Berklee Wrapped 2024: Our Top News and Stories

Take a look at some of our best stories of the year, including announcing our next president, hosting André 3000, and learning from the alumni shaping Latin music's future.

Bryan Parys

December 20, 2024

a yellow electric guitar with bows on it on a red fabric background — Image by Kelly Davidson

2024 was a year for new directions.

Berklee announced the hiring of our new president, Jim Lucchese, who officially takes the reins in the new year, with the goal of being an artist's advocate. Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee Valencia named new executive directors—Michael Shinn and Simone Pilon, respectively—both of whom had been serving in interim capacities over the last year.

Our alumni, students, and faculty continued to push musical boundaries, holding down the groove in country-rap, taking the stage at major music festivals, and winning countless awards.

Suffice to say, the Berklee community traveled and blazed many trails this year. Below, take a look at just a small collection of some of those journeys.

Best News of 2024

Berklee Announces Jim Lucchese as Its Next President

Jim Lucchese Named Berklee's Fifth President

"It is an immense honor to become a part of the Berklee community, an institution that means so much to me personally and has been a singularly positive force for creativity around the world.”

—Jim Lucchese

A Tribute to the Late, Great Quincy Jones

Remembering the Rare and Extraordinary Life of Quincy Jones

"I wouldn't trade the time that I got on earth for anything—it was just right."

—Quincy Jones '51 '83H

Best Visiting Artist Stories

André 3000 at Berklee: 'Respect Your Taste—That's All You Got'

"One thing I have learned from making music early on is: take what you already have, and make it work as long as you can."
—André 3000

FINNEAS and Ashe Talk Confidence and Collaboration in the Music Industry

"I think one of the ways I knew I was a producer and a cowriter was I would make stuff that did not fit me.”
—FINNEAS

Pop Culture Icon Cyndi Lauper Gives Keynote at Berklee NYC Career Expo

"We were honored to welcome the inimitable Cyndi Lauper to Berklee NYC, an artist who has left an indelible mark on music history just as she did with the audience at the expo."
—Betsie Becker

The Africana Studies Department Hosts Gambian Musician Dr. Sona Jobarteh as Visiting Scholar

"I’m very excited to be part of the Africana Studies Department this academic year, and to be contributing to its incredibly important work of bringing the cultural and historical context of African/Black music to the fore."
—Sona Jobarteh '23H

Best Alumni Stories

Meet the Berklee Grads Shaping Latin Music's Future

"You’re working with the future of the music industry right now at Berklee."

—Bere Gonzalo BM '21

Beloved Genre-Benders Karate Make a Fitting Comeback

"When I write songs . . . if something feels right when I play it and sing it, then it doesn't matter what the genre is."
—Geoff Farina BM '91

Watch DREION's Electrifying 'Shining Star' Blind Audition on The Voice

"It’s rare to have someone who can sing and has a stage aura like [DREION]. . . . That takes years."
—Gwen Stefani

Alum Gives Soaring Performance at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris

Pianist and vocalist Luan Pommier BM ’24, performed her arrangement of the Paralympic anthem for a crowd of nearly 65,000 gathered on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

Carla Patullo Howls and Heals on Grammy-Winning Ambient Album

"We go through these cycles of healing, and we go back and we remember things, and then we close down, and then we open up, and it's like this circle.”
—Carla Patullo BM '01 MM '13

Best Faculty Stories

Sherry Li Teaches Students How to Write Songs for Chinese Audiences

"The moment I stepped into my department, I got many questions [from colleagues] about the challenges Chinese students face in communicating and attempting to write English lyrics. So I’ve been giving presentations about the Chinese education system and music market . . . to explain the cultural and musical differences."

—Sherry Li, assistant professor

Beyoncé Is a 'Disruptor': Why the CMAs Snubbed Cowboy Carter

"What [Beyoncé’s] trying to do is not only create effective art, but to leverage it to be a conversation starter so that we can heal our nation."
—Emmett G. Price III, dean of Africana Studies

Why Taylor Swift Is So Popular (Berklee's Version)

"I think because she writes with more common chords that are diatonic mostly, it allows the listener to focus on her melodies and her storytelling."
—Scarlet Keys, professor

Best Student Stories

Meet Graduates from Berklee's Class of 2024

1,353 students—representing 64 countries, 49 US states, and ages ranging from 19 to 71—received their diplomas and entered into an exciting new phase in their artistic and professional lives.