Shows
Berklee Guitar DepartmentCoffee Talk: Berklee Valencia with Daniel Flors and Ivan CebrianBerklee Valencia faculty Daniel Flors and Ivan Cebrian join Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee College of Music's Guitar Department.
2023-12-111h 00Berklee Guitar DepartmentCoffee Talk Summer 2023 Highlights: Berklee Guitar Theory Book2023 Summer Highlights: Berklee Guitar Theory Book
2023-08-081h 05
Sounds of BerkleeThe Berklee Metallica Project Answers Heavy Metal HypotheticalsBands ranging from Americana and jazz to Berklee’s Balkan Choir and Indian Ensemble reimagined Metallica songs for Boston Conservatory at Berklee's Center Stage dance concert, 'Limitless,' April 11–14.Visit bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/centerstage for tickets and more information.2019-03-2607 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee Indian Ensemble Brings "Untold Stories" to LifeBerklee Indian Ensemble Brings "Untold Stories" to Life by Berklee College of Music2018-12-0407 min
Sounds of BerkleeSilkroad Artists Bring a Global Approach to Boston Conservatory at BerkleeSilkroad artists Cristina Pato, Galician bagpipes, and Edward Perez, double bass, discuss the collective's vision for education and its collaboration with Boston Conservatory at Berklee. And we listen to their song "Joropo-Festejo: Muiñeira de Chantada” from Pato’s album Latina, arranged by Perez.2018-11-0815 min
Sounds of BerkleeMario Jose Returns to Alma Mater for the Berklee Vocal SummitJose’s performance will show aspiring vocalists how a student can evolve after graduating from Berklee, featuring some songs from Jose’s first of two EPs, Heart of Gold. In this episode we hear his song "Tell Me Now."2018-06-1204 min
Sounds of BerkleeHip-Hop Violinists Return to BerkleeOn the occasion of Black Violin's return to Berklee, to play at the BPC April 7, let’s revisit one of the most popular podcasts we aired last year. Here is the title track off their 2015 album, Stereotypes.2018-03-2705 min
Sounds of BerkleeSounds of Berklee: Vadim Neselovskyi, "On A Bicycle"In this episode of Sounds of Berklee, we’ll hear one of Neselovskyi’s latest compositions from Get Up and Go, called “On A Bicycle.” The song is just a sample of his dynamic work over the years, which you can see live at the upcoming Middle Eastern Festival in the Berklee Performance Center on March 1st. Tickets are available at berklee.edu/events/.2018-02-1306 min
Sounds of BerkleeStudent Yuning Song to Sing at Berklee's Chinese New Year Festival ConcertBy the time Yuning Song entered Berklee last fall, he was already an award-winning composer who graduated from Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music, a vocalist who had appeared on nationally televised talent shows such as Sing My Song and Duets, and a recording artist with his own album.2018-01-3004 min
Sounds of BerkleeLauren Kinhan B.M. '86 Reimagines Nancy Wilson '94HThis episode features a track, "Let's Live Again," from 2006 Berklee graduate Lauren Kinhan's critically acclaimed new album, "A Sleepin' Bee," which offers new takes on the songs of Nancy Wilson, the legendary jazz vocalist and 1994 Berklee honorary doctorate recipient. Kinhan recorded the album in Berklee's Shames Family Scoring Stage with eight-time Grammy-winning producer Elliot Scheiner (a 2006 Berklee honorary doctorate recipient) as students observed the recording session turned master class.Students Andres Abello, Pedro Calloni, and Loren Dorland worked as engineers on the project and Kinhan's band featured alumni Matt Penman on bass and alumna Ingrid Jensen as special guest trumpeter...2017-10-3106 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Livingston TaylorBerklee Voice Professor Livingston Taylor talks about the key principles of good stage performance techniques.2017-10-2421 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Dean Michael ShinnIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Michael Shinn talks about key skills that every modern day musician needs to be build a career in the arts, and what he hopes to achieve as Boston Conservatory at Berklee's new dean of music.2017-10-1716 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Paloma MenendezIn this episode of Inside Berklee, seventh-semester student Paloma Menendez calls in from her semester abroad at Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain, where she’s taking a respite from her music-business-heavy schedule to re-energize her singing and songwriting.2017-09-2615 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Rhoda BernardIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Rhoda Bernard discusses how her decade of successful work in educating special-needs students and their teachers has evolved into the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs, and where she plans to take this program in the future.2017-09-1220 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Carin NuernbergCarin Nuernberg, Berklee’s vice president of online education, discusses Berklee Online’s forthcoming master’s degree program and how students can take advantage of flexible pathways to study and earn degrees with Berklee through an array of options.2017-08-2218 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Nichelle MungoIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Nichelle Mungo talks about the history of the Berklee Gospel and Roots Choir, the difference between traditional and contemporary gospel, and how the choir keeps the party going at Newport.2017-07-2511 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Jason PalmerJazz trumpeter, composer, and educator Jason Palmer discusses his music and shares a track from his latest album as he prepares to lead a Berklee septet at the Newport Jazz Festival and Toronto Jazz Festival.2017-06-3023 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Todd Rundgren '17HIn this episode of Inside Berklee, musician Todd Rundgren '17H reflects on his decades-long career as well as his Berklee experience as an honorary doctorate recipient and this year's commencement speaker.2017-05-3016 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Boston Conservatory at