Boston Conservatory Orchestra to Perform at Carnegie Hall for United Nations General Assembly

Boston Conservatory Orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall on Friday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m. in a concert celebrating the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The event, Building Our Future Together, will be presented by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Office of the President of the 80th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (PGA80), and the International Academy for Arts and Cultural Studies (IAA).

High-profile guests will perform with Boston Conservatory Orchestra throughout the evening. Grammy Award–winning soprano Karen Slack, who recently joined faculty member Scott Nicholas in recital as part of the Conservatory’s Opera Innovators Series, will kick off the concert with Florence Price’s “Desire” and “Winter Idyll.” The program will also feature Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with pianist Byron Zhou, followed by a finale of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 featuring voice soloists Slack, SarahAnn Duffy, Corey Leak, and Sidney Outlaw.

Conducted by Maestro Jorge Soto, the orchestra will feature approximately 70 performers representing Boston Conservatory’s undergraduate and graduate music programs, joined by the Columbia University Teacher’s College Chorale with guests. This will be the second United Nations General Assembly concert featuring Boston Conservatory performers; a group of Boston Conservatory musicians joined UNITAR for a concert in December 2024.

“I am very excited that the partnership built last year between the United Nations and Boston Conservatory at Berklee has not only continued, but blossomed to create this incredible opportunity for our students. This represents the first time a full Boston Conservatory Orchestra has performed at Carnegie Hall; we are honored to receive this invitation from such a prestigious gathering of the world's most significant leaders,” said Matthew M. Marsit, chair of instrumental studies and an artistic partner and advisor to the United Nations. “This program showcases the power of music to overcome adversity and unite all people, even in the most difficult times. I am extremely grateful to our friends at the UN for inviting us to share this important message through our music making, and look forward to a most meaningful and memorable experience for our students and all involved.”

Boston Conservatory Orchestra will present a free preview concert of the Building Our Future Together program on Thursday, December 4 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, located at 1545 Tremont Street in Boston.