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Events Calendar
Most events are free and open to the public. The ticket price for college concerts in the Berklee Performance Center is $10 for the general public. For specific information about ticket prices and discounts please visit the BPC's website.
Upcoming Events: Off-campus
July 2008
July
3
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Jelena Bracika
Thursday, July 3, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Jelena Bracika is a talented vocalist and actor from Serbia. She graduated with an acting degree from the Academy of Arts in Belgrade, and has been an active performer in both the theater and music scenes. After earning a Berklee scholarship, she relocated to Boston and enrolled as a performance major. She graduated from Berklee in spring 2008, after refining her gifts as a vocalist and beginning to write songs. Bracika's original compositions are a captivating blend of world music and jazz, heavily influenced by Latin and Balkan music and featuring her evocative lyrics and sultry voice. She sings in an array of languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Serbian.
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Jelena Bracika
Thursday, July 3, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Jelena Bracika is a talented vocalist and actor from Serbia. She graduated with an acting degree from the Academy of Arts in Belgrade, and has been an active performer in both the theater and music scenes. After earning a Berklee scholarship, she relocated to Boston and enrolled as a performance major. She graduated from Berklee in spring 2008, after refining her gifts as a vocalist and beginning to write songs. Bracika's original compositions are a captivating blend of world music and jazz, heavily influenced by Latin and Balkan music and featuring her evocative lyrics and sultry voice. She sings in an array of languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Serbian.
McCoy Tyner H'05
McCoy Tyner with the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra
Thursday, July 3, 9:30 p.m., The Montreal Jazz Festival
The Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra performs the big band music of
McCoy Tyner, with Tyner and his trio. Star trumpeter Christian Scott, a 2005
Berklee alumnus, is the special guest.
$48.50 CDN
July
9
Carolyn Wilkins
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Carolyn Wilkins
Wednesday, July 9, 6:30 p.m., Mothers Rest
Jazz pianist and vocalist Carolyn Wilkins has been an active participant in the Boston music scene for over 20 years as a performer, educator, and composer. Her performance experience includes radio and television appearances with her group SpiritJazz, a concert tour of South America as a jazz ambassador for the U.S. State Department, performing with the Pittsburgh Symphony under André Previn, and shows featuring Melba Moore, Nancy Wilson, and the Fifth Dimension. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music, Wilkins is currently an associate professor at Berklee College of Music. A swinging pianist/vocalist in the tradition of Diana Krall, Shirley Horn, and Nina Simone, Wilkins treats subjects as diverse as sex, satire, and spirituality with warmth and humor in her fresh and memorable songs. She has released four critically acclaimed albums of her original compositions on Tiphareth Records: SpiritJazz I, SpiritJazz II, Healin' Time and Praise Song.
Thursday, July 10, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
The Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars, six top scholarship students at the college, came from Puerto Rico, Israel, and the United States, and coalesced around their love for the polyrhythms and joyful precision of the Latin jazz form. The group was named this year's Best College Jazz Band in Down Beat under the name La Timbistica, and recently performed as part of the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Festival in Monterey. The All-Stars are led by conguero Paulo Stagnaro and include timbalero Marcos Lopez, bassist Juan Maldonado, pianist Abraham Olivo, trumpeter Niv Toar, and flutist Enrique Trinidad. They will headline the Tito Puente Latin Music Series in Boston this summer and perform at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C.
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Gregorio Uribe y su Orquesta
Thursday, July 10, 7:00 p.m., O'Day Park
Gregorio Uribe combines different genres such as funk and jazz with the intriguing folkloric rhythms of his native Colombia. This energetic and intelligent approach to the music of his country has led him to share the stage with such renowned artists as the six-time Grammy-winner Rubén Blades and Latin Grammy Award-winners Aterciopelados. [details]
Free Admission
July
12
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
La Timbistica
Saturday, July 12, 5:00 p.m., Salem Jazz and Soul Festival
This all-star group of top scholarship students from Puerto Rico, Israel, and the continental United States was named this year's Best College Jazz Band in Down Beat's prestigious Student Music Awards thanks to its tracks "Puertorro," and "Electrik." With graduation still ahead, these artists have performance and recording experience beyond their years. Leader and percussionist Paulo Stagnaro performs on Paquito D'Rivera's Funk Tango, winner of the 2007 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Recording. Other members have performed with Cachao, Victor Manuelle, Danilo Perez, and Dave Valentin, among others, and recorded for XM Radio. Later this year the band will headline the Tito Puente Latin Music Series in Boston and perform in Washington, D.C.'s Duke Ellington Jazz Festival.
