Faculty Notes: Spring/Summer 2024

Berklee Boston

Cecil Adderley, chair of the Music Education Department, was named the president of the National Association for Music Education. His term starts in June and ends in February 2026.

Assistant Professor Vivienne Aerts is the host of the podcast ViviTalks, which celebrates the 100 talented female musicians from her album Typuhthâng.

Professor Prince Charles Alexander and his family established the Prince Charles Alexander Scholarship fund for a music production and engineering student with demonstrated knowledge of, and commitment to, music of the African diaspora.

Professor John Baboian presented the clinic Solo Guitar: Performance, Arranging & Accompaniment at the Jazz Education Network conference in New Orleans. It included material from Baboian’s Berklee Online course of the same name.

Assistant Professor Thavius Beck created content for Moog (a Mariana tutorial), Bitwig (a 5.1 overview course), and Ableton (an Ableton Live 12 course), and was featured on the cover of AphroChic magazine to discuss his latest musical release, Untitled, Vol. 1.

Professor Joe Bennett is the resident musicologist at BBC Radio 5 Live in the U.K., where he analyzes classic tracks for songwriting and production techniques.

Rhoda Bernard, managing director of the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education and assistant chair of the Music Education Department, received the Irene Buck Service to Arts Education Award from Arts|Learning.

Associate Professor Pat Bianchi released his ninth album as a leader, Three, which received 4 1/2 stars in DownBeat. It features Bianchi (Hammond B3 organ), Troy Roberts (sax), and Colin Stranahan (drums).

Assistant Professor Luke Blackburn is a 2024 recipient of a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He also plays bassoon in the Boston Opera Collaborative’s performances of Peter Brook’s version of Bizet’s Le tragédie de Carmen.

Professor Fernando Brandão was the executive producer of the Dani and Debora Gurgel Quartet (DDG4) residency and concert at Berklee. He also performed at Harvard Epworth Church as part of the Celebrity Series.

Professor Sarah Brindell is a cowriter and background singer on “Higher Education,” a song featuring Ivan Neville on the album Higher Education. She also continues to perform her originals regularly at the Beehive in Boston.

Assistant Professor Cristi Catt sings on the soundtrack for The Walk, a documentary about a puppet that walks from Syria to other countries to heighten awareness of the global refugee crisis. The film was scored by Duke Bojadziev P.D. ’01.

Professor Beth Denisch’s song “Yanvalou” was recorded by the Prague Radio Orchestra, conducted by Professor Julius Williams. It was inspired by Katherine Dunham, a pioneering dance anthropologist and leader in bringing African culture to the American public.

Associate Professor Marko Djordjevic ‘93, Matthew Garrison ‘92, and Ole Mathisen B.M. ‘88 form the Take Off Collective, which performed at the inaugural Sweet Summer Sun Music Festival in Greece and at the Bang on a Can’s Long Play festival in New York City.

Professor Judith Eissenberg performed as a member of the Lydian String Quartet on the new album Mind Like Water by composer Yu-Hui Chang.

Professor Marti Epstein’s motet “Prayer” was performed by Emmanuel Music; her chamber work “Troubled Queen” was performed by the Callithumpian Ensemble at Boston’s Symphony Hall; and her ensemble work “In Praise of Broken Clocks” was performed by Sound Icon at Boston Conservatory.

Associate Professor Maria Finkelmeier made CODAworx’s 2023 Creative Revolutionaries list, which features 25 individuals at the forefront of what CODAworx, a hub for the commissioned art economy, calls the “artistic-activist revolution.”

Professor Tomo Fujita played a sold-out show at the Bitter End in New York City. It featured Associate Professor Oz Noy (guitar), Will Lee (bass), and Shawn Pelton (drums). He also played to more than 800 people over two nights at Blue Note China in Shanghai.

Professor Laszlo Gardony played two sold-out shows at Scullers Jazz Club: one with his quartet—Don Braden (sax/flute); Yoron Israel (drums), chair of Berklee’s Percussion Department; and Associate Professor John Lockwood (bass)—and the other with Israel’s High Standards sextet.