Berklee President Richard OrtnerAbout one year after the Boston Conservatory and Berklee merged, Richard Ortner, president of the Conservatory, reflects on the historic move, the synergy of the combined institution, the early wins and challenges, and the leaders and visionaries who have influenced his approach.2017-05-0227 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Cristobal Cruz-GarciaIn this episode of Inside Berklee, student cellist, composer, and arranger Cristobal Cruz-Garcia talks about how his childhood in Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, California, inform his willingness to cross musical borders.2017-04-2517 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Howard ShoreOn this episode of Inside Berklee, alumnus Howard Shore joins us from his studio in New York to talk about the upcoming performance of his The Lord of the Rings Symphony at Boston's Symphony Hall on April 19.2017-04-1114 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Peter Eldridge, Cheryl Coons, and Rene PfisterIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Cheryl Coons calls in from Chicago to join Peter Eldridge and Rene Pfister in talking about the mystery of Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss," about what inspired them to create the show, and about the rise of musical theater at Berklee.2017-03-2817 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Ken ZambelloIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Professor Ken Zambello talks about what it takes to get into the annual Singers Showcase, how Elvis Presley made rock famous, and what students today know of Elvis' music.2017-03-1714 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee—Christiane KaramIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Christiane Karam talks about her musical journey in exploring ways that different cultures intersect and find common ground. As part of this journey, she founded the Middle Eastern Festival in 2009. On March 8, the festival returns to Berklee as part of the Signature Series at Berklee and features the music of celebrated Armenian composer Tigran Hamasyan.2017-03-0117 min
Sounds of BerkleeSounds of Berklee: Tia FullerIn this episode of Sounds of Berklee, we feature saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Tia Fuller, a professor in the Ensemble Department who has performed alongside legends such as Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Jay-Z, Janelle Monáe, and Erykah Badu.2017-02-2209 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: David MashAfter more than 40 years as an integral leader at Berklee, Senior Vice President for Innovation, Strategy, and Technology David Mash B.M. '76, who Rolling Stone has called the "leading evangelist for the marriage of music and technology," reflects on his work and the Berklee community leading up to his retirement this spring.2017-02-1525 min
Sounds of BerkleeThe Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra, "Transitions"Take a listen to the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra, directed by Greg Hopkins, professor of jazz composition, perform the original tune "Transitions." Composed by Sean Jones, chair of the Brass Department, this tracks was recorded live at the 2015 Newport Jazz Festival.2016-12-1310 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Neil LeonardAs artistic director of the Berklee Interdisciplinary Arts Institute (BIAI), Neil Leonard guides students in collaborations with artists working in every medium imaginable.2016-12-0622 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee—Emilien MoyonIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Emilien Moyon, the director of Berklee’s Global Entertainment and Music Business program, talks entrepreneurship, why people who study abroad have an edge, and the impressive list of industry heavyweights who visit the campus.2016-11-2920 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Roger H. BrownIn his 12 years as president of Berklee, Roger H. Brown has presided over some of the college's biggest milestones, such as the opening of an international campus in Valencia, Spain in addition to the college’s Boston, Massachusetts campus, the expansion of Berklee Online, and the merger that recently created Boston Conservatory at Berklee.2016-11-1523 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee—Panos Panay, BerkleeICEIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Panos Panay '94 talks about the synergy between music and entrepreneurialism, and founding the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE).2016-11-0825 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee—Kenny Werner's Effortless MasteryKenny Werner, artistic director of Berklee's Effortless Mastery Institute, discusses how musicians can learn to play from the deepest parts of themselves and rediscover their connection to music.2016-10-2620 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Emily BakerIn this episode of Inside Berklee, student fiddle player Emily Baker talks about how she rediscovered her passion for music, and about the risk she took at age 26 to pursue music full time at Berklee.2016-10-1119 min
Sounds of BerkleeLife After Berklee - Ray Greene '96Ray Greene: Here, There, Everywhere: Boston-based vocalist hits the road with Carlos SantanaBy Curtis KillianIn February, Ray Greene ’96 was selected as one of two lead vocalists to join Carlos Santana’s group. This follows Greene’s productive two--year run as lead vocalist for Tower of Power that included appearances on their forthcoming album and tours alongside Journey and Steve Miller. He attributes landing the new gig to making virtual connections.