Berklee’s Summer in the City Series Returns, Bringing Free Concerts to Boston Area

This summer, students, faculty, and alumni from Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee will perform free concerts at some of the most notable outdoor venues throughout Boston and the Greater Boston area as part of the Berklee Summer in the City concert series. Summer in the City will return to a full roster of live performances following a scaled-back in-person series in 2021 and a virtual series in 2020.

Performances will take place through early October. The series will feature beloved performance locations throughout the city, such as the Boston Public Library, the Boston Harbor Islands, Brewer Fountain Plaza at the Boston Common, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Samuel Adams statue in Faneuil Hall. Summer in the City performers will also be featured in various spaces in the Greater Boston area, including those in Cambridge and Wakefield. New venues for the 2022 series include the Beebe Library in Wakefield and the Charles River Jazz Festival.

“It is an enormous pleasure to host artists from Berklee every summer,” said John Andres, Bill T. Jones director and curator of performing arts at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. “It’s always fun to showcase these up-and-coming artists outside on the ICA waterfront, and I look forward to the first Harborwalk Sounds: Berklee at the ICA performance in July.”

The series will present a variety of musical genres, including jazz, R&B, world, pop, folk, and classical, as part of its 2022 programming. Notable performers this summer include R&B singer Shalyah Fearing, acoustic pop duo the Thistle Brothers, contemporary cellist Kely Pinheiro, jazz bassist and arranger Nikos Chatzitsakos, pop singer Aiida, and Latin flutist Kristalis Sotomayor. 

“We are thrilled to be back with hundreds of free Summer in the City performances this year,” said Jonathan Foo, concert producer and events liaison for Berklee. “The concert series is one of Berklee’s best contributions to our local community, with free shows by some of the most talented young artists in the world in Boston’s most beloved locations. In addition to performers, this series provides opportunities for Berklee students to learn and work in artist booking, live sound engineering, project management, and street team organization.”

“By partnering with organizations like Boston Harbor Now to bring music to the islands, we are able to provide the community with a wide range of different music genres while supporting students who are pursuing their degrees," said Michael Borgida, director of marketing and external affairs for Berklee. "I couldn’t think of a better program to give back to the community and support students.”

Previous Summer in the City performers have included Betty Who, Esperanza Spalding, Madi Diaz, the Stray Birds, and Sierra Hull.