NEC Cellist Blaise Dejardin ’07 M.M. ’08 G.D. Named to Boston Symphony Cello Section
Blaise Dejardin (Susan Wilson photo)
For Immediate Release:
January 30, 2008
Blaise Dejardin,’07 M.M., a student of Laurence Lesser and a candidate for New England Conservatory’s Graduate Diploma this May, has won a seat in the cello section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He will join Mickey Katz ’03, who also studied with Lesser, NEC President Emeritus and occupant of the Walter W. Naumburg Chair in Music. Dejardin, 23, was one of three new cellists accepted into the orchestra.
A native of Castelnau-le-lez, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, Dejardin completed his Master of Music in 2007. He is a member of the Euroca Piano Quintet, one of NEC’s Honors Ensembles. The recipient of the Florence Gould Foundation Scholarship, he will give his Graduate Diploma recital, March 30 at 8 p.m. in NEC’s Brown Hall. The Euroca Quintet will perform May 4 at 8 p.m. in NEC’s Jordan Hall.
Another NEC graduate student, Julianne Lee ’08 M.M., who joined the violin section of the BSO in the 2006-07 season, has been awarded tenure in the orchestra. She is the youngest player in the orchestra’s history to have been so honored. Both a violinist and violist, Lee studies at NEC with Donald Weilerstein and Kim Kashkashian. She will give her Master’s recital April 1 at 8 p.m. in St. Botolph Hall.
For further information, check the NEC Website or call the NEC Concert Line at 617-585-1122. NEC’s Jordan Hall, Brown Hall, Williams Hall and the Keller Room are located at 30 Gainsborough St., corner of Huntington Ave. St. Botolph Hall is located at 241 St. Botolph St. between Gainsborough and Mass Ave.
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY
Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 750 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world. Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide. Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.
The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions. On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, Contemporary Improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Collaboration Programs, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors. Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music and jazz.
NEC presents more than 600 free concerts each year, many of them in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, 100-year old, beautifully restored concert hall. These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz and opera scenes. Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.
NEC is co-founder and educational partner of “From the Top,” a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States.
Contact: Ellen Pfeifer
Public Relations Manager
New England Conservatory
617-585-1143
epfeifer@newenglandconservatory.edu