Friday, August 16, 2024
Longy Master of Music in Music Education faculty member and GRAMMY Award-nominated teacher Michael Coelho will serve as Music Director and Conductor of the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras’ (NMYO) premier ensemble, the Symphony Orchestra, for the 2024-25 concert season.
In a statement, NMYO announced Coelho’s acceptance of the role, succeeding long-time leader Walter Pavasaris: “He brings with him a wealth of experience, having previously conducted three of NMYO’s beginning and intermediate orchestras from 2013-2023.”
“Being chosen to take the reins from such a distinguished music educator as Dr. Walter Pavasaris fills me with immense joy and honor. It feels like a full-circle moment, returning to a place that has been such an integral part of my journey as a musician and educator. I’m excited to build on the foundation he’s laid and to continue fostering the same passion for music in our young musicians,” said Coelho.
Michael Coelho
Photo: NMYO
NMYO offers musical ensemble training and experience to young musicians from more than fifty North Shore, Cape Ann, Merrimack Valley, and southern New Hampshire communities. The organization’s mission is to provide young musicians with exceptional opportunities for cognitive, social, and personal growth through musical performance and community service.
“The most rewarding part of working with NMYO has undoubtedly been the opportunity to work with the students and witness their incredible growth over the years. Seeing them develop from young beginners, sometimes as young as six or seven, into fully-fledged young adults with brilliant musicianship has been a truly fulfilling experience,” Coelho remarked.
In addition to his duties for the Teacher Education program at Longy, Coelho is the director of fine arts for the Ipswich Public Schools in Ipswich, Massachusetts where he oversees all K-12 music, art, and drama educators and students. He is also entering his eighth year as director of orchestras for the Ipswich Public Schools where he is responsible for five ensembles in grades 6-12.
Coelho synthesizes traditional orchestral performance with a modern approach. His unique educational methods and conducting frequently lead his ensembles to statewide and national recognition.
In 2017, Coelho’s Ipswich Honors High School Chamber Orchestra was invited to perform Shostakovich’s “Chamber Symphony for Strings” at Carnegie Hall to which they were expressly complimented by four of the country’s leading conductors: Frank Battisti, New England Conservatory; Craig Kirchhoff, University of Minnesota; Robert Reynolds, Thornton School of Music at University of Southern California; and Charles Peltz, New England Conservatory.
Three years later, Coelho was recognized by The Boston Globe’s Fenway Bowl Honor Roll for outstanding teaching during COVID-19. In 2022, he was announced as one of ten finalists for the Music Educator of the Year Award by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum.
Besides teaching, conducting, and arranging, Coelho enjoys an active freelance career in violin and viola. He has performed with notable artists including the Hanson Brothers, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Josh Groban, Rita Wilson, and Cyndi Lauper throughout the East Coast and at venues such as Boston Symphony Hall, Tanglewood’s Seiji Ozawa Hall, and New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.