Free
July
16
Yuki Ito
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Yuki Ito Quartet
Wednesday, July 16, 6:30 p.m., Mothers Rest
Yuki Ito, from Sapporo, Japan, started playing the acoustic bass at 12. In 2004, she performed at the International Association of Jazz Education conference in New York City as a member of the Jazz Month in Asahikawa Junior Jazz Orchestra. Ito was awarded the Lawrence and Alma Berk Scholarship to attend Berklee, where she currently studies with faculty members Hal Crook, Bruce Gertz, Joanne Brackeen, David Santoro, and Greg Hopkins.
Free Admission
July
17
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Juan Chavez
Thursday, July 17, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Born in Dallas, Berklee student violinist Juan Pablo Chavez is widely recognized for his knowledge of Afro-Cuban music and has taught many classes and performed throughout the country including such venues as the Kennedy Center, Disney’s Epcot Center, and the San Jose Jazz Festival. At Berklee he is studying with violinist Rob Thomas (Mahavishnu Project, String Trio of New York). He is currently working on his first album, Salsa for Strings, and writing a book on contemporary Afro-Cuban violin.
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Juan Chavez
Thursday, July 17, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
The Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars, six top scholarship students at the college, came from Puerto Rico, Israel, and the United States, and coalesced around their love for the polyrhythms and joyful precision of the Latin jazz form. The group was named this year's Best College Jazz Band in Down Beat under the name La Timbistica, and recently performed as part of the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Festival in Monterey. The All-Stars are led by conguero Paulo Stagnaro and include timbalero Marcos Lopez, bassist Juan Maldonado, pianist Abraham Olivo, trumpeter Niv Toar, and flutist Enrique Trinidad. They will headline the Tito Puente Latin Music Series in Boston this summer and perform at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington DC.
Free Admission
July
23
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Berklee Jazz Workshop Directed by Terri Lyne Carrington and Rick DiMuzio
Wednesday, July 23, 6:30 p.m., Mothers Rest
The Berklee Jazz Workshop is made up of the best and brightest high school jazz players from around the world, who are studying at Berklee under acclaimed drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, artistic director of the new Summer Jazz Workshop during the college's Five-Week Summer Performance Program. Codirecting the ensemble is saxophonist Rick DiMuzio, associate professor of ear training. The ensemble will play standards as well as jazz arrangements by popular songwriters, and may feature original student compositions as well. A native of Medford, Massachusetts, Carrington received a full scholarship to Berklee at age 11. She later became the drummer for the Arsenio Hall Show, spent seven years on tour with Herbie Hancock, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. DiMuzio earned a doctorate at New England Conservatory and recently released his solo debut First Offerings.
Free Admission
July
24
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Tantanakuy
Thursday, July 24, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Marcelo Woloski (percussionist) and Andres Rot (bassist) have gone through a long musical journey together. After playing with core artists in the Argentina folk field, they both went to Boston to attend Berklee. It's not surprising, then, that they named their band Tantanakuy—"to become brothers" in the indigenous Coya language. This fairly new group is already playing the most important venues in Boston and New York. Rot and Woloski have performed with artists including Leo Blanco, Fernando Brandão, Paquito D'Rivera, Jamey Haddad, and Terri Lyne Carrington.
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Tantanakuy
Thursday, July 24, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Composer, vocalist, and percussionist Manolo Mairena, a native of Costa Rica, began his career performing Puerto Rican traditional music. He has worked in the Afro-Caribbean and Latin American idioms with such Boston-area groups as Gonzalo Grau y la Clave Secreta, Mango Blue, Manguito, Marta Gomez, and Osmani Paredes. He has also toured Spain, Mexico, Australia, India, and Cuba. Mairena recently recorded a medley of boleros in tribute to the late Tito Rodriguez as a guest artist with Eguie Castrillo and His Orchestra. He is working on his first solo album.
