John Heiss Memorial Concert

Join us as we celebrate John Heiss's life and legacy at a memorial concert in his honor on October 23, which would have been John's 85th birthday.

About John Heiss:

Dubbed the "Pitch Doctor" by Igor Stravinsky, composer and beloved faculty member John Heiss taught at New England Conservatory for nearly 56 years, inspiring generations of young musicians to love the modernist compositions he championed.
     
Heiss was appointed to NEC's faculty during the school's 100th anniversary in 1967, having turned down a full-time job at IBM to devote his life to music. As a faculty member in flute, chamber music, composition, music history, and music theory, as well as Director of NEC's Contemporary Ensemble, students and colleagues were drawn to Heiss for his brilliant mind, subject mastery, wide-ranging curiosity, and deep compassion. 
       
In addition to his profound contributions as a scholar and pedagogue of modernist music, Heiss was a widely celebrated composer. In recognition of his compositions, he was awarded the American Academy of Arts and Letters Music Prize in 1973 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1978. He was commissioned by the Fromm Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities, and had works premiered by Boston Musica Viva, the Da Capo Chamber Players, and Speculum Musicae. 
      
John Heiss was also an accomplished flutist and performed with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Collage New Music, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and many other notable ensembles. 
       
A mentor, colleague, and friend, Heiss was known for his extraordinary ability to connect with others. He focused his insatiable curiosity and powers of observation on coaching his students, becoming one of NEC's most influential and beloved faculty members. To quote David Loebel, NEC’s Associate Director of Orchestras, “John was truly the beating heart of NEC—an inspiring teacher, a kind, generous soul, and a loving friend and colleague. How lucky we were."
       
In one of his last acts of generosity to NEC, Heiss funded the John and Arlene Heiss Composer Master Class Fund. This fund will bring celebrated composers to campus to work with NEC students, providing the personal connection between composer and performer that was especially meaningful to him. 
       
John Heiss shaped the perspectives of countless students and colleagues, and “his” seat in Jordan Hall (K101) will forever be a place of honor for all of us who miss his presence.

Please use this link to view the Tribute Book for John Heiss: https://issuu.com/necmusic/docs/john_heiss_memorial?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ

A reception in Brown Hall will follow the concert.