Berklee Announces 2023 Spring Signature Series
Alicia Keys
Photo by Getty Images
Miley Cyrus
Photo by Getty Images
The Miley Cyrus Ensemble
Dennis Montgomery III
Berklee's spring Signature Series will celebrate the sounds of New Orleans, the power of gospel music, and the music of Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus, with performances from students, faculty, and special guests. The series will also include inauguration events for Berklee President Erica Muhl at Symphony Hall and MGM Music Hall at Fenway.
Gumbo Stories: A Black History Celebration Concert
Thursday, February 23, 8:00 p.m.
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue
Through historical stories from the the musical melting pot of New Orleans, Gumbo Stories will present music ranging from second line and congregational to jazz and bounce. Hosted by Emmett G. Price III, dean of the Africana Studies Division, and Abria Smith, director of city and community engagement, the concert will celebrate Black music from New Orleans and its educational and cultural importance today. The event is cosponsored by Berklee’s Black History Celebration Committee, the Africana Studies Division, the Ensemble Department, the Brass Department, External Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion, and Community and Government Relations.
The Berklee Inauguration Symphony Orchestra
Monday, April 3, 7:00 p.m.
Boston Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue
The Berklee Inauguration Symphony Orchestra will present the opening event celebrating the inauguration of Erica Muhl as Berklee’s fourth president. This unique contemporary classical orchestral concert will feature President Muhl’s original compositions as well as works reflecting important musical influences on her career. The music will be performed by the Berklee Inauguration Symphony Orchestra, a collaborative ensemble of student, faculty, and staff performers from the College and the Conservatory, and will be conducted by Lucinda Carver, executive director of Boston Conservatory at Berklee; and Vimbayi Kaziboni, assistant professor, Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Tickets for this event are free. Reserve tickets.
Great American Songbook: Girl on Fire—The Music of Alicia Keys
Tuesday, April 4, 7:00 p.m.
MGM Music Hall at Fenway, 2 Lansdowne Street
The Great American Songbook: Girl on Fire—The Music of Alicia Keys concert is part of the inauguration events for Erica Muhl as Berklee’s fourth—and first female—president. This interdisciplinary concert will celebrate the rich musical canon of singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and activist Alicia Keys, and it brings together an outstanding global collective of singers, rappers, instrumentalists, arrangers, track producers, dancers, and visual artists. Sharing their unique blend of artistry, cultures, and inspired interpretations of Keys’s repertoire, from intimate acoustic treatments to fully orchestrated arrangements, the setlist will include “A Woman’s Worth,” “No One,” “You Don’t Know My Name,” “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” “Girl on Fire,” “A Beautiful Noise,” “Brand New Me,” “Fallin’,” “Superwoman,” “How Come You Don’t Call Me,” and many more. The concert is produced by Maureen McMullan ’09.
Tickets for the event are free. Reserve tickets.
Miley Cyrus Ensemble: Untamed
Friday, April 14, and Saturday, April 15, 8:00 p.m.
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue
Berklee's student-run Miley Cyrus Ensemble presents an exploration of Cyrus's artistic evolution and the power of embracing individuality. Under the direction of faculty Tia Fuller and Mimi Jones, the group will break boundaries by performing everything from country hoedowns and ’80s rock ’n’ roll to psychedelic pop and more.
Gospel Extravaganza 2023 Featuring Berklee’s Reverence Gospel Choir with Special Guest Kurt Carr
Friday, April 28, 8:00 p.m.
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue
Directed by Berklee professor and virtuoso pianist Dennis Montgomery III, this concert will commemorate the power of gospel music, featuring Berklee’s Reverence Gospel Choir and Kurt Carr, a four-time Stellar Award–winning gospel singer, producer, and arranger. Carr, who is a visiting artist in residence with Berklee's Africana Studies Division, is an esteemed composer whose songs have become part of the canon of today’s gospel music. He has recorded such hits as “In the Sanctuary,” “For Every Mountain,” and many more. Montgomery, who has led Berklee’s Reverence Gospel Choir for more than two decades, teaches students the history and characteristics of traditional gospel music and how the genre has transformed over the years.