Free Admission
July
31
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Sol Melodiq
Thursday, July 31, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Sol Melodiq aspires to create new sounds that touch, examine, and uplift the soul. The band, which formed at Berklee, is comprised of skilled musicians fluent in jazz, rock, hip-hop, funk, classic soul, and world music. Jamaal Moore (saxophone and percussion), James Richardson (keyboard and synthesizer), and Stacey Wade (keyboard and organ for Al Green) make up the core of the band. Additional members include Berklee students Clynton Cox (guitar/vocals), Freddy DeBoe (tenor saxophone), and Gabe Jones (drums/vocals). The band plays biweekly shows at the Beehive, the Good Life, Park Ave. Lounge, and the Mission Bar & Grille, and recently performed at the Boston Urban Music Awards. Sol Melodiq is currently working on an album due out this fall.
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Sol Melodiq
Thursday, July 31, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, percussionist Eguie Castrillo began playing the timbales at age 7—causing neighbors to call the police on numerous occasions. Influenced early by Tito Puente, Castrillo moved to Miami in 1993 to work with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. After five years on the road, Castrillo moved to Boston to teach at Berklee. Working steadily as a conguero and timbalero, he released a mambo CD—Palladium Tradition—in 2005.
Free Admission
August 2008
August
3
Kendrick Oliver
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Kendrick Oliver and the New Life Jazz Orchestra with the Lawrence Fields Quartet (opening act)
Sunday, August 3, 5:00 p.m., Highland Park
Under the musical direction of conductor, arranger, and tubist Kendrick Oliver, this youthful, vibrant, and energetic orchestra has been captivating audiences, selling out concerts, and turning heads since its inception in 1995. The Boston-based group combines Basie-style swing, head-bobbin' arrangements, high-powered rhythms, a Sunday-morning gospel feel, an unrestrained brass section, elegant vocals, and spectacular soloists to produce its infectious sound—nothing less than a swing, sing, stomp, shout experience. A native of St. Louis and 2008 Berklee graduate, Fields (Berklee class of 2008) has already worked or played with Nicholas Payton, Jeff "Tain" Watts '80, drummer Rodney Green, Lage Lund, and Oscar Brown Jr.
Free Admission
August
6
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Pat Caroll Quartet
Wednesday, August 6, 5:30 p.m., Regattabar at the Charles Hotel
Pat Carroll, a saxophonist from Pleasanton, California, has been focused on music since age 12, when he began studying with noted San Francisco musician Dann Zinn. In his junior year of high school, Carroll was awarded the Jimmy Lion’s scholarship at the 2004 Monterey Jazz Festival. In 2005, he was commissioned to write and perform original music as a member of the SFJAZZ Young Composers Project, a group that rehearsed with the likes of Ravi Coltrane, Miguel Zenon, Vijay Iyer, and Maria Schneider. Currently in his final year at Berklee, Carroll has studied with Hal Crook, Ralph Peterson, and Joe Lovano.
Free Admission
August
7
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Zach Hillyard Band
Thursday, August 7, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
The Zach Hillyard Band [ZHB]—vocalist/keyboardist Hillyard, bassist Wesley Cole, drummer Francesco Basile, and guitarist Niklas Karlsson—offers a unique blend of quality musicianship, songwriting, and danceable grooves. Intermingling pop, funk, soul, and r&b, ZHB has an appeal that stretches far and wide. The group recently won OurStage.com’s College Clash Competition, earning the title "Best College Band in New England" and a $5,000 grand prize, and took top honors in the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Competition. ZHB has performed in Boston and New York, and toured southern California last year, where the band recorded its debut album with producer Michael Woodrum. The CD has gained attention with national radio airplay, and the band is planning a nationwide tour for the summer of 2008.
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Zach Hillyard Band
Thursday, August 7, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Saturday, August 9, 5:00 p.m., Salem Jazz and Soul Festival
A native of Saitama, Japan, Morita started playing classical piano at 4—and hated her lessons. But once she discovered jazz, she was hooked. Later, when Morita received a scholarship to study at Berklee, she put aside thoughts of doing anything other than following her dream of playing jazz. This expressive and energetic pianist recently won the Mary Jane Earnhart Endowed Scholarship.
Free
August
10
Manami Morita
Manami Morita Quartet
Sunday, August 10, 3:00 p.m., Martha's Vineyard Festival
Manami Morita is the latest piano sensation to polish her skills at Berklee in a long, storied tradition that began with Toshiko Akiyoshi, was carried on by Makoto Ozone, and spiraled on through Hiromi.
