NEC First Monday October 2026

Last night I went to New England Conservatory’s First Monday concert at Jordan Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Various NEC faculty, students, and alumni performed. The musicians were outstanding and the music was very interesting.

NEC’s First Monday Series

From NEC’s website:

For more than 40 years, First Monday at Jordan Hall has been a cornerstone of New England Conservatory’s musical community, bringing together acclaimed faculty, distinguished alumni, exceptional students, and guest artists for unforgettable chamber music performances.

Founded by renowned cellist Laurence Lesser and now curated by three Artistic Co-Chairs — violist Nicholas Cords, violinist Soovin Kim, and pianist HaeSun Paik — the series celebrates the artistry, collaboration, and spirit of discovery that define NEC.

Introduction and “Meet the Artist” Interview

Before the concert, Soovin Kim gave a brief introduction and interviewed pianist and NEC alumna Zitong Wang about music competitions and whether the winners can still become famous and in demand. Zitong Wang said she had performed at least sixty times in the past year, and she had recently returned from a series of concerts in Japan.

Steve Reich

The first piece on the program was Music for Pieces of Wood (1973) by Steve Reich, played on claves tuned to A, B, C#, D#, and D# an octave above. Kolberg sells a set of tuned claves specifically for this piece.

The musicians were:

Robert Schulz
Yilin Chen
Avi Randall
Bug Jaffe
Elfie Shi

The piece starts out simply but quickly grows in complexity with polyrhythms that I couldn’t count in my head. There are several recordings and YouTube videos of this piece available. Steve Reich celebrated his ninetieth birthday on October 3, 2026.

Francis Poulenc

Dang Thai Son and Zitong Wang (NEC Concert Artist) played three pieces by Francis Poulenc for two pianos:

Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Piano Four-Hands, FP8
Francis Poulenc: Élégie for Two Pianos, FP175
Francis Poulenc: Capriccio d’après “le bal masqué”, FP175

I enjoyed these pieces, which are modern but also melodic.

Ludwig van Beethoven

After the intermission, eleven musicians played Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, op. 36, arr. for chamber ensemble by Jopfen Music.

The musicians were:

Soovin Kim, first violin
Sophie Wang, second violin
Cara Pogossian, viola
Blaise Déjardin, cello
Donald Palma, double bass
Cynthia Meyers, flute
John Ferrillo, oboe
Nicholas Brown, clarinet
Richard Svoboda, bassoon
Austin Ruff, French horn
Tim Genis, timpani

As mentioned by Soovin Kim in his introduction before the concert, this transcription for chamber orchestra makes each instrumental voice stand out clearly rather than blending in with the other instruments. Beethoven’s Second Symphony works particularly well for this treatment since it is not complex yet is still Beethoven.