“It’s one of the ways that social media definitely works,” Greene said during a recent visit to his alma mater. “I got a Facebook message from Carlos’s manager about a possible...2016-10-0721 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee—Joy AllenIn this edition of Inside Berklee, Joy Allen, the new chair of Berklee's Music Therapy Department, talks about the principles behind music therapy, how it can be used to help people, and how Berklee prepares students to be effective therapists.2016-09-2722 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee—Wanda StrukusIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Wanda Strukus talks about the state of contemporary theater, building a program from its infancy, and how the recent merger with Berklee is already opening up new possibilities for collaboration.2016-09-1318 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Noémie Legrand '16Noémie Legrand '16 talks about her journey to becoming a songwriter, studying songwriting at Berklee, and—with the help of the Berklee Popular Music Institute—getting the chance to perform with her band Noé at the 2016 Osheaga Festival in Montreal, Canada.2016-09-0621 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Alison PlanteAward-winning composer Alison Plante, who has recently been named chair of Berklee's Film Scoring Department, discusses her plans for preparing those interested in careers in scoring for film, TV, video games, and other visual media.2016-08-2322 min
Sounds of BerkleeLife After Berklee: Bent Knee interview with Ben Levin '11 and Jessica Kion '13By Curtis Killian | August 9, 2016Since forming at Berklee in 2009, the relentless outpouring of genre-expanding art from Bent Knee is something to behold, with lush, experimental compositions and vivid performances imbuing elements of rock, electronic, classical and pop. On the heels of signing with independent label Cuneiform Records, guitarist Ben Levin '11 and bassist Jessica Kion '13 dropped by the Berklee Alumni offices to discuss the making of their just-released critically-acclaimed album Say So, life on the road, and becoming partners in music and life.(Photo by Chris Anderson)2016-08-0926 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Bryan Grone '08As an original content producer for Spotify, Bryan Grone '08 has the sort of job that most new Berklee graduates would envy. He spends the bulk of his time curating and producing video and audio content that you can't find anywhere else. Artists he has worked with include D’Angelo, Demi Lovato, and others. Learn about the arc of his career, his decision to leave Berklee to tour with a band, why he returned to college, and his take on how Spotify supports and promotes artists.https://www.berklee.edu/news/podcast-bryan-grone-08In the photograph, Bryan Grone, right, poses with RI...2016-07-1222 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Eirini TornesakiMeet Eirini Tornesaki, the sole vocalist in KURIOS by Cirque du Soleil and a Berklee Online student. Berklee Online grants Tornesaki the flexibility to earn a specialist certificate in songwriting while on the road with the circus.2016-07-0616 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Cathy YoungIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Cathy Young talks about the state of dance as an art form; the importance of taking risks as an artist; how her broad background in liberal arts and dance informs her role; and her excitement about the possibilities the Berklee and Boston Conservatory merger has opened up.2016-06-2817 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Jeff Dorenfeld and Jeff ApruzzeseIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Jeff Dorenfeld and Jeff Apruzzese talk about the genesis and current goings-on of the Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI). Berklee's newest institute, BPMI pairs artists and business students together for gigs at major festivals such as Lollapalooza, Osheaga, and Electric Daisy Carnival.2016-06-1423 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Javier LimónIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Mediterranean Music Institute Artistic Director Javier Limón talks about the MMI's Refugio Del Sonido project, in which Spain's El País newspaper is distributing four MMI CDs that contain music about the refugee experience. Proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders.2016-05-3114 min
Sounds of BerkleeLife After Berklee - David Rosenthal '81 (Billy Joel's Musical Director & Keyboardist)David Rosenthal ’81: Music director and keyboardist for the Piano Man for 23 Years and countingBy Curtis KillianDuring a recent artist residency at his alma mater, David Rosenthal ’81, Billy Joel’s music director and keyboardist since 1993, described his prodigious career as “a fun and exciting journey.” He wasn’t exaggerating.On the most recent leg of that odyssey, Rosenthal is booked for indefinite sold-out shows with Billy Joel in a first-of-its-kind residency at Madison Square Garden. Thus far there have been 26 monthly engagements at the fabled venue, which Rosenthal says will continue as long as there is a demand. “It’s just remarkable, the...2016-05-2623 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Béla Fleck and Victor WootenAfter several years of hiatus, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are reuniting for a two-week tour starting June 1, 2016 and concluding at this year’s Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The group includes Fleck, a 14-time Grammy winner often considered the world's greatest living banjo player, and Victor Wooten, a five-time Grammy winner who is, likewise, frequently cited as the world’s best living bassist. Wooten is a performance scholar in residence at Berklee and founder of the Victor Wooten/Berklee Summer Bass Workshop. Hear Fleck—who says he “would have loved to have come to Berklee”—and Wooten talk about the band’s decisi...2016-05-1717 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Rita Moreno '16HIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Rita Moreno '16H, who was recently awarded an honorary doctorate at Berklee's 2016 commencement proceedings, talks about her experiences in a career that spans over seven decades.2016-05-1013 min