$75.00
August
13
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Alex Meek and Shine
Wednesday, August 13, 5:30 p.m., Regattabar at the Charles Hotel
First inspired by his father’s creative drive as a glass artist, Meek started to play the guitar at the age of 8. Growing up in Wimble, Texas he discovered an interest in bluegrass, Texas swing, and gutbucket roadhouse blues. He studied with Brandon Gist, a phenomenal blues guitarist from Memphis; and Django Porter, a well-known gypsy and western swing guitarist from Austin, who taught him about jazz, swing, and the world of jam sessions. Meek performed in dozen of concerts around Texas hill country with the Django Porter Trio. He enrolled in Berklee in 2005 and during his second year started his own group called Shine—with Greg Albert on acoustic bass, Claudio Olacella on violin, and Mike Sachs on clarinet—that performs gypsy jazz, traditional gypsy music, original compositions, and swing.
Free Admission
August
14
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Cole DeGenova
Thursday, August 14, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Cole DeGenova is a pianist, vocalist, songwriter, percussionist, and poet from Chicago. He began studying music at 4 and was working as a professional musician by 15. He studied classical, jazz, blues, Cuban, and Brazilian percussion, but was also influenced by neo-soul and hip-hop. He has performed with or opened for some of Chicago's top artists, including Patricia Barber, Kurt Elling, Jon Faddis, and Corey Wilkes. DeGenova was chosen by the Jazz Institute of Chicago to perform at the world-famous Auditorium Theatre, and in 2005 performed with the Illinois Music Educators' Association’s All-State Honors Jazz Band. Now attending Berklee, DeGenova is spreading his music to a wider audience. He toured the midwest with Hal Reed and the Mob, and Switzerland with his original funk/r&b band Apollo Jones. His latest project is a funk, neo-soul, blues, and jazz group called the People's Republic. The band plans to release its debut EP this summer.
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Cole DeGenova
Thursday, August 14, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Wednesday, August 20, 5:30 p.m., Regattabar at the Charles Hotel
Originally from Perugia, Italy, Eleonora Bianchini is a young singer whose voice creates a warm and charming atmosphere. She is inspired by many Brazilian and Latin American artists, including Rosa Passos, Caetano Veloso, Mayte Martin, and Eva Ayllón. Bianchini has collaborated with artists and Berklee faculty members such as Oscar Stagnaro, Leo Blanco, and Dan Moretti, and has recorded with Danilo Perez's big band project. She is currently the lead vocalist of Peru Mestizo Project with bandleader Oscar Stagnaro, and recently recorded a project that features her own compositions in different South American styles, with lyrics in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Free Admission
August
21
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Pat Carroll
Thursday, August 21, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Pat Carroll, a saxophonist from California, has been focused on music since age 12, when he began studying with noted San Francisco musician Dann Zinn. In his junior year of high school, Carroll won the Jimmy Lyons scholarship at the 2004 Monterey Jazz Festival. In 2005, he was commissioned to write and perform original music as a member of the SFJAZZ Young Composers Project, a group that rehearsed with Ravi Coltrane, Vijay Iyer, Maria Schneider, and Miguel Zenón. At Berklee, Carroll has studied with Hal Crook, Joe Lovano, and Ralph Peterson. His composition “Mighty Aphrodite” appears on the new Jazz Revelation Records release Common Ground.
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Pat Carroll
Thursday, August 21, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Wednesday, August 27, 5:30 p.m., Regattabar at the Charles Hotel
Each fall, Berklee chooses four of its finest students to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival, where they play for standing-room-only audiences. The group featured here performed at the festival in 2007. The members of the Berklee Monterey Quartet—Dan Carpel on bass, Jeff Miles on guitar, Mike Nishimura on piano, and Ryo Shibata on drums—are already highly sought-after, with dozens of professional credits, major awards, and concerts. Leader Nishimura, from Tokyo, held the coveted piano chair in the IAJE Sisters in Jazz Quintet and was chosen to perform at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center. Miles is a semifinalist in the 2008 Montreux International Guitar Competition.
