New England Conservatory Announces Honorary Degree Recipients for 2025

Chad Smith, Michael Tilson Thomas, Michelle Wu, Conrad Pope, and Wendy Shattuck will receive honorary doctorates

The New England Conservatory (NEC) has announced the musicians who will be granted honorary degrees at its 154th Commencement ceremony, which is set to take place on May 18, 2025, in the school's Jordan Hall.

President and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Chad Smith will be the featured speaker and will receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree. In addition, honorary doctorates will also be given to City of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, film composer Conrad Pope, and life trustee Wendy Shattuck.

Speaker Chad Smith was first appointed President and CEO of the Boston Symphony in 2023 and has held the same role at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He began working for the latter group in a junior programming position, working his way up to the top over twenty years.

Smith has been a trustee of the NEC since 2017, and he also serves on the executive committee of the Avery Fisher Prize.

American conductor Michael Tilson Thomas was conducting premieres of works by Boulez, Copland, Stockhausen, and Stravinsky by the age of 19, and served as the assistant to Pierre Boulez at the Ojai Festival in California.

He has been the music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic and principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Tilson Thomas is the founder of the Miami-based New World Symphony, and for 25 years from 1999, he served as music director of the San Francisco Symphony.

"Music presents endless opportunities to inspire, comfort, and challenge audiences in ways inaccessible through other art forms," said Chad Smith. "But its power of renewal requires the act of creative regeneration by young and emerging musicians. I was one of those musicians 30 years ago, when I walked across the NEC stage, a newly minted graduate of the NEC/Tufts program. It was that time in Boston, at the Conservatory, in its practice rooms and on its stages, that set me on the career path I have followed – followed all the way back to Boston and the BSO, and the remarkable musical, cultural and intellectual community which inspired me so many years ago."

"There is no musical community like NEC, with the most talented young musicians and faculty from across the world. I am honored to be speaking at this year’s graduation, as I have been honored to serve NEC as a trustee during this time of expansion, change, and innovation."

"The performing arts have been a powerful part of my life since I was a child and have shaped my determination as a public official working to make Boston a home for everyone,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said. "New England Conservatory has been making Boston a home for the arts for over 150 years, and I’m deeply honored to receive an honorary degree from NEC alongside this distinguished group that includes friends and heroes of mine."

"I’m grateful for NEC’s continuous efforts to support every generation of musicians from all backgrounds and communities. Music education has the potential to create pathways for students beyond just artistry, and the City of Boston is proud to partner with NEC on delivering classes in our public schools and scholarship opportunities for all students in our communities."