New England Conservatory’s Black Student Union

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New England Conservatory’s Black Student Union Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from New England Conservatory’s Black Student Union, Community Organization, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston.

The Black Student Union is committed to the fortification and celebration of Black art and culture in the
NEC community, the advocation for equal representation and inclusion of all students at NEC.

Legacy is something we carry, honor, and continue.Join us for the Coretta Scott King Tribute Concert as we celebrate lin...
04/04/2026

Legacy is something we carry, honor, and continue.

Join us for the Coretta Scott King Tribute Concert as we celebrate lineage, remembrance, and the voices that came before us.

If you’re unable to join us in person, we’ve updated the streaming link so you can still be part of this moment.

📅 Sunday, April 5
⏰ 7:30 PM
📍 Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory
30 Gainsborough St, Boston, MA

🎟️ Tickets + Streaming:
https://necmusic.edu/events/nec-black-student-union-presents-tribute-to-coretta-scott-king/

🔐 Streaming Password: NECAY26

Wherever you are, we welcome you into this space 🤍

Shileta Cezario, sopranoShileta Cezario is a composer, producer, vocalist, and music professional pursuing her Master of...
04/04/2026

Shileta Cezario, soprano
Shileta Cezario is a composer, producer, vocalist, and music professional pursuing her Master of Music in Historical Musicology with a concentration in Teaching Artistry at the New England Conservatory. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Writing and Production from Berklee College of Music, with dual minors in Screen Scoring and Writing for TV & New Media. Shileta currently serves as President of the NEC Black Student Union and is a Teaching Artist Fellow with Castle of our Skins. Blending creativity with community, she composes across genres while exploring the connections between music, history, and identity. Her work reflects a commitment to education, collaboration, and the transformative power of music.

Imani Armstrong, voiceImani Armstrong is an aspiring composer from Cincinnati, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music fr...
04/04/2026

Imani Armstrong, voice
Imani Armstrong is an aspiring composer from Cincinnati, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Alabama State University. Passionate about the bass clarinet, she is dedicated to bringing low-register instruments into the spotlight. Through her compositions, she aims to showcase the beauty and expressive potential of instruments often cast as background voices, giving them a leading role in music.

Maxwell Fairman, violinMaxwell Fairman is a violinist and composer studying at New England Conservatory. As a violinist,...
04/04/2026

Maxwell Fairman, violin
Maxwell Fairman is a violinist and composer studying at New England Conservatory. As a violinist, Fairman has appeared as a soloist with multiple orchestras and was recently a semi-finalist in the 2026 Sphinx Competition Senior Division. He studies violin with Donald Weilerstein and is a recipient of the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Scholarship, a full-tuition merit award. As a composer, Fairman has received commissions from the NEC Chamber Orchestra and Castle of Our Skins. His works have been performed by ensembles including the Boston Landmarks Orchestra and the Castle of Our Skins String Quartet.

Kira Daglio Fine, bassKira Daglio Fine ​is an award-winning Uruguayan-American composer based in Boston, MA, whose work ...
04/04/2026

Kira Daglio Fine, bass
Kira Daglio Fine ​is an award-winning Uruguayan-American composer based in Boston, MA, whose work represents a new generation of arrangers for big band.

This emerging young composer has an unusual style that blends flowing, jazz-influenced melodies with driving Afro-Latin rhythms reimagined through unique rhythmic grooves, amplifying cultural sounds not commonly heard in the US. Her writing reflects a diverse range of cultural and musical influences, frequently drawing from her Latin roots to offer a rare juxtaposition of Big Band Jazz and Afro-Uruguayan Candombe tradition.

Kira won the 2022 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award for her big band piece “The Towers,” which she wrote while studying Studio Jazz Writing at the Frost School of Music in Miami. She has been performing in Boston and New York for nearly 10 years, establishing herself as a highly acclaimed and sought-after big band leader in the Northeast while earning her Masters degree in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory in Boston. This past March (2025), Kira recorded her debut studio album with the KDF Big Band, which includes her original compositions as well as arrangements of popular Uruguayan tunes.

Kira is the founder and former director of the student big band at Columbia University, as well as the leader of the KDF Big Band. She has studied under and received mentorship from esteemed musicians such as Maria Schneider, Miguel Zenon, Jason Moran, Guillermo Klein, John Lockwood, and Frank Carlberg.

Joanna Peters, violinJoanna Peters is a third-year undergraduate violin performance major at the New England Conservator...
04/04/2026

Joanna Peters, violin
Joanna Peters is a third-year undergraduate violin performance major at the New England Conservatory, studying with Paul Biss. In 2024, she won NEC’s Intercultural Institute Competition, in which students created compositions or papers based on various non-Western music workshops, with a paper focused on how Japanese colonization of Korea and the country’s subsequent partition affected Koreans’ collective conscience and, therefore, its music. She has performed as a member of NEC’s Symphony and Philharmonia, including in the Philharmonia’s New Music Ensemble. As a student worker at NEC’s The Huddle, Joanna has helped to plan and facilitate various community wide initiatives, including NEC’s first Ubuntu Dialogue Dinner. This event brought together the NEC community to engage in deep listening and meaningful conversation on difficult topics. She is also an intern at the Community Music Center of Boston’s Youth Employment Program, where she works with the passionate staff in the Community Music School to bring accessible, multi-dimensional music education to students of all backgrounds. Previously, Joanna has served as concertmaster of the New Jersey Youth Symphony and taught free online violin lessons, during the pandemic, through Love Violin for Children USA.

