Since 1956, New England Conservatory has conferred honorary Doctor of Music degrees on individuals who have made significant contributions to the world of music, the world of the arts, and the world of human values. Except where otherwise indicated, the degree has been presented at Commencement ceremonies in May.
2023
May (Commencement)
Mei-Ann Chen, Ann Hobson Pilot, George E. Lewis, David Zinman
2022
May (Commencement)
David Amram, Ella Jenkins, James Taylor, and Kennett F. Burnes
2021
May (Commencement)
Carl J. Atkins, Emanuel Ax, Deborah Borda, Wu Man, and Mavis Staples
2019
May (Commencement)
Jessye Norman, Ursula Oppens, and Jean Morrow
February
Chou Wen-chung
2018
May (Commencement)
Herbie Hancock, Edgar Meyer, Joseph L. Bower, and Peter Lyman Row
2017
May (Commencement)
Hermeto Pascoal, Harold I. Pratt, André Previn
February (Concert)
Sofia Gubaidulina
2016
May (Commencement)
Martina Arroyo, Anthony Braxton, Malcolm Peyton, Leonard Slatkin, Bernie Worrell
2015
May (Commencement)
Kyung Wha Chung, Ahmad Jamal, Russell Sherman
January (masterclass)
Thomas Hampson
2014
November (public conversation/concert)
John Zorn
September (masterclass)
Denyce Graves
May (Commencement)
Carla Bley, Simon Carrington, Susan Youens
2013
November (masterclass)
Leonidas Kavakos
October (public conversation)
Elvis Costello
May (Commencement)
Remo Belli, Philip Gossett, John Heiss, Graham Johnson, Randy Weston
April (Boston Modern Orchestra Project concert)
Oliver Knussen
2012
Alan Abel, Frank L. Battisti, Eric Booth, Freddy Cole, George Shirley
2011
Jorja Fleezanis, Speight Jenkins, Steve Reich, Leo Treitler
2010
May (Commencement)
Quincy Jones, Roger Kellaway, Alex Ross, Karen Tuttle
April (Handel and Haydn Society concert)
Roger Norrington
2009
November (NEC Philharmonia concert)
Alfred Brendel
May (Commencement)
Joseph Gabriel Esther Maneri, Benjamin Zander
2008
Bob Brookmeyer, Stephanie Perrin
2007
Richard Dyer, Halim El-Dabh, Bruno Monsaingeon, Regina Resnik, Wayne Shorter
2006
David Baker, Ran Blake, Janos Starker, Daniel Steiner, Joan Tower
2005
John Eliot Gardiner, Bernard Greenhouse, George Russell, Maynard Solomon
2004
Doriot Anthony Dwyer, Roy Haynes, Robert Mann, Thea Musgrave
2003
Robert Cogan, Gary Graffman, Dave Holland, Charles Rosen, David Scudder
2002
Jose Antonio Abreu, George Perle, Sonny Rollins, Susan Wadsworth
2001
May (Commencement)
John Corigliano, Peter Serkin
April (Inauguration of President Daniel Steiner)
William Bolcom, Robert Levin, Marian McPartland, Joseph Polisi
2000
Lukas Foss, Ali Akbar Kahn, Laurence Lesser, David Lewin
1999
Peter Schickele, Claire Brook, Ron Carter, Christoph Wolff
1998
October (Inauguration of President Robert Freeman)
Ian Horsbrugh, Robert Sproull, Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras, William Warfield
October (special convocation)
Karel Husa
May (Commencement)
Mark Volpe, Marilyn Horne, Benny Carter
1997
Aretha Franklin, Edward Kennedy, Lewis Lockwood, Clark Terry
1996
Leon Fleisher, Elliot Forbes, Eric Rosenblith
1995
Anner Bylsma, John Harbison, Lionel Hampton
1994
Bethany Beardslee, Ruth Rubin, Robert King
1993
Howard Gardner, Carl Howard, Daniel Pinkham, Ravi Shankar, James Terry
1992
Ornette Coleman, Andrew Falender, Everett "Vic" Firth, Frances Brockman Lanier, Yo-Yo Ma, John Moriarty, The Canadian Brass
1991
Dizzy Gillespie, Roger Voisin
1990
October (special convocation)
Witold Lutoslawski
May (Commencement)
Leon Kirchner, Jean Mayer, Conlon Nancarrow, Leonard Shure
1989
Art Blakey, Boris Goldovsky, Jean Kraft, Alexander Schneider
1988
Claudio Arrau, Lorna Cooke deVaron, Francis W. Hatch, H.C. Robbins Landon
1987
November (special convocation)
Nathan Milstein
May (Commencement)
Joseph Allard, Katja Andy, Arthur Berger, Harry Ellis Dickson
1986
May (Commencement)
Miles Davis, Justino Diaz, Joseph Silverstein, Virgil Thomson
April (special convocation)
Olivier Messiaen
1985
Gil Evans, Adolph "Bud" Herseth, Mischa Schneider, Rudolph Serkin, John Williams
1984
Edward Cone, Joseph Gingold, Blanche Honegger Moyse, Bernard Zighera
1983
George Crumb, Eugene Lehner, John Lewis, Robert Shaw
1982
October (special convocation)
Seiji Ozawa
May (Commencement)
Rosalind Elias, Lewis Thomas, Max Roach, William Schwann
1981
William Schuman, Phyllis Curtin, Louis Krasner, Jordan M. Whitelaw
1980
James Galway, Mabel Mercer, William R. Driver, Jr.
1979
Sarah Caldwell, Iva Dee Hiatt, Claiborne Pell
1978
1977
John Hammond, Cecil Taylor, Elma Lewis, Aaron Copland
1976
May (Commencement)
Ethan Ayer, Vera Brodsky Lawrence, Chester W. Williams, Kevin S. Harrington
April (special convocation)
Richard Rodgers
1975
Gladys Child Miller, Randall Thompson, Catherine Filene Shouse, Luis Ferré
1974
Eubie Blake, Francis Judd Cooke, Oliver Daniel, Alice Tully
1973
Beverly Sills, William Grant Still, Leta Whitney
1972
Milton Babbitt, Sherwin Badger, Samuel Rosenbaum, Howard Goding
1971
September (special convocation)
Harvey Phillips
May (Commencement)
Arthur Fiedler, John Hsu, Frederick Jagel, Coretta Scott King
1970
no commencement held
1969
December (special convocation)
Walter Piston
May (Commencement)
Fernand Gillet, Stefan Wolpe, Robert Lowell
1968
Olga Koussevitzky, Ernst Krenek, Herbert Marcuse, Carl Ruggles, William Valkenier
1967
John Brownlee, Ross Lee Finney, Paul Fromm
1966
Mildred Miller, Roger Sessions, Michael Steinberg, Shinichi Suzuki
1965
E. Power Biggs, Norman Lloyd, Paul Taylor White
1964
Commencement
Marian Anderson, Margaret Mason, Arthur Tillman Merritt, Warren Story Smith
special convocation
Charles Munch
1963
Hubert Weldon Lamb, Carl McKinley, Erica Morini, Jesus Maria Sanroma
1962
Richard Burgin, Jean Demos, Eleanor Steber, Isaac Stern
1961
Elliott Carter, Roland Hayes
1960
none awarded
1959
1958
Mabel Daniels, G. Wallace Woodworth
1957
Paul Henry Lang
1956
Howard Hanson