Professor Bruce Gertz’s song “Waltz 1/19” was a finalist in both the International Acoustic Music Awards competition and the USA Songwriting Competition in the instrumental jazz categories.

Professor Greg Glancey released an album of originals, Ashes to Impulses, and was a featured artist at the 2024 Outside the Box new music festival.

Professor Rich Greenblatt performed three concerts at Café Mercedes Jazz in Valencia, Spain.

Assistant Professor Akram Haddad orchestrated, conducted, and led the music with the New York Arabic Orchestra for the Ubisoft game Assassin’s Creed Mirage; contributed compositions to the film Yes Repeat No; and arranged the song “Toyour” for the Red Sea Film Festival.

Assistant Professor Susan Hagen toured New England playing Serge Koussevitzky’s double bass with British bassist David Heyes in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Koussevitzky’s birth.

Professor Herman Hampton created a scholarship and support program in honor of the late Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old violinist and massage therapist. He also has string players from University of Massachusetts at Lowell perform at the Humane Society of Lowell for animals awaiting adoption.

Professor Darla Hanley presented at the Association for Music in International Schools Music Educators’ Conference in Croatia; the Midwest Clinic International Band, Orchestra and Music Conference in Chicago; and the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention in San Antonio.

Assistant Professor Jamie Lynn Hart launched a digital course for singers, How to Warm Up Your Voice. She was also interviewed by The Guardian as a guest expert, discussing the concept of “cursive singing.”

Associate Professor Joseph Hughes signed to work with Gobsmack Studio in New York City to turn his award-winning memoir The Smuggler’s Apprentice into a longform narrative series podcast, under the working title The Last Smuggler.

Professor Hey Rim Jeon received a Global Leadership Award from SHE EXIST Magazine. The award ceremony, in New York, celebrated leaders from various professions. An article about her musical journey from Korea to the States was included in SHE EXIST’s summer issue.

Professor Andrea Johnson’s case study called “Snoop Dogg Takes Death Row to the Metaverse and Beyond with an NFT Label” was published by Sage Publications.

Associate Professor Peter Jonatan collaborated with the Grammy-winning Metropole Orkest on his debut album, Psalms Symphony.

Professor Scarlet Keys gave the TEDx talk “What’s in a Song?” and is releasing a book about hope and wellness called What If It All Goes Right: Practicing Hope in the Hardest Times, which she wrote after going through treatment for cancer.

Assistant Professor Julie Kinscheck is cowriting and recording contemporary Christian songs to be released with producer Neal Merrick Blackwood.

Professor Teodros Kiros interviewed superstar Yara Shahidi for African Ascent international as well as Patricia Danillo for Excellence, which is the new name of African Ascent International.

Assistant Professor Ezra Kruzich has been pursuing a Ph.D. in neurobiology at Boston University; performing across Boston with his band, EZZY; and teaching anatomy and physiology at Berklee.

Assistant Professor Steve Langone released a book on Hudson Music titled The Snare Drummer’s Real Book and has been performing with Ron Bosse B.M. ’93 and Grammy-winning keyboardist Jeff Lorber ’71.

Joe Lovano is a founding member of Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute and has been the Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance since 2001.

Assistant Professor Stefano Marchese and Professor Andrea Pejrolo released Scanzonati, their debut album that blends Italian songwriting with jazz, and features Berklee faculty and alumni.

Mike Mason, chair of the Africana Studies Department, was interviewed by the Lincoln Center podcast Art Class and will present this summer at the National Association for Negro Musicians Conference in Los Angeles, discussing Berklee’s Africana Studies degree program.

Associate Professor Giorgi Mikadze released the album Face to Face: Georgian Songbook, Vol. 1 to rave reviews by The Independent, Jazz Weekly, All About Jazz, and other publications.

Assistant Professor Isabeau Miller coproduced the acclaimed Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio, which features a cast of several autistic actors portraying autistic characters. It was nominated for a GLAAD award.

