Berklee Valencia celebrates its 10th anniversary
In these 10 years, so much has happened at Berklee Valencia, the college’s first and only campus in Europe.
First Berklee’s Global Studies (later named Study Abroad) program launched and opened the doors to Boston undergraduates for a semester abroad to expand their horizons.
Berklee expands its academic offerings by launching its first graduate programs in Valencia: Global Entertainment and Music Business; Contemporary Studio Performance (later named Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration)); and Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games.
Berklee expands its academic offerings by launching its first graduate programs in Valencia: Global Entertainment and Music Business; Contemporary Studio Performance (later named Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration)); and Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games.
Berklee Valencia offers the first Honorary Doctorate to Eddie Gómez in recognition of his achievements and influence in music, and for his enduring contributions to international culture. The campus has since awarded 6 honorary degrees.
The campus launched the Summer Performance, a comprehensive three-week course designed to improve and enhance the performance skills of musicians of all levels. More than 650 students have participated in this program since then.
The campus launched the Summer Performance, a comprehensive three-week course designed to improve and enhance the performance skills of musicians of all levels. More than 650 students have participated in this program since then.
Berklee Valencia presents its Bandas Sinfónicas Workshops, hosted in collaboration with the Institut Valencià de Cultura. They aim to improve the skills of conductors, arrangers, and composers with two specializations: Arranging and Composition for Symphonic Bands and Conducting for Symphonic Bands.
The graduate program offering expands with an additional program: the Master of Music in Music Technology Innovation, later renamed as Music, Production, Technology, and Innovation)
The graduate program offering expands with an additional program: the Master of Music in Music Technology Innovation, later renamed as Music, Production, Technology, and Innovation)
Berklee Valencia presents the first edition of the Berklee Global Career Summit. Visiting experts and thought leaders from various professional backgrounds participate in a series of keynotes, panels, workshops, and mentoring sessions to guide students on their professional development through the multifaceted global music industry.
Berklee Valencia and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee partner to present the Boston Conservatory Opera Intensive at Valencia for students from all over the world looking to pursue a career in opera.
Berklee Valencia and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee partner to present the Boston Conservatory Opera Intensive at Valencia for students from all over the world looking to pursue a career in opera.
For the first time undergraduate students who have been admitted to Berklee can choose to study their first year at the Valencia Campus. Students have the opportunity to begin their Berklee experience in an intimate setting that places a strong emphasis on the global music industry and international career paths and allows them to complete the same core curriculum taken by entering students on the Boston campus, while also enjoying an immersive cultural experience in one of the most important musical regions of Spain.
Berklee Valencia receives an award from Fundación Excelentia recognizing Berklee’s contribution to music education and its role as one the world’s leading institutions of contemporary music. Excelentia is a private, nonprofit Spanish institution that promotes the values and dissemination of lyric music.
Berklee Valencia receives an award from Fundación Excelentia recognizing Berklee’s contribution to music education and its role as one the world’s leading institutions of contemporary music. Excelentia is a private, nonprofit Spanish institution that promotes the values and dissemination of lyric music.
Berklee Valencia receives the Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the 16th Consejo Social awards of the Universitat Politécnica de Valencia (UPV) for its projects that use music to help integrate people from underserved communities or at risk of social exclusion.
Berklee Valencia presents the Outstanding Women Scholarship program aiming to assist women in accessing music studies and pursuing a professional career in music, and empowering them to balance the presence of women in the industry. The award includes financial support and a mentorship session with a renowned woman working in each of the fields covered by Berklee’s programs.
Berklee Valencia presents the Outstanding Women Scholarship program aiming to assist women in accessing music studies and pursuing a professional career in music, and empowering them to balance the presence of women in the industry. The award includes financial support and a mentorship session with a renowned woman working in each of the fields covered by Berklee’s programs.
Berklee Valencia and the City of Arts and Sciences sign a renovation agreement that will allow the campus to stay for additional 40 years in its facilities. The agreement includes an annual scholarship for Valencian students who have been admitted in one of the master’s programs.
Since it was founded in 2012, Berklee Valencia has continued to grow, becoming an international benchmark for music education and nurturing students who bring exceptional talent to the music industry.
Jana Šušteršič M.M. ‘15, an alumna of the Master of Music in contemporary performance (production concentration) program, is a multi-award-winning artist with 26 years of recording and performing experience, including more than 1,500 live shows as a lead vocalist and concert pianist. The winner of Slovenia’s Got Talent in 2014, she has performed/recorded with or opened shows for renowned artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Toto, Victor Wooten, Patrice Rushen, John Blackwell, Victor Mendoza, José Mercé, and Javier Limón. Learn more about Jana Šušteršič at janasustersic.com
Watch Jana Šušteršič's story
Mohannad Nasser M.M. ‘18 is a Syrian oudist and composer. He has emerged as an innovative and creative musician with years of experience in performing on the Middle East musical scenes and expertise in teaching oriental music.