Sounds of BerkleeCarlos Capacho, "Global"Carlos Capacho, who graduates from Berklee in May 2016, is already forging innovative new approaches to his instrument, the four-string Venezuelan cuatro. "I'm almost creating a new language for this instrument," he said in a recent interview. Capacho has performed in Mexico, Cuba, and Africa, and has taken the stage with a long list of greats, including Paquito D'Rivera.This podcast features one of his originals, in a recording with other Berklee students and graduates. Learn more about him and other members of the class of 2016:https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee%E2%80%99s-class-2016-music-good-hands?ss=2037062016-05-0313 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Annette PhilipIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Philip talks about the origin of Berklee India Exchange, the creation of the Berklee Indian Ensemble, and the presentation of the first Berklee A.R. Rahman Scholarship.2016-04-2614 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Chantel Hampton and Alonzo HarrisBerklee Ensemble Department and City Music faculty members Chantel Hampton and Alonzo Harris both have a long and multifaceted list of music industry accomplishments. In this interview Hampton and Harris talk about how a Berklee education can help better prepare students for a career in the music industry; the value of being open to be "forever learning;" and how their own professional experiences are testimony to the value of diversifying one's skill set.2016-04-0524 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Melissa FerrickIn this episode of Inside Berklee, Melissa Ferrick, an associate professor in Berklee's Songwriting Department, talks about honesty in songwriting, getting students to open up, touring while teaching, and more.2016-03-2216 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Danilo PérezGrammy-winning pianist, composer, and bandleader Danilo Pérez founded the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) six years ago, with a focus on teaching his students about the potential of music as an instrument for social change. In this interview at the Berklee Internet Radio Network (BIRN) studios, Pérez talked about a range of topics, including the influence of mentors such as Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, and his father; the ways in which he and his colleagues teach and aim to transform their students, and how his work with the Panama Jazz Festival has helped connect Berklee students with the Pa...2016-03-0827 min
Sounds of BerkleeLife After Berklee: Drummer Nate Morton '94 (NBC's The Voice)Berklee alumnus Nate Morton '94 has been the drummer in the house band for NBC's hit TV show The Voice since it first aired in 2011, appeared on the Rock Star: Supernova and Rock Star: INXS reality shows, toured nationally in the American Idol band, and has shared the stage with Cher, Natalie Cole, Paul Stanley, and Chaka Khan.Interview, production and photo by Curtis Killian2016-02-2923 min
Sounds of BerkleeLife After Berklee: Donny McCaslin '88 on Recording with David BowieBy Curtis Killian | February 10, 2016When Donny McCasslin '88 and his jazz quartet were enlisted by David Bowie H'99 to record as the backing band for what became his 25th and final album Blackstar, stylized as ★, the Grammy-nominated saxophonist, composer and bandleader was ready for the moment."David encouraged us to try anything and everything that we heard," McCaslin says on the three weeks he spent working with Bowie and his longtime producer Tony Visconti early last year, recordingmostly live with his group (keyboardist Jason Lindner, drummer Mark Guiliana and bassist Tim Lefebvre). "He said something to me in the beginning li...2016-02-1027 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Donna McElroyIn this edition of Inside Berklee, McElroy both discusses and sings spirituals, joined by students from the Jubilee Spirit Ensemble that she leads at Berklee.2016-02-0219 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Prince Charles AlexanderAfter a successful international career as a funk artist, Prince Charles Alexander transformed himself into a first-call engineer and producer, working with artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Alicia Keys, and P. Diddy. He had a Grammy-winning career and more than 40 platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA when he decided he wanted to alter course again and become an educator.Alexander chose Berklee because he expected it would be "like that great coaching gig at one of the best basketball schools in the country." Among the next-generation players who worked their way through Alexander's classes was Charlie Puth...2016-01-2725 min
Sounds of BerkleeJonathan Bailey Holland, "Dark Flowers"After Berklee and The Boston Conservatory begun discussing plans to merge last year, it quickly became clear that synergies between the two institutions had been building for many years. Students, faculty, and alumni have often collaborated, and several faculty members can say that they have worked for both Berklee and the Conservatory.One such example is Jonathan Bailey Holland, who is currently a professor of composition at both institutions. Holland studied composition with Ned Rorem at the Curtis Institute of Music and later received a Ph.D. from Harvard University. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Atlanta...2016-01-2011 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Kenny WernerIn this edition of Inside Berklee, Werner discusses how to break these negative patterns and how his institute can help musicians do this by teaching them to play from the deepest parts of themselves and rediscover their connection to the music.2016-01-1221 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Kara DioGuardi and Bonnie HayesIn this special edition of Inside Berklee, DioGuardi talks to Bonnie Hayes, chair of the Songwriting Department, about coming back to her art, interacting with young musicians, and what it takes to succeed in the industry today.2015-12-0224 min
Sounds of BerkleeLife After Berklee: The Nth Power and Nikki Glaspie '05LISTEN: The Nth Power just released their debut album "Abundance" and can be seen this Friday, November 27 at The Sinclair. Earlier this year, we had a conversation with bandleader, drummer and #BerkleeAlumni Nikki Glaspie '05 about life after Berklee, including her five years touring the globe with Beyoncé and the formation of her new band. For more, visit thenthpowermusic.com2015-11-2542 min