Professor LaMarcus Miller created and planned the 2023 State of Music in Media Conference and the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop for the Guild of Music Supervisors. He was also head music supervisor on the upcoming documentary about Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets.

Associate Professor Yoko Miwa performed in the Ahmad Jamal Memorial in New York City at Lincoln Center in the Appel Room with Calvin Keys (guitar) and Peter Washington (bass). Jamal’s daughter cited Miwa as one of her father’s favorite pianists.

Assistant professors Chase Morrin and Naseem Alatrash, along with George Lernis B.M. ’05, M.M. ’21, comprise the Ize Trio, which released the album The Global Suites. The trio performed two sold-out shows in San Diego, received a prestigious Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant, and started a fundraiser at GoFundMe for the Ize Trio.

Professor Joe Mulholland played piano and keyboard in a pair of concerts by the Orchestra on the Hill, in Ipswich, MA. The composers collaborated with local visual artists and storytellers to create multimedia works for chamber orchestras.

Matthew Nicholl, dean of the Professional Writing and Music Technology Division, released Still Life with Voices (Casa Limón), an album of vocal and instrumental pieces featuring several Berklee faculty members and alumni.

Professor Andrea Pejrolo released the single “A Place for You to Call Home,” which features Victor Mendoza ’81 (vibraphone),

Assistant Professor Lihi Haruvi (saxophone), Garry Dial (piano), and Mauricio Zottarelli B.M. ’02 (drums).

Assistant Professor Olivia Pérez-Collellmir was the music director of a Berklee student ensemble that performed at celebrations surrounding the Latin Grammys as a part of a tribute to Paco de Lucía.

The album BTR that Jonathan Perkins, assistant chair of the Songwriting Department, wrote for went platinum, and the Chainsmokers’ single “Young,” which he did programming for, went gold.

Associate Professor Jes Perry, the interim assistant chair of the Professional Music Department, released “That’s What Christmas Is.” Guitarist, producer, and educator Steve Fekete B.M. ’96 cowrote and produced the song.

Annette Philip, artistic director of the Berklee India Exchange, was nominated for an Izzie (Isadora Duncan Dance Award) for her original music in Pehchaan (Identity) by Ishami Dance Company, exploring South Asian identities through culture, gender, sexuality, and immigrant journeys.

Professor Mimi Rabson served as the director for the Rockland County Music Educators Association’s jazz string orchestra in February. Sixty high school string players learned tunes by ear and had the opportunity to improvise.

Associate Professor Rishabh Rajan released an EP, Cigarettes in Cinema.

Professor Ron Reid received the Sunshine Award for his contributions to Caribbean music culture and education.

Professor Alex Rodriguez recorded and mixed a big band jazz album that was produced and composed by Professor Fernando Huergo, and featured several Berklee faculty. He also recorded and mixed the fall 2023 Berklee Singers Showcase dedicated to Madonna.

Associate Professor Justin Rhodes was a producer on Killer Mike’s Grammy-winning album Michael. His film King of Dallas was released in early 2024. His album, 4 Letter Word, with his group Lisa Simpson, and his book, These Dreams Ain’t Free, are scheduled to be released this year.

Professor Ned Rosenblatt’s Advanced Vocal Jazz Ensemble received an Outstanding Performance Award from the DownBeat Student Music Awards and performed at the 2024 American Choral Directors Association Eastern Region Conference.

Assistant Professor Dominic Sahagun created the music, lyrics, and book for the show The Muskrats, starring Tony winner Lena Hall and Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis. He has written five plays in the past two years.

Associate Professor Angela Farr Schiller is chairing the 2024 American Society of Theatre Research national conference in Seattle; coedited the second volume of The Methuen Trans Drama Book of Trans Plays; and was in a national promo for Clothes Story on TBS/TNT.

Assistant Professor Justin Sheriff joined the Music Production and Engineering Department, teaching classes in independent recording and production. “Ashes,” a song he recorded, mixed, and mastered, went RIAA-certified gold.