His compositions have been described by audiences as “delicate, serene, and magical.” His musical vision is based on Arabic traditional music with a strong flavor of Oriental roots. During his career, he has been able to expand his oud abilities by adapting it to different musical genres, like classical music, jazz, Brazilian music, and flamenco.
Learn more about Mohannad Nasser at mohannadnasser.com.
Tonina Saputo B.M. ‘17 is a Los Angeles–based singer/songwriter, bassist, and music journalist from St. Louis, Missouri, who performs her original music along with her arrangements of covers in Spanish, English, and Italian. Saputo comes from a family of music lovers that exposed her to many music styles, from funk, soul, and jazz to classical music.
After graduating from Berklee College of Music, earning two degrees, Saputo opened for Grammy Award–winning artist, Lalah Hathaway in St. Louis, traveled to perform at the Catania Jazz Festival in Sicily, and was named one of NPR’s favorite new artists of 2018 and then listed as one of NPR’s top 10 artists of 2018. Her interpretation of “Historia de un Amor” was placed on former President Barack Obama’s top songs list of 2018. In 2019, she signed to the American record label Empire.
Zoe Schneider M.A. ‘19 is a passionate musician, speaker, music industry professional, and poet whose moral compass points her in the direction of service to her local and global communities. She is a proponent of approaching all people and situations with an inquisitive mind and open heart. Schneider believes that it is the power of vulnerability, incessant curiosity, and the relentless pursuit of authenticity and truth, that provides the foundation for an extraordinary life.
Watch Zoe Schneider's story
Chiara Michieletto M.A.’17 works as an artist manager with Björk’s management team as well as head of international at the independent record label One Little Independent Records.
In the past she served as digital marketing manager at Music Ally. She has helped to promote artists such as Cigarettes After Sex, Archie Hamilton, Kevin Saunderson, Enzo Siragusa, and Francesca Lombardo, among many others.
She frequently teaches workshops and master classes at various universities in the United Kingdom and has participated in conferences around the world including Sandbox Summit in New York and London and Tokyo Dance Music Event, among others.
Alumnus of the Master of Music in music production, technology, and innovation Nitish Kulkarni M.M.‘16 works as a music technology consultant and sales engineer at Sweetwater Sound. In addition, he continues to produce and perform on recordings with other artists and tours frequently around the United States as a live sound engineer.
Watch Nitish Kulkarni's story
Sharon Onyango-Obbo M.M. ‘20 is a Ugandan, Kenyan-based consultant, record producer, and mix engineer. A formidable trailblazer of audio production in Nairobi, Kenya, Onyango-Obbo’s palette is a blend of safari trap, Nairobi R&B and Afropop. As an economist and classically trained musician, she is in pursuit of a legacy built on sustainability and creative entrepreneurship across the continent with the objective of shaping Africa’s socio-economic landscape through music production, technology, and innovation as agents of development.
Watch Sharon Onyango-Obbo's story
Alumna of the Master of Music in film scoring, television, and video games; Clémentine Charuel M.M.‘18 is a French composer, conductor, and pianist from Paris. Born in 1994, Charuel was raised by cinema and music lovers.
During her time at Berklee Valencia, she had the opportunity to record her music on many scoring stages including AIR Studios’ Lyndhurst Hall and since graduation, she has been working as a part-time assistant for several established composers in Paris and pursuing her career in media scoring.
In 2019, Charuel was awarded first prize for writing music for an experimental movie (OST Challenge, France) and received the Lucy and Didier Lean Rachou Award for her participation in the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop.
Paolo Cognetti M.M. ‘16 is an award-winning composer and pianist from Italy currently releasing his album for piano solo Spring Will Come. In 2021 he released the singles for piano solo Die with me, a tribute to Type O Negative’s frontman Peter Steele, and Io e Te, a piece commissioned by the Florentine association La Stanza Accanto, and cowrote the song “Triangoli Rosa,” which focuses on discrimination and bullying.
Cognetti’s debut album as a solo pianist Rinascita was released in 2017 by OSB Records, delivered digitally by Music First and published by Warner Chappell. He has scored music for film and composed, arranged, and performed soundtracks for theater pieces.
Cognetti holds degrees in piano and composition, and is a graduate from Berklee’s inaugural master’s program in scoring for film, television, and video games. He is also a founding member of La Filharmonie.
Learn more about Paolo Cognetti at paolocognetti.com.
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