Sounds of BerkleeVictor Prieto, "Chatting With Chris"Grammy nominee and jazz accordionist Victor Prieto graduated from Berklee in 2002. Born in Spain, the New York City-based composer and bandleader writes music that combines jazz, classical, tango, Celtic, and Brazilian music with sounds steeped in his Galician heritage.This episode features Prieto in a duo setting with fellow Berklee alumnus and saxophonist Chris Cheek, who plays soprano on "Chatting with Chris." Both musicians are performing at Berklee in November 2015 in an NPR broadcast filmed and recorded at Berklee's Cafe 939 in the year's first installation of the music series, The Checkout—Live at Berklee.2015-11-0204 min
Sounds of BerkleeArielle Vakni, "Backwards"May 8, 2014 | Rob HochschildSinger-songwriter Arielle Vakni, from Santa Cruz, California is one of more 900 musicians graduating from Berklee in May 2014. She's demonstrated great talent as a composer and performer in acoustic and electronic genres, and many of her originals fuse those disparate influences.Vakni came to Berklee after receiving a Fullerton Heritage Festival Award for vocal jazz in 2009. Acoustic guitarist and songwriter Patty Larkin recently produced a recording of one of Vakni's tunes, "Save Your Best." This podcast features Vakni's "Backwards," a track recorded live at Berklee's Cafe 939—you can watch a Vakni video at Berklee's YouTube channel. Visit Vakni's website to...2015-10-2203 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Donald HarrisonSaxophonist Donald Harrison talks to Berklee about his upbringing in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, and important musical relationships in his life.2015-10-0820 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee In Atlanta: Berklee College of Music Spring Break TripBerklee in Atlanta, Berklee’s annual spring break trip to Atlanta, GA, celebrated its fifth year anniversary in March 2015. The 20 students who participated that year had an opportunity to work in one of Atlanta’s most reputable recording studios (PatchWerk Recording Studios) to create an original song from start to finish in a span of only six hours. “Give It Up for the ATL” is a theme song one might say about their incredible experience while in Atlanta. Enjoy!2015-09-3004 min
Sounds of BerkleeGuillermo Klein, "Mariana"Rob Hochschild | January 21, 2014Argentinian composer and pianist Guillermo Klein '94 makes music that is "occasionally Ellingtonian, occasionally classical, and always beautiful," according to PopMatters. Klein has led his own big bands and small combos since graduating from Berklee and released several lauded discs for Sunnyside Records.Klein's first move, post-Berklee, was to form a 17-piece band in New York that quickly became known for its inventive sound. In a review of his 2012 disc, Carrera, Downbeat cited Klein's "idiosyncratic balladry" and efforts "steering his acclaimed ensemble toward even more individualistic ways to express itself."Now based in Argentina, Klein returns to...2015-09-3006 min
Sounds of BerkleeTom Griesgraber, "Don't Look Back"Adam Renn Olenn | December 10, 2013Until you’ve seen a Chapman Stick performed live, the music it produces sounds too big to be real. A twelve-string electric instrument, it’s sort of like a guitar and a bass fused together, but played with a pianistic tapping of the fingers to activate the strings, instead of plucking or strumming them. And one of the best Chapman Stick players in the world is Tom Griesgraber.Griesgraber first learned of Berklee while taking music lessons as a high school student. After attending a Berklee in LA session, he set his heart on Berklee, but knew...2015-09-3005 min
Sounds of BerkleeCarlos Averhoff, Jr., "iRESI"September 23, 2015 | By Curtis KillianLatin Grammy-nominated Cuban tenor saxophonist Carlos Averhoff, Jr is a contemporary Afro-Cuban Jazz composer and educator described by All About Jazz as "a dynamic fresh new voice on the saxophone." Born in Havana, the son of legendary saxophonist Carlos Averhoff was classically trained in some of Cuba's best music schools, and after completing extensive academic studies at Berklee and beyond, now holds faculty positions in the Berklee woodwind department as well as Berklee's City Music Program. Says Averhoff, Jr. of his alma mater: "Berklee is a universe of music connected to the world."Hear the title track...2015-09-2305 min
Sounds of BerkleeAlejandro Sanz, "La Música No Se Toca"October 23, 2013 | Rob HochschildIt's been a great year of collaboration between Berklee students and Latin music superstar Alejandro Sanz. Back in February, students recorded a cover version of his hit, "La Música No Se Toca" and produced a stirring video of their version, all with his stamp of approval. For the students involved with the project, it generated a critically important credit for their resumes; after all, Sanz has won 3 Grammy Awards, and 16 Latin Grammys.Sanz will work even closer with Berklee students and faculty when he hits the stage for Alejandro Sanz Meets Berklee, on November 6, 2013. He'll perform on a...2015-09-2105 min
Sounds of BerkleeVarious Artists, CMJ Showcase 2013October 10, 2013 | Adam Renn OlennBerklee College of Music, Heavy Rotation Records (HRR), and Berklee Alumni Affairs present the seventh annual CMJ Music Marathon showcase of alumni and student artists on Thursday, October 17, from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at Sullivan Hall in New York City. The show features rock, Americana, funk, reggae, and Latin music by the Hello Strangers, Shun Ng, Sylvana Joyce + the Moment, Sirma (HRR), Red Oblivion (HRR), Miko and the Musket, and Numasbala. The lineup is curated by the Red Room at Cafe 939, Berklee's all-ages nightclub that hosts national and local acts year-round. Berklee's CMJ Music Marathon 2013 Showcase...2015-09-2104 min
Sounds of BerkleeFelix Peikli '12 featuring Marcus Miller, "Queen of Hearts"September 15, 2015 | By Curtis Killian
Described by the New york times as “forthright and flexible, eager and full-toned,” jazz clarinetist Felix Peikli is one of several Berklee alumni coming to Beantown Jazz fest Saturday, September 26 in Boston.
