Berklee Celebrates Class of 2021 with Virtual Commencement

In two virtual commencement celebrations earlier today, Berklee President Roger H. Brown presented honorary doctorates to music icons Celine Dion, Donald Harrison, and Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, and Boston Conservatory at Berklee Executive Director Cathy Young presented honorary doctorates to theater legend Chita Rivera and acclaimed pianist André Watts. All honorary degree recipients addressed the respective classes of 2021 in prerecorded videos. Berklee College of Music’s class of 2021 consists of 859 students representing 56 countries and 43 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.; Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s class of 2021 consists of 195 students representing 20 countries and 37 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.

Berklee College of Music’s annual commencement concert, which was broadcast on YouTube the previous evening, featured some of the College and Conservatory’s most accomplished students paying tribute to this year’s College honorees by performing their music. Pieces performed included “Happy,” Williams’s Oscar-nominated song from Despicable Me 2, and a tribune to the Neptunes featuring “She Wants to Move” by Williams and Hugo’s group N.E.R.D., “Hot in Herre” by Nelly, and several other chart-topping songs. Dion’s tribute included the Oscar-winning ballad “My Heart Will Go On,” “Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore,” her signature French-language song, and her covers of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” and “The Power of Love.” Harrison performed with students for his tribute portion of the concert, singing lead vocals on “Dat’s Jazz” and “Hu-Ta-Nay (Reprise),” on which he also performed alto saxophone. He also played alto saxophone with a student band for “The Magic Touch,” “Nouveau Swing,” and “Hu-Ta-Nay.” 

Watch Berklee College of Music's 2021 commencement concert: 

You’re never really alone when you have music in your life...go out there and express yourself with the confidence and enthusiasm of champions.

—Celine Dion

In Dion’s remarks to graduates during the Berklee College of Music ceremony, the legendary Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer spoke about the unifying power of music. “Music vibrates deep into our very core, and it’s a way we can express ourselves like no other,” she said. “It’s a unique language that has no barriers, and you’re never really alone when you have music in your life.” In closing, she offered congratulations and encouragement to the graduates, saying, “Berklee College of Music, I’m forever grateful for the honor you bestowed upon me, and class of 2021, go out there and express yourself with the confidence and enthusiasm of champions—give it everything you’ve got. Let the world hear you; I’m rooting for you!"

In his address, visionary recording artist, producer, songwriter, philanthropist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur Williams said to the graduating class, “Your situation is destined for you…what the universe has for you, no man can stop. You didn’t go through all the years of training and all the years of education and schooling to stop here. The universe closes windows only to open doors—this is the beginning for you.” Williams expressed gratitude for his family as well as the family of his creative partner and collaborator, Hugo, for their support throughout the years in his remarks.

Two-time Grammy winner and multiplatinum producer Hugo offered gratitude for the teachers in his life in his address to the class of 2021. “We owe so much to the music educators that saw the potential in us students to help instill in us that, as musicians, we have a greater purpose and responsibility,” he said. Hugo celebrated the graduating class’s gift to unite and bring people together, saying, “The gift we share is so unique, so powerful in how it can inspire and uplift.” In closing, he shared words of praise, stating, “We cannot wait to see how you do it your way—the world needs that inspiration, especially right now.”

Legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Donald Harrison began his remarks by thanking his family for supporting his interest in music from a young age through the present moment. Harrison, a 1981 graduate of the College, reminisced on his music education, saying, “I still remember the feeling of knowing I was in the right place the moment I stepped through the doors at 1140 Boylston Street.” Following his time at Berklee, he shared the lessons he learned from performing with over 250 master music innovators throughout his decades-long career. In closing, he offered the following advice to the graduating class: “With music, like life, the more you work and put into it, the more you will see from your efforts.”

Believe in yourself. Be ready. You’ll never know when that amazing opportunity will present itself.

—Chita Rivera

In Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s ceremony, Rivera, theatrical icon and one of Broadway's greatest triple-threats, delivered remarks to the class of 2021, saying, “You’ll need a little love and perseverance to have a career in the arts.” She spoke to her fearlessness and resilience following a car accident early in her career, resuming life on the stage just a year later. Rivera encouraged the graduates to pay attention to those around them, offering the following advice: “Believe in yourself. Be ready. You’ll never know when that amazing opportunity will present itself.” She closed with thanks to the institution and a mortarboard salute for the graduates.

The acclaimed pianist Watts imparted extra congratulations to the graduating class for completing their degrees during the pandemic. The artist touched upon the process of receiving advice as a young performer from a teacher, and opposite advice from his mother, ahead of a performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of 14. Once the performance ended, both his teacher and mother reached the same conclusion: the performance had been a success since he had taken their advice to heart, when in reality he honed his own performance style for the concert. “Just hear and listen to all advice: examine it, examine the topic, reject some advice, and get out there and think for yourselves,” Watts said. In closing, he offered pieces of advice from others that have guided his life, and wished peace upon the graduating class.

Everybody has music inside of them—learn to hear it.

—Susan Rogers

Greetings from Berklee College of Music faculty members in the College’s ceremony were delivered by Susan Rogers, professor in the Music Production and Engineering Department. Rogers, a lauded record producer, engineer, mixer, audio electronics technician, and scholar, spoke to her life as a nonmusician, working for superstars like Prince and Tommy Jordan, in her remarks to the graduates. “I try to help students understand why the wrong note played with gusto always sounds better than the right note played timidly,” she said. “And I give them the advice that Prince would give to his band: ‘If you make a mistake, make it twice.’” Rogers closed her address by stating, “Everybody has music inside of them—learn to hear it.”

The student speaker for the Berklee College of Music ceremony was Rowanne Atallah, a performance major from Beirut, Lebanon. In her address to the graduates, she highlighted the uncertainty of the past year while looking towards a bright future for the arts, saying, “We are in a time where music is needed the most, and when we are able to safely go out together again, music and performance will explode all around the world.” In closing, she said, “To my peers in the graduating class of 2021, may we excel in everything we do, may we inspire the world with our music and art, and may we get inspired by the hidden beauty that life has to offer. And now, let’s rock!” 

The student speaker for Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s ceremony was Maya Giles, a violin performance major from Bowie, Maryland. In her remarks, Giles reminisced about her love of music from a young age, growing up in the African American traditions of gospel, R&B, jazz, and hip-hop. She was captivated by her fellow students from her first performance at the Conservatory, serving as an usher for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel during her first year. “This connection that art creates—though fleeting—is worth the hard work and pursuit every time,” she said. Following an unexpected return from her study abroad in Valencia, Spain, last spring due to the pandemic, Giles remembered feeling alone, and rediscovering her community through kind words, outreach, and collaboration in art. “What do you do when you’re in the darkest nights of the world? You become the light. You cannot heal the world with your gifts unless you heal yourself from within—and once you do, the dawn starts to break.” She closed with optimism about the future for herself and her classmates, saying, “We will…look upon each other as brothers and sisters of one earth, and use our gifts to uplift one another.”