green, a composer and pianist. The event served as a fundraiser for CooS as the organization prepares to move next year into a permanent home and enter a new phase. Since its founding in 2013, Castle of our Skins has operated out of coffeeshops, apartments, coworking spaces, and other nonpermanent homes.

Read more through the link below!

Castle of our Skins Celebrates its Foundation and a Reclamation to Come | NEC Alumni Network Thirteen years after founding Castle of our Skins, NEC alumni Ashleigh Gordon ’08 MM and Anthony Green ’08 MM have prepared the organization to reclaim a vital

Pianist Charles Berofsky ’24 MM and violinist Joshua Brown ’22, ’24 MM, ’26 AD were chosen for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s highly selective Bowers Program and will each participate in a three-year residency.

This year’s participants in The Bowers Program were chosen from an international pool of 192 individual candidates and 17 ensemble candidates through competitive auditions. The twelve individual artists and one ensemble, who hail from six countries, range in age from 24 to 32, and are award winners and recipients of some of the world’s most prestigious classical music honors for young musicians.

Read more through the link below:

Alumni Selected for Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program | NEC Alumni Network Pianist Charles Berofsky ’24 MM and violinist Joshua Brown ’22, ’24 MM, ’26 AD were chosen for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s highly selective Bo

Join us in celebrating the Class of 2026! 🥳

Throughout the following months, we are going to be sharing spotlights of our 2026 grads. Visit the link below to see our June features!

alumni.necmusic.edu

🌟Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Rhoda Bernard '94🌟

Dr. Rhoda Bernard is the Founding Managing Director of the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education and the Assistant Chair of the Music Education Department at Berklee College of Music. She holds a Bachelor of Arts cm laude in government from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Music with academic honors in jazz voice from New England Conservatory. She earned both her Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Read Rhoda's full spotlight through the link below!🎉

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Rhoda Bernard '94 | NEC Alumni Network Dr. Rhoda Bernard is the Founding Managing Director of the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education and the Assistant Chair of the Music Education Depart

Cellist and alumnus Leland Ko '24 AD has placed third in the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition. This competition is one of the world's most prestigious and demanding international music competitions for young, classically trained virtuosos.

Read more through the link below:

Leland Ko '24 AD Claims Third Prize at 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition | NEC Alumni Network Cellist and alumnus Leland Ko '24 AD has placed third in the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition. This competition is one of the world's most prestigious and deman

Delirium Musicum, which is made up of several NEC alumni, will be touring the East Coast beginning in early July. Their upcoming performances include the Rockport Chamber Music Festival on July 1, the opening of Newport Classical on July 2, and the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts in NYC’s Central Park on July 7.

Alumni members include Etienne Gara '12 MM (artistic director), Evan Hjort '22 MM (violin), Stella Cho '16 GD (cello), Javier Iglesias-Martin '16 MM (cello), Sophia Szokolay '19, '25 DMA (violin), and Nao Kubota '17 (viola).

Read more about their accomplishments through the link below:

Delirium Musicum to Embark on East Coast Tour | NEC Alumni Network Delirium Musicum, which is made up of several NEC alumni, will be touring the East Coast beginning in early July. Their upcoming performances include the Rockpo

The NEC Alumni Network is our online community where alumni can stay connected, explore their benefits and resources, share news, register for events, and much more!

Sign up through the link below 🐧💜💛
alumni.necmusic.edu/signup

Questions? Email [email protected].

Request to join | NEC Alumni Network

Andrew Rindfleisch ’90 MM Named Pulitzer Prize Finalist for American Descent 🎼

🎉Read more through the link in our bio!