Professor Mark Simos was an invited presenter at the AI, Music, and Creativity International Symposium at Hong Kong University in March. Professor Simos presented two talks via video: “AI Song Contests: Perspectives of a Songwriter, Judge, and Facilitator,” and “Navigating the Emerging AI/Songwriting Landscape with the Songwriter’s Compass.”

Instructor Adai Song released two EPs in December: one in English, Sex Scene Songs, and the other in Chinese, Mom, I’m 30.

Professor Jeri Sykes’s orchestrations for the original rock opera Born to Do This won the 2023 BroadwayWorld Boston Award for Best Orchestra Performance.

Associate Professor Nicholas Urie wrote arrangements for recordings by the double bassist James Oesi and guitarist Oscar Jerome, and arrangements for the Metropole Orkest show Games in Concert: The Score and Avond van de Filmmuziek program.

Karen Wacks received the title of professor emeritus of music therapy in recognition of her long, distinguished career teaching in the Music Therapy Department. She helped the department develop a strong foundation shortly after its inception.

David Wallace, chair of the String Department; associate professors Helen Sherrah-Davies and Jeremy Harman; Professor Mimi Rabson; and David Clark performed at the Museum of Fine Arts’ Art in Tune event in Boston. The quintet performed original compositions and arrangements on the museum’s collection of NS Design instruments.

Professor Victor Wallis’s essay “Toward a Radical Popular Culture: Political and Musical Reflections” appears in the 2023 Smithsonian publication Culture Throughlines: Values, Visions and Transformation: African American Music, American Culture, and Society, edited by retired professor William Banfield.

Associate Professor Jason Yeager music-directed Julie Benko’s sold-out Mardi Gras show at Birdland Jazz Club and performed solo at Carnegie Hall. This October, he and Associate Professor Jason Anick, supported by a Faculty Recording Grant, will release Sanctuary.

Assistant Professor Zahili Gonzalez Zamora performed with her Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble at the Celebrity Series of Boston’s Neighborhood Arts concert series. On Jazz International Day, GBH Music and JazzBoston presented a concert of her music at GBH Studios.

Associate Professor Gina Zdanowicz and Assistant Professor Spencer Bambrick collaborated on the music, sound design, and audio implementation for Eternights, a PlayStation game.

Professor Nancy Zeltsman released the album Purple Music and played on “Poconos” by Professor Leo Blanco and “Prelude 3” by Howard Skempton.

Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Assistant Professor Alexander Crosett released a solo piano album, American Excursions.

Instructor Felicia Gavilanes received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording for her performance in John Corigliano’s The Lord of Cries. It was her third role with Odyssey Opera and her second recording with Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

Professor Bruce Hangen is celebrating his 25th anniversary season as artistic director and conductor of the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra at the Groton Hill Music Center. He also guest-conducted the Florida Orchestra in performances of Holiday Pops concerts.

Assistant Professor Vimbayi Kaziboni won the 2024 Alice M. Ditson Fund Conductor’s Award, which recognizes conductors who have a distinguished record of performing and championing contemporary American music.

Isaí Jess Muñoz, interim dean of music, was elected president of the National Opera Association.

Instructor Emily Siar won first place at the 48th National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards competition in January.

Assistant Professor Christopher Sierra performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Der fliegende Holländer and Aida; sang Bach’s Coffee Cantata at the Boston Conservatory Artist in Action Chamber Series; and presented his culturally responsive teaching research at the College Music Society National Conference.

Assistant Professor Alice Yamada wrote the article “Quand l’exigence s’invite sur scène: le cas du musical Chicago,” and published in the French translation journal Traduire.

Berklee Valencia 

Instructor Joshua Wheatley has been performing with the SongAh Chae Trio in London and across Spain. The group—composed of Wheatley (drums),

Songah Chae P.D. ’12, M.M. ’20 (piano), and Samuel Keri B.M. ’21, M.M. ’22 (bass)—released the album In the Beginning in January.