University Spotlight: New England Conservatory
In this column, we spotlight amazing vocal programs and highlight how they’re helping singers!
New England Conservatory
View the Full University Listing
What Makes You Unique
NEC’s Voice and Opera Studies programs offer a dynamic opportunity for singers to study repertoire, technique, and performance at the highest artistic level. Students receive technical training from our world-renowned voice faculty through private studio lessons, gain in-depth knowledge of vocal literature and styles from the early Baroque to the present, and refine their mastery of languages and diction. NEC singers have an abundance of performance opportunities made possible by the separate undergraduate and graduate training programs and performances in opera production and song performance. Repertoire and performances are selected to be tailored to the needs and artistic growth of the students. Additional performance opportunities include the Liederabend series and choral concerts featuring works with orchestra and student soloists.
NEC singers regularly hold apprentice artist contracts with institutions including Santa Fe Opera, Merola, Glimmerglass, and Wolf Trap Opera, and have won prestigious awards such as the Laffont Metropolitan Opera Competition and Operalia. Our alumni continue this tradition of excellence and can be seen performing on the stages of major opera houses and concert halls around the world, and hold distinguished faculty and administrative positions in the arts.
Scholarships & Financial Aid
NEC is dedicated to supporting outstanding emerging musicians, and all applicants are encouraged to apply for financial assistance based on both merit and demonstrated financial need. A variety of options are available to help cover educational costs, including NEC scholarships, federal and state grants, student employment opportunities, and federal or private loans. Most students receive a financial aid package that includes a combination of these resources.
All applicants who would like to be considered for financial aid must complete NEC’s Institutional Aid Application after prescreening, and domestic applicants (U.S. citizens and permanent residents) will also need to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 15.
Performance Opportunities & Events
Upcoming Highlights for Fall 2025:
November: Master Class with Nicholas Brownlee; NEC Philharmonia + Symphonic Choir | An Evening in Paris; Undergraduate Opera Seminar: Opera Scenes; NEC Opera: Jonathan Dove’s “Flight”; Song and Verse
December: NEC Opera Scenes: An Evening of Handel and Shakespeare; Liederabend; NEC Opera: Musical Theater Performance; NEC Chamber Singers; NEC Chamber Singers, Symphonic Winds, Navy Band Northeast: Into the Holidays!
Notable Alumni
So Young Park ‘12 MM, ‘14 AD – Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera Erica Petrocelli ‘14, ‘16 MM, ‘18 AD – LA Opera, Opernhaus Zürich Jacquelyn Stucker ‘17 DMA – Glyndebourne, Metropolitan Opera Anthony León ‘21 MM, ‘22 AD – Winner, Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Josie Larsen ‘23 MM, ‘25 AD – Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera Chicago Hyungjin Son ‘24 MM – LA Opera, Merola Opera Program
