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

Grammy, Emmy, and Tony–winning artist Cyndi Lauper took center stage at the 2024 Berklee NYC Career Expo, an all-day networking event that connected dozens of accomplished professionals in the recording and publishing business, live music and event production, and Broadway theater with graduate students of the Berklee NYC program. The expo took place on Monday, January 22, at several spaces inside Power Station, the iconic studio and home to Berklee's New York City campus, while the keynote panel with Lauper was held at the Five Angels Theater at the 52nd Street Project.

Lauper joined moderators and Berklee NYC faculty members Julianne Wick Davis, director of the writing and design for musical theater program, and Merrily James, assistant dean and director of the songwriting and production program, for a discussion that delved into her personal experiences in the entertainment business, exploring how she forged, sustained, and innovated her career.

Influential industry veterans also participated in the event, including Pete Ganbarg, president of A&R at Atlantic Records; Emmanuel Wilson, co-executive director of the Dramatists Guild of America; independent artist and singer-songwriter Barrie; Shani Fuller-Tillman, vice president of marketing for RCA Records/Sony Music; and Broadway producer and creative director Clint Ramos.

"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. We extend our gratitude to all of the brilliant artists and industry leaders who shared their experiences with our students," said Betsie Becker, acting executive director of Berklee NYC. "Our team places an extremely high value on delivering meaningful and relevant industry insights to the aspiring professionals in our program, and this event reaffirmed that shared passion within our community in every way."

Multiple Berklee NYC faculty members moderated 11 different learning sessions, which covered a range of topics, including how a song is created, produced, and marketed in today’s business. The sessions also included an interactive workshop for theater writers; a behind-the-scenes look at the anatomy of the modern music festival; and firsthand insights from the creative designers and producers of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Broadway musical Here Lies Love.

The 2024 Berklee NYC Career Expo also offered learning and networking opportunities for graduate students from each of the program’s degree offerings.