Remembering Lee Eliot Berk

Interim President and Provost David Bogen shares a tribute to Lee Eliot Berk: 

Lee Eliot Berk, our institution’s namesake and second president, passed away unexpectedly on October 21 in Phoenix, Arizona, where he and his wife, Susan, have lived for the past 12 years.

Lee was a champion of music and dedicated his entire career to music education and building Berklee into an internationally renowned institution that has become the desired destination for countless music students from across the globe.

Born in 1942, Lee was the only son of the late Lawrence Berk, founder and first president of the school, and Alma Berk, who served alongside husband Lawrence as Berklee’s chief public affairs officer. Lee earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1964 and his juris doctor degree from Boston University School of Law in 1966. He began working at Berklee following his graduation, serving as bursar and supervisor of the private study division. He put his legal background to use by teaching courses on music law and copyright issues. He authored the book Legal Protection for the Creative Musician, which won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award in 1971 as best book in music.

He served as Berklee’s vice president from 1971 to 1979 and worked on the acquisition of new properties in the Back Bay to address the needs of Berklee’s surging student population. Lee oversaw the purchase of property on Massachusetts Avenue and development of the site to become a residence hall, an educational facility, and the Berklee Performance Center. He became the college’s second president in 1979, succeeding his father, and held that post for 25 years until retiring in 2004.

His achievements as president are numerous and immense, but some highlights include establishing Berklee City Music to offer music education and scholarships to underserved youth, and the Berklee International Network (now called Berklee Global Partners), which fostered educational partnerships with contemporary music schools around the world. He was also a key member of the committee of Boston-area educators, parents, and public officials who in 1998 founded Boston Arts Academy, the city’s first high school for the visual and performing arts.

Lee was widely celebrated for his work with such honors as the Hall of Fame Award from IAJE; President’s Merit Award for Outstanding Educational Achievement from NARAS; and the NAMM Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Music Products Industry. In 2004, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan for strengthening Japanese and American cultural ties. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Art from Columbia College Chicago in 2009.

After retiring from Berklee, Lee and Susan moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and immediately began working to support music and the arts. Lee was appointed commissioner of music for the state of New Mexico by then-governor Bill Richardson and was involved in the founding of the New Mexico School for the Arts. Lee and Susan also began producing concerts for Friends of Santa Fe Jazz. Upon relocating to Sagewood, a senior living community in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2014, they partnered with other music fans to launch a highly successful concert series they named “Woody’s Place.”

Watch a video of Lee Berk sharing a brief history of his time at Berklee in an interview with Gary Burton.

Below, members of our community share their reminiscences about their professional and personal experiences with Lee. 

Gary Burton, former executive vice president of Berklee, says: “I worked alongside Lee Berk for several decades. At times he was my leader and co-worker, often my mentor, and always an understanding friend. I learned valuable life lessons by watching how Lee handled situations and people. This significantly shaped my own work at Berklee. He took the reins at this small but innovative institution and built it into a thriving international success. Most importantly, he always protected the original culture that made Berklee unique in music education. Lee Berk’s legacy will endure as long as Berklee endures.”

Roger Brown, Berklee’s third president, states: “Lee Berk was the architect of the modern Berklee. So many of the institution’s ‘firsts’ happened on his watch, particularly preparing students for opportunities outside of the performance and composition fields. This included adding majors in music therapy, production, engineering, music business, film scoring, and more. He was a kind, wise, and thoughtful leader. Perhaps even more impressive was the constant love he radiated for his wife Susan, their children Lucy and Nancy, and their grandchildren. He was unfailingly supportive of me as his successor.”

Ron Savage, vice president and executive director, Berklee College of Music, remembers: “I saw Lee and Susan Berk in April when they visited the college and spent an hour with me in my office. Lee was very pleased to hear about my new role at the college and shared with me that my current office was his father Lawrence’s original office when the college moved into the 1140 Boylston Street building. I always considered Lee a supporter, friend, and mentor. From my first semester on, he offered me encouragement and advice about the meaning of music education and the vision and intention his father had for our students. Lee showed tremendous respect for our faculty and students and felt great pride in the success of our alumni. Lee truly believed in the power of music and music education to affect positive change in the world, and that Berklee was the best place for young musical artists to come to perfect their understanding of the universal language of music. Hearing the news of his passing was tragic for me, and I offer my condolences to Susan and their daughters.”

