Abigail Aronson Zocher began her study of music at age 5 with Suzuki violin, shifting to guitar at age 13 while at Milton Academy. She spent two high school summers studying classical guitar at Tanglewood through the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and began her undergraduate studies at B.U. as a double major in English literature and violin performance, studying with B.S.O. violinist Roger Shermont. Abigail’s father, David Aronson, was an influential artist in the Boston Expressionist movement, a Professor Emeritus, and the first Chairman of Boston University’s School of Visual Arts, which allowed Abigail to receive full tuition remission there. But there was no guitar program at B.U., and after studying with David Leisner at the Bowdoin International Summer Music Festival, she transferred to New England Conservatory in her sophomore year to study with him. Abby graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Guitar Performance from N.E.C, and was awarded the George Whitefield Chadwick Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an undergraduate at NEC, whose “achievement has been most distinguished in their field”. She continued her graduate studies at N.E.C., teaching classical guitar at Longy School of Music while earning her Master’s Degree in Jazz performance with honors, studying guitar, voice and bass under the tutelage of Mick Goodrick, Paul Bley, Norm Zocher and others. Abigail has been on the faculty of Berklee College of Music since 1995, where she is currently a full time Professor of guitar.
Abigail performs in settings as varied as Jordan Hall, Club Passim, and Wally’s Jazz Café. She premiered David Leisner’s “Heaven’s River” at his Tsai Performance Center concert, along with her mother, soprano Georgianna B. Nyman, an artist who was commissioned to paint six U.S. Supreme Court Justices. As a child falling asleep, Abigail heard her mother singing and playing art song, and since then, vocal music has been an important part of her musical life. She has studied voice with Robert Barney, Rebecca Shrimpton and Richard Conrad, and sings in the Trinity Episcopal Church Choir in Concord, Mass.
Called “Boston Burners “ by Downbeat Magazine, she and husband Norm Zocher, also a Professor at Berklee and faculty member at New England Conservatory, live outside of Boston with their young son.