Born in Norway, Peikli has toured the globe with Ralph Peterson Jr’s renowned jazz quartet, the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, and his mentor and Berklee professor Harry Skoler in homage to their shared idol Benny Goodman. This past May Peikli released his debut album with the Royal Flush Quintet, all Berklee alumni, including this track Queen of Hearts featuring Marcus Miller on bass.2015-09-1506 min
Sounds of BerkleeMelissa Aldana, "Free Fall"Rob Hochschild | October 8, 2013These are heady times for Chile-born saxophonist Melissa Aldana. She moved to Manhattan after graduating form Berklee in 2009; began making a name for herself in that competitive and overpopulated scene; and just a few weeks ago, achieved something that no woman instrumentalist has ever done: she won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. It was the first time a female had ever won first prize in a non-vocal Monk competition since the birth of the awards in 1987.Fortunately for the Berklee community, Aldana had already been scheduled to perform this week at her alma mater. She'll perform...2015-09-1007 min
Sounds of BerkleeSXSW 2013, "Assorted Artists"March 6, 2013Berklee College of Music, the only college to host an official party at the SXSW Music and Media Conference—one of the music industry’s biggest events—presents its SXSW Party on Friday, March 15, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at Brush Square Park (East Tent), 409 East 5th Street (Neches and 5th), Austin, Texas. Berklee’s eighth SXSW party is the college’s first at an outdoor all-ages venue. Also for the first time, the lineup is curated by The Red Room at Cafe 939, Berklee’s all-ages nightclub that hosts national and local acts year-round. The party features up-and-coming Berklee, Berkleemusic...2015-09-1005 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee Alumni Advice - Tower of Power Vocalist Ray Greene '96Berklee Alumni Advice - Tower of Power Vocalist Ray Greene '96 by Berklee College of Music2015-08-1802 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee Alumni Advice - Violinist Ben Powell '09Berklee Alumni Advice - Violinist Ben Powell '09 by Berklee College of Music2015-08-1302 min
Sounds of BerkleeLarry Monroe, "Mitigating Factors"By Rob Hochschild | October 9, 2012Larry Monroe has been a force at Berklee since the 1960s. Hailing from a small town in Vermont, he enrolled at Berklee as a saxophonist and later joined the faculty. As the years went by, he rose through the ranks, as an academic chair, dean, and, most recently as vice president of academic affairs working to establish Berklee's campus in Valencia. With programs off the ground in Spain, Monroe recently decided to retire.Berklee celebrates Monroe's many contributions over his 42 years at Berklee with a concert, Larry Monroe's Recuerdo, in the Berklee Performance Center, on October 18...2015-07-2306 min
Sounds of BerkleeMichael Oldham, "Rebellion" (Berklee Silent Film Orchestra)By Rob HochschildMarch 2, 2012The Berklee Silent Film Orchestra merges the creativity and discipline of film composition and the without-a-net experience of live-to-picture performance. Faculty member Sheldon Mirowitz teaches a course—Scoring Silent Films—in which the Film Scoring Department's best students compose scene-specific cues based on original themes developed by Mirowitz. Intensive work takes place throughout the 15-week semester, continuing with rehearsals with top student musicians and culminating in a public, live-to-picture performance.This episode of Sounds of Berklee features "Rebellion," a piece composed by student Michael Oldham for a section of Sergei Eisenstein's epic 1925 film Battleship Potemkin during which ship...2015-07-1506 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Bob Boilen of NPR MusicBob Boilen of NPR Music, recently visited Berklee, along with cohost Stephen Thompson, to hang out with students, faculty, and staff to listen to—and talk about—music. During a conversation at Berklee with Rob Hochschild, director of communications, Boilen talked about the evolution of All Songs Considered, being at Berklee, and the fact that what makes a song good is the same thing as what makes a podcast good.berklee.edu/news/NPR-Berklee-Listening-Party2015-06-2619 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee Alumni Advice: Sound Designer Eugene Gearty '82 (Martin Scorcese, Ang Lee)Berklee Alumni Advice: Sound Designer Eugene Gearty '82 (Martin Scorcese, Ang Lee) by Berklee College of Music2015-05-2601 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee Alumni Advice: Paul Riggio '98 (Film Scoring; CEO of Tunespring.com, Groove Guild)Berklee Alumni Advice: Paul Riggio '98 (Film Scoring; CEO of Tunespring.com, Groove Guild) by Berklee College of Music2015-05-2602 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee Alumni Advice: Igmar Thomas (Professional Music '10; Trumpeter/Bandleader, Revive Big Band)Iggy talks about personal and professional development at Berklee.2015-05-2600 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee World Strings, "Night Rider"October 8, 2010The Berklee World Strings is a chamber-sized string orchestra emphasizing improvisation and the rhythmic capabilities of string instruments, playing jazz, bluegrass, contemporary classical, and a range of other styles. On October 14, they present a concert with bassist Ron Carter in tribute to pioneering bebopper Oscar Pettiford. Listen to their arrangement of Eddie Sauter's "Night Rider," recorded at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millenium Stage, May 12, 2010, as part of the Berklee Conservatory Project.2015-05-1404 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Chrissy TignorChrissy Tignor, assistant professor of contemporary writing and production, is a producer, engineer, songwriter, and remix artist, often producing in the pop/EDM genres under the name Data Child.In this episode, Tignor talks about the programs she's started at Berklee, the skills students need to keep up with an ever-changing technological landscape, and gives us a snippet of the new track "Master of My Monster," a song she produced in collaboration with British-based singer Corrina