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Lee Berk,” relates Terri Lyne Carrington, founder and artistic director, Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. “When I was 10 years old, his parents, Lawrence and Alma Berk, awarded me a Berklee scholarship, and this began my association with the Berk family. I can’t recall when I met Lee and his wife Susan, as they seemed to always be in my life. But I do remember that Lee was very kind and supportive to me over the years, with his welcoming and calm disposition. He selected me to receive an honorary doctorate from Berklee during his last year as president. He made an exception to the age requirements for me as I was 38 at the time and the required age for Berklee’s honorary doctorate candidates was 40. I was beyond honored that he felt me deserving of such recognition. His faith in my abilities and potential was quite encouraging, and helped put wind beneath my wings. Lee was a good man who loved the college and music, putting his heart and soul into making this the best music school in the world. I’m very proud to contribute and carry on his legacy at Berklee.”

“During the more than 20 years I worked for Lee, there are many achievements for which he has and will be celebrated,” says Tom Riley, retired vice president for external affairs. “Two that stand out to me as examples of his visionary approach were the creation of Berklee City Music in 1987 and the Berklee International Network the following year. With an eye toward serving talented young students in the Boston and global music communities, Lee recognized the value of Berklee’s educational programs to reach beyond our campus. It was my honor to experience the dedicated commitment and compassion Lee brought to our students everyday.”

Curtis Warner, retired associate vice president, community and government relations/executive director, Berklee City Music, recalls: “So many of the memorable moments that I had with Lee had to do with discussions around family, not only with the loyalty he had towards his own family—Susan, Nancy, and Lucy—but also the interest he showed towards the families of others. He led the college as if we all were his family, and those of us under his tutelage benefited greatly. A most memorable example of how he valued families was the love he showed towards my own family when I had to bring my 10-year-old daughter to work due to an unfavorable circumstance at her school. Lee held staff meetings every Monday morning, and each of us sitting around the table would give him an oral update on our activities. Finally, when we thought all had been reported, Lee said to my daughter, ‘India, we would also like to hear from you. What have you been doing?’ Having enough interest in my daughter to include her in the morning staff report told me everything I really needed to know about Lee.”

“Lee Berk was a visionary leader with a heart of gold,” remembers Debbie Cavalier, senior vice president of pre-college, online, and professional programs/CEO, Berklee Online. “He led Berklee with kindness and an entrepreneurial spirit. He made Berklee into the world’s leader for contemporary music education. While president, Lee broadened our curricular scope to include music business, music technology, and music therapy. He extended our reach and increased access opportunities by establishing Berklee’s International Network, Berklee City Music, Berklee Summer Programs, and Berklee Online. Lee broke boundaries with brave new initiatives including the first songwriting major, accepting electric guitar as a principal instrument, and so much more. His dedication to Berklee and our students was lifelong and fierce. Throughout his nearly 20 years in retirement, Lee stayed in contact with the Berklee community. He devoted his life to helping and supporting aspiring musicians. He was a wonderful, caring person and I will miss him.”

Damien Bracken, dean of admissions, relates: “As a young working musician living in NYC who came to Boston for the summer, I took a part-time job at Berklee to gain access to a piano in order to continue my work as an arranger/producer. I had only been at Berklee a few days when Rosemary (the telephone receptionist in the 1140 building who knew everything going on at Berklee) told me that the president would like to see me. I wondered why on earth the president of Berklee would want to meet the part-time copy boy. I nervously went to the sixth floor and Lee warmly welcomed me into his office. He had learned that I was a musician from Ireland and explained to me that Berklee is a family and he wanted to personally welcome me. That small, kind gesture had a profound impact and I realized that Berklee was a very special place indeed. Thank you Lee. You turned a part-time gig into a lifelong passion, not just a career.”

Lee Berk leaves his wife and soulmate of 48 years, Susan; daughters Nancy Langan and her husband Jake Langan, and Lucy Berk-Fisher and her husband Jon Fisher; and four grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 27, at 11:00 a.m. at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, 475 Washington Street, Canton, Massachusetts. The service will be livestreamed at tinyurl.com/lee-eliot-berk.

Gifts in Lee’s memory will be divided equally between the Berklee Fund and the Lee and Susan Berk Endowment at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Your generous donations will help perpetuate the educational and artistic pursuits that meant so much to him. To make a contribution, please visit berklee.edu/giving/lee-eliot-berk. Additionally, we've set up a dedicated page where you can share your stories and memories of Lee.

Lee has left us, but the work he and his family accomplished, which has touched innumerable lives around the world, will stand as an enduring monument to their dedication to music and the power of education to change lives and build communities.

To learn more about Lee Berk and the Berk family, you can explore two digital exhibits presented by the Berklee Archives: the Berk Family Collection and Lee Eliot Berk. The collections include assorted Berklee documents and ephemera; artifacts and awards presented to members of the Berk family in recognition of their service and accomplishments; other professional records or tributes; and scrapbooks, photographs, and audiovisual recordings.