Free Admission
August
28
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
The Berklee Monterey Quartet
Thursday, August 28, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Each fall, Berklee chooses four of its finest students to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival, where they play for standing-room-only audiences. The group featured here performed at the festival in 2007. The members of the Berklee Monterey Quartet—Dan Carpel on bass, Jeff Miles on guitar, Mike Nishimura on piano, and Ryo Shibata on drums—are already highly sought-after, with dozens of professional credits, major awards, and concerts. Leader Nishimura, from Tokyo, held the coveted piano chair in the IAJE Sisters in Jazz Quintet and was chosen to perform at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center. Miles is a semifinalist in the 2008 Montreux International Guitar Competition.
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
The Berklee Monterey Quartet
Thursday, August 28, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Free Admission
September 2008
September
4
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Manami Morita
Thursday, September 4, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
A native of Saitama, Japan, Manami Morita started playing classical piano at 4—and hated her lessons. But once she discovered jazz at age 13, she was hooked. Later, when Morita received a scholarship to study at Berklee, she put aside thoughts of doing anything other than following her dream of playing jazz. Morita appears on the Jazz Revelation Records album Common Ground, with the track “Going Home.” This expressive and energetic pianist recently won the Mary Jane Earnhart Endowed Scholarship.
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Manami Morita
Thursday, September 4, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Thursday, September 11, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Katie Thiroux, from Los Angeles, California, is the recipient of the Phil Ramone Presidential Scholarship to Berklee, a rare, full-ride award. She just completed her second year at the college. Thiroux performed at the 2004 and 2005 IAJE conferences as both a bassist and vocalist. For four years in a row, she was selected to be a member of the elite Gibson/Baldwin Grammy National Honor Jazz Ensemble. She has also received fellowships to the prestigious Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony and the Vail Jazz Festival. In 2005 she was awarded the Los Angeles Jazz Society's Shelly Manne New Talent Award. She received the Down Beat Student Music Award for Outstanding Vocal Performance (2005) and Outstanding Bassist (2006).
Free Admission
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Katie Thiroux
Thursday, September 11, 6:00 p.m., Institute of Contemporary Art
Thursday, September 18, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Keppie Coutts is an Australian-born funk-folkstress reveling in the new wave of folk fusion—an eclectic mix of acoustic-based songs that step inside jazz and soul. Coutts started out spreading her words as poetry at Sydney arts haunts and indie spaces. Very quickly, the words found a canvas of music, and almost as quickly she was thrust into the studio where she recorded her debut album On the Edge of a Dream. Since coming to Berklee in 2005, she has earned the praise of peers, audiences, and mentors. She won both the Performing Songwriter Competition and the Songwriter's Showcase Competition—two prestigious showcases that Berklee presents to display its best talent.
Free Admission
September
20
The Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars. From left, Niv Toar, trumpet; Juan Maldonado, bass; Paulo Stagnaro, leader, congas; Marco Lopez, timbales; Abraham Olivo, piano; Enrique "Kalani" Trinidad, flute and saxophone.
Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars
Saturday, September 20, 5:00 p.m., Monterey Jazz Festival
The All-Stars complete their trio of performances with an explosive show in the Coffeehouse Gallery, the festival's most intimate venue. [details]
September
25
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Hard Times
Thursday, September 25, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Free Admission
October 2008
October
2
Berklee's 2008 Free Summer Concert Series
Eleonora Bianchini
Thursday, October 2, 12:00 p.m., Kendall Square
Originally from Perugia, Italy, Eleonora Bianchini is a young singer whose voice creates a warm and charming atmosphere. She is inspired by many Brazilian and Latin American artists, including Rosa Passos, Caetano Veloso, Mayte Martin, and Eva Ayllón. Bianchini has collaborated with artists and Berklee faculty members such as Oscar Stagnaro, Leo Blanco, and Dan Moretti, and has recorded with Danilo Perez's big band project. She is currently the lead vocalist of Peru Mestizo Project with bandleader Oscar Stagnaro, and recently recorded a project that features her own compositions in different South American styles, with lyrics in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Free Admission
October
25
Fourteenth Annual Encore Gala
Saturday, October 25, 6:00 p.m., Boston Park Plaza
Experience over 150 exceptional faculty and student musicians and special guests at Berklee's signature event, at the Boston Park Plaza. The evening features live and silent auctions, including unique “only through Berklee” celebrity experiences and vacation packages, musical equipment, tickets to sporting and music events, and much more. All proceeds benefit the Berklee City Music Program.
For more information, see the Gala website.