Taylor.2015-05-0426 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Bill BanfieldBy Lesley MahoneyMarch 10, 2014In 2005, professor Bill Banfield launched a weekly series at Bob the Chef's (now Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen) in Boston's South End, featuring alumni, student, and faculty jazz musicians. Their collaboration created a new kind of cross-generational sound that fused jazz, soul, and funk while fostering an environment of mentorship.That marked the birth of the group, the Jazz Urbane, and the seeds for an album. Banfield, the founder and director of Berklee's Africana Studies Program, combined his compositions with younger voices for what he calls a "contemporary urban feel." The result: the group's recently released debut album...2015-04-0216 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Michael SweetBy Kimberly AshtonDecember 18, 2013Photo by Phil FarnsworthMichael Sweet, an associate professor who teaches video game scoring, has seen gaming grow from a niche market into a $60-billion-a-year industry. As money has poured into the field, and its technological achievements have soared, games have grown increasingly sophisicated in terms of visuals, storylines, and music. "The video game manufacturers have realized and understood that one of the powerful components of creating a video game is to bring players in on an emotional level, and music is a really great way to bring players in," Sweet said. This audio element ranges from sound...2015-04-0225 min
Sounds of BerkleeThe Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars, "Centro Havana"By Berklee Office of CommunicationsJuly 1, 2008The Berklee Latin All Stars are winners of the 2008 Down Beat Student Music Award for Best College Jazz Band under the name La Timbistica. Sounds of Berklee for July 2008 features the six-piece group performing "Centro Havana," a composition by Cuban flutist Oriente Lopez.2014-12-1506 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Esther RojasBy Kimberly AshtonJune 2, 2014Esther Rojas left a successful career as a performer in Colombia to come to Berklee in 2012. An established bassist who gigged with national acts like María Mulata, Rojas was playing in eight groups and had plenty of work. But she felt stuck and wanted to pursue a different path. She's now a fifth-semester student in the contemporary writing and production program at Berklee. Though her ultimate goal is to compose, arrange, and produce, Rojas remains incredibly active as a performer.Last fall she helped put together a live Latin Grammys performance featuring 30 Berklee students and Spanish s...2014-12-1209 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Don Was (Part 2)Inside Berklee: Don Was (Part 2) by Berklee College of Music2014-12-0423 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Christian Scott aTunde AdjuahBy Rob HochschildOctober 18, 2013With influences that range from Louis Armstrong to Radiohead's Thom Yorke, trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah '05 is not only on a jazz innovator, he's a musician whose unique vision makes him a must-listen pioneer no matter what you think your preferences are. His music combines New Orleans stomp, indie rock guitar, unforgettable melodies, and social commentary. His latest album, Christian aTunde Adjuah, is a double album so packed with ideas that you may be tempted to take a break halfway through just to absorb what you've been hearing.Only 30, Scott aTunde Adjuah has already released seven...2014-12-0423 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: David FiuczynskiAbout This PageBy Lesley MahoneyJuly 8, 2013Guitar professor David Fiuczynski directs Berklee’s Planet MicroJam Institute, which engages in the study of microtonal harmonies that go beyond the 12-tone Western chromatic scale and uses these to create a new musical language. The idea, Fiuczynski says, is to create music that “sounds like a Gauguin painting—a raw, powerful, and extremely colorful mix of Eastern and Western elements.With Berklee’s robust international student population, a large proportion of which brings a non-Western music background, the college is fertile ground for exploring and experimenting with microtonal harmonies and mixing them with other sounds.I...2014-12-0418 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Don Was (Part 1)AUDIO from Don Was: A Producer's Most Important LessonAbout This PageBy Rob HochschildNovember 7, 2008Over the four decades he's worked as a record producer, Don Was has worked with artists such as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, the B-52s, Amos Lee, Ziggy Marley, and the Rolling Stones. He won the 1994 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year and he produced a documentary about the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Plus, the Detroit native is coleader of Was (Not Was), a band that fuses funk, r&b, rock, soul, pop, dance music, and other styles in a seamless blend that has yielded hits...2014-12-0421 min
Sounds of BerkleeBerklee Silent Film Orchestra, "A New Idea" (from Safety Last!)By Rob HochschildJune 23, 2014The Berklee Silent Film Orchestra (BSFO) is dedicated to composing original scores for silent feature classics, and performing them live-to-picture. Under the leadership of faculty member Sheldon Mirowitz, the BSFO has written and performed new scores for several films, including ones by Buster Keaton and F.W. Murnau. The group will perform Harold Lloyd's Safety Last! twice this month, at the Nantucket Film Festival (June 24) and at the Martha's Vineyard Film Center (June 26).The recipient of a special commendation from the Boston Society of Film Critics, the BSFO has also performed at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in...2014-09-2203 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Ray Charles Record PartyBy Nick BalkinJune 18, 2012No other artist in history understood the connections between America's great musical styles—blues, jazz, gospel, and country—better than Ray Charles. On September 21–23, the Berklee American Roots Music Program presents Inspired by Ray: The Ray Charles Symposium, an artistic and academic conference that will study Charles's