#NECMusicHub

“Life was being uprooted by something completely out of our control, but in all the performances that night, I thought I heard a very touching, human desire to reassert what little autonomy we had left by gathering with our friends and colleagues to listen to music together one last time.” —Ariel Mo ’20 Piano Performance

When planning a student-led coronavirus relief concert in March of 2020, Asian Student Association president Ariel Mo thought the Mendelssohn octet was “especially perfect because of its dynamic, optimistic energy.” By the time the concert took place on March 13th, it turned out to be the last in-person concert on campus before the semester moved online, and the selection felt all the more powerful and poignant.

Reflecting on the concert, Ariel shares: “With each of the groups on the program, I was struck by how much love they expressed for one another, whether in short introductory speeches or simply through the music they played, which seemed imbued with the kind of confidence and creativity that maybe only comes when you think you’ve arrived at the end of the world. I hope that anyone watching this video now might remember a little bit of what it‘s like to connect with one another, in person, without fear or hesitation; or to sit in the audience, like I did on March 13th, just listening and enjoying, with your heart full of wonder for all that music can do.”

Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 is here performed by Andrew Samarasekara ’20, Leonardo Jaffé, Emma Carleton ’19, ’21 MM, and Grant Houston ’20, violins; Haneul Skye Park ’21 and Aidan Garrison ’21, violas; Ivan Sendetskiy ’21 GD and Ben Maxwell ’21, cellos.
———
Follow our #NECMusicHub series to hear NEC musicians reach across distance and difficulty to bring us together. There is beauty, community, and optimism inherent in making music, even in these challenging times:

More from this series: https://www.necmusic.edu/musichub-pla...

NEC community: share your video! http://necmusic.edu/music-hub

NEC Website: www.necmusic.edu
NEC Facebook:   / necmusic  
NEC Instagram:   / necmusic  
NEC Twitter:  / necmusic  
NEC TikTok:   / new_england_conservatory