Sam Saomek Srithongkum pianoSam Saomek Srithongkum is a jazz pianist and composer whose artistry transcends musical boun...
04/04/2026

Sam Saomek Srithongkum piano
Sam Saomek Srithongkum is a jazz pianist and composer whose artistry transcends musical boundaries. Blending the worlds of jazz, contemporary classical music, Thai traditions, and gospel influences, Sam has emerged as a distinctive voice in today’s international music scene.
Rooted in both depth and versatility, Sam has performed or recorded with numerous award-winning and Grammy-nominated artists, including Christylez Bacon, Jamey Haddad, Mehmet Sanlıkol, Edward Perez, Mike Block, Akram Haddad, Christian David, and Telem Uncommon Sounds.
Sam and his band, alongside many guest artists, have just released an album, “A Great Mercy,” on all streaming platforms and Bandcamp.
Sam is currently pursuing his master’s degree at the New England Conservatory, where he has had the privilege of studying under distinguished mentors including Ran Blake, Hankus Netsky, and Bert Seager.

Ogechi Victoria Okoye, sopranoOgechi Okoye is a Nigerian soprano originally from Eastern Nigeria and raised in Lagos. He...
04/04/2026

Ogechi Victoria Okoye, soprano
Ogechi Okoye is a Nigerian soprano originally from Eastern Nigeria and raised in Lagos. Her
musical journey began in the church choir, where her early exposure to sacred music shaped
her passion for vocal performance. She later received formal training at the MTN Foundation
MUSON Diploma School of Music, studying voice with Joseph Oparamanuike, John Eclou, and
Richard Lindsey. Ogechi is currently a voice and opera student at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studies under renowned dramatic soprano Jane Eaglen. Her repertoire spans opera, art song, and sacred music, with a growing interest in works by African and African-diaspora composers. She has performed in venues such as Jordan Hall at NEC, churches, recitals, showcases, and community arts events. Ogechi is committed to using her voice as a tool for storytelling, cultural expression, and connection, both on and off the operatic stage.

Salome Ospina, pianoSalome Ospina is a current Berklee College of Music student and a graduate of Rio Americano High Sch...
04/04/2026

Salome Ospina, piano
Salome Ospina is a current Berklee College of Music student and a graduate of Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California. She enjoys playing many styles of music such as jazz, classical, and latin music. She was selected as a JEXA Young Artists Grant recipient in 2024 and Youngarts Jazz Piano Award Winner in 2025. Salome has performed in venues such as the JEN Conference, the SFJAZZ center, and El Club de Jazz en Medellin, Colombia. Salome has been a part of numerous award winning ensembles, such as the SF Jazz High School All Stars and the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. At Berklee, she is learning through challenging ensembles directed by Tia Fuller, Bijon Watson, Neal Smith, Eguie Castrillo, and others.

Ricky L. Owens, Jr., countertenorRicky Lee Owens, Jr. is a countertenor from Dallas, Texas, currently pursuing a Graduat...
04/04/2026

Ricky L. Owens, Jr., countertenor
Ricky Lee Owens, Jr. is a countertenor from Dallas, Texas, currently pursuing a Graduate
Diploma at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Bradley Williams. He earned his Master of Music in Vocal Performance–Opera from Carnegie Mellon University,
studying with Sari Gruber, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in Vocal
Performance from Prairie View A&M University, where he studied with Jammieca D. Mott.
His operatic credits include Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s (Flight), Nerone in Monteverdi’s
(L’incoronazione di Poppea), and Caio Silla in Vivaldi’s (Ottone in Villa). He has also performed
scenes and excerpts as Giulio Cesare (Giulio Cesare), Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream),
Sesto (La clemenza di Tito), Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice), and Rinaldo (Rinaldo). At Pittsburgh
Opera, Owens covered the role of John Blue in Daniel Roumain’s (We Shall Not Be Moved).
A Boston District Winner of the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 Metropolitan Opera Laffont
Competition, Owens has participated in prestigious training programs including SongFest, the
Bayview Music Festival, and LA Opera’s HBCU Opera Career Comprehensive. Passionate
about sharing his artistry, he is committed to bringing the countertenor voice to audiences
worldwide.

Woody Pierre, trumpetWoody Pierre is a versatile jazz trumpet player, born and raised in Haiti, who brings a distinctive...
04/04/2026

Woody Pierre, trumpet
Woody Pierre is a versatile jazz trumpet player, born and raised in Haiti, who brings a distinctive blend of traditional Haitian influences and modern jazz styles to the stage. After studying Law, he attended Longy School of Music of Bard College for his classical trumpet studies. He then transferred to New England Conservatory to pursue his jazz studies, where he continues to refine his craft. As a lead trumpet player and soloist, his playing is distinguished by a unique, expressive tone deeply rooted in Haitian musical traditions and culture. He is the recipient of a Presidential Scholarship at NEC and is very grateful to have received the support of Wynton Marsalis since 2022.

Alayna Green, sopranoAlayna Green, soprano, is a first year graduate student from Port Arthur, Texas. She is currentlypu...
04/04/2026

Alayna Green, soprano
Alayna Green, soprano, is a first year graduate student from Port Arthur, Texas. She is currently
pursuing a Master’s degree in Opera at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston,
Massachusetts. She is a student of Mary Ann McCormick. She received her Bachelor’s of Arts in Vocal Performance at Prairie View A&M University.

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290 Huntington Avenue
Boston, SA
02115

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