singular genius and his contributions to American music. The event concludes September 23 on what would have been Charles's 82nd birthday. On Saturday, September 22, a concert celebrating Charles's music will be held at the Berklee Performance Center featuring bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs; jazz guitarist John Scofield; blind singer-songwriter Raul Midón; Grammy...2014-09-2229 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Sheldon MirowitzBy Lesley MahoneyApril 25, 2012The Artist captured audiences and critics, earning it the Oscar for Best Picture and the distinction of bringing newfound attention to silent films. The Berklee Silent Film Orchestra has been carving a corner on that market, too. Under the direction of film scoring professor Sheldon Mirowitz, students compose original scores to classic silent movies and perform them live-to-picture on the big screen. The without-a-net element adds another layer to the communal movie-going experience.Each semester Mirowitz's class, Scoring Silent Films, takes on a new project. Students have composed and performed three silent scores: Sunrise (1927), It (1927), and Battleship...2014-09-2213 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: The Record CompanyBy Rob HochschildApril 12, 2012By the time alumnus Matt McArthur graduated from Berklee, he had a two-pronged goal: to advance independent record-making and revitalize youth music education. So in 2009, he founded The Record Company, a professional, nonprofit recording studio that has proven to be, just as he envisioned, a haven for indie musicians and teenage students looking for immersive studio experiences. Music Production and Engineering Department faculty member Susan Rogers joined the effort, and helped McArthur make The Record Company an important new player in recording and community music education.After a recent visit to The Record Company facility, Tony Brown—ra...2014-09-2210 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: MP&E Professor Steve WilkesBy Lesley MahoneyDecember 21, 2011Percussion professor Steve Wilkes fell in love with the sounds of Cape Cod a decade ago when he and his wife began recording what piqued their ears while vacationing in Truro. That would become an annual trip and the hobby would turn serious. Wilkes was awarded a Newbury Comics Faculty Fellowship to pursue this passion, resulting in the Hear Cape Cod Project. From Bourne to Provincetown, Wilkes is gathering a year's worth of field recordings, featuring everything from bird calls to train whistles. Wilkes envisions these audio markers one day serving as a historical comparison to Cape...2014-09-2215 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: MP&E Professor Susan Rogers (Prince, Barenaked Ladies)By Lesley MahoneyAugust 26, 2011Photo by Kelly DavidsonMP&E professor Susan Rogers teaches students technical skills as well as the science behind the music.Photo by Kelly DavidsonMusic production and engineering professor Susan Rogers saw much success as a recording engineer, mixer, and producer, working with such artists as Prince, the Jacksons, India.Arie, Barenaked Ladies, and Laurie Anderson. Then she decided it was time for something different and left the music business to pursue life as a scientist, studying psychology and neuroscience, and then music perception and cognition. Rogers has found in Berklee a platform to combine both of these...2014-09-2223 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Presidential Scholar Sierra HullBy Rob HochschildMarch 19, 2011Sierra Hull's career was already taking off when she landed at Berklee in September 2009. The mandolinist's debut CD was out on Rounder Records and she was on the road more often than not when she accepted a presidential scholarship and enrolled in the college's new artist diploma program.Now in her fourth and final semester at Berklee, Hull recently sat down to talk about her world and the experience of being a Berklee student. She admits to the challenges of balancing career and school, especially during a time of increasing popularity of her music. During this edition...2014-09-2216 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Bobby McFerrin Opening DayTen-time Grammy winner Bobby McFerrin helped kick off Berklee's 2010–2011 school year with a presentation at the college's Opening Day festivities. The vocal improvisation master turned his keynote speech into an interactive experience, encouraging questions from the audience and pulling faculty, staff, and alumni onto the stage to make music with him.http://www.berklee.edu/news/2665/podcast-inside-berklee-bobby-mcferrin2014-09-1908 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: The Pat Patrick CollectionLaurdine Kenneth "Pat" Patrick was an alto and baritone sax player best known for his long association with the progressive musician Sun Ra. After his death, his children—including current Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick—learned their father had left a voluminous collection of photographs, scores, concert programs, teaching notes, and other memorabilia that illustrated not only his own artistic development but the cultural context of musicianship at the time. The deep collection is now at Berklee to be plumbed by faculty and student researchers.In the first Inside Berklee podcast, speakers at the March 24 dedication, including the governor, Berklee president Roge...2014-09-1905 min
Sounds of BerkleeInside Berklee: Musical Theater at BerkleeBy Mike Keefe-FeldmanNovember 5, 2013The musical theater program at Berklee has recently been expanding exponentially, and one of the driving forces behind that expansion is Berklee Voice Department instructor Rene Pfister, who directs many of Berklee’s musical theater productions. This semester, those productions include the Halloween spectacular BPC Screams!, the hit musical Footloose, and a Berklee Goes Broadway cabaret, among others. In addition, musical theater students recently staged a crowd-pleasing flash mob performance at the Prudential Center.Many Berklee students have gone on to successful careers in musical theater. Alex Lacamoire, a 1995 alumnus, has won a Tony Award for the Br...2013-12-0416 min