New England Conservatory will hold its 155th Commencement on Sunday, May 17, in Jordan Hall, with acclaimed mezzo-soprano and NEC alumna Denyce Graves serving as the distinguished speaker for the occasion.

Graves, who graduated from NEC in 1988 and received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the institution in 2014, became a legendary opera star over four decades, performing at the world’s leading opera houses and concert halls. An Emmy and Grammy Award-winning artist, she holds the title of Global Music Ambassador for the United States, and her portrait is part of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery permanent collection.

“You graduate into a world that is, in many ways, unsettled and loud with division, restless with change, and often uncertain of its direction. And yet, this is precisely why your work matters! Music is one of the few forces that can move freely across borders, speak where words fail, and remind us of our shared humanity. As musicians, you are not only interpreters of sound but you are carriers of memory, of truth, and of possibility. You have the power to comfort, to challenge, to illuminate, and to bring people together in ways that few other forms can,” Graves said in words prepared for the graduating class. “In a time when it is easy to feel fragmented, your artistry can create connection. Where there is noise, you can offer meaning, where there is despair, you can restore a sense of beauty and hope. Class of 2026, step forward with courage, with curiosity, and with a deep sense of responsibility, because the world does not just need more music, it needs what only you can say through it.”

Beyond her performing career, Graves leads The Denyce Graves Foundation, dedicated to empowering the next generation of singers and illuminating underrecognized figures in vocal music history.

Jazz saxophonist Gary Bartz and Vivo Performing Arts President and Executive Director Gary Dunning will also receive honorary Doctor of Music degrees at the ceremony.