Alum Notes: Fall 2023

1965

Dàmaris Gelabert Fernández of Barcelona, Spain, cofounded the organization Grow Up Singing, with the aim of enriching the lives of children with music. He hopes that musicians from around the world will join the project or collaborate with it.

1968

Robert Fritz B.M. ’66 and M.M. of Newfane, VT, wrote and directed the film POEM, which was shown at the Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival.

1970

Harry Drabkin B.M. of Denver, CO, is a semi-retired medical oncologist working part-time for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and occasionally performs at Denver jazz clubs Nocturne and Dazzle with pianist Eric Gunnison B.M. ’79. 

Harvie Swartz B.M. of Bronx, NY, is the bassist and recording engineer for, and producer of, the last three recordings by Alan Broadbent ’79 on Savant Records. Swartz’s latest release, Going for It (Savant), features a recording from 1985 with Mike Stern ’75 and former faculty member Alan Dawson.

1971

Kazzrie Jaxen of Callicoon, NY, was featured in an in-depth article for All About Jazz, "Kazzrie Jaxen: The Impulse of Creation," by Jakob Baekgaard. 

Randy Klein of New York, NY, was a finalist in the Best Instrumental category of the 19th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards for his song "Changes."

1973

Kevin Driscoll B.M. of Framingham, MA, is a puppet ventriloquist who debuted his song “Where Will We Go When You’re Gone” as the opening act for the Super Thursday Night Show at the Vent Haven International Ventriloquist ConVENTion.

Carl Holzapfel of Centennial, CO, stopped gigging after 45 years to focus solely on his online session drummer business, and has been recording for clients around the world from his Colorado studio. 

1974

Denise DeCaro B.M. of Camarillo, CA, recorded a new album, The Very Thought of You and Other Love Letters (bigBANG Records LA). 

David Alan Newman B.M. of Lititz, PA, performed with late Tim Price ’73 for the last decade at clubs, private functions, and arts festivals. 

1975

Bobby Deitch of Upper Nyack, NY, toured with Forever Ray, the world’s elite Ray Charles tribute band, and performed reimagined Stevie Wonder jazz and funk songs with the Wonder Trio.

Richard Niles B.M. of Mission Viejo, CA, released a new octet album, Niles Smiles, and book Adventures in Jazz Composition. His video course "Arrange Like a Pro" is available from ProMix Academy. 

1976

Carl Fritsche of Eatontown, NJ, is studying online at University of Dubuque Theological Seminary to become a pastor.

Bruce Gertz of Melrose, MA, is releasing his 21st album, In Real Time, this fall (Open Mind Jazz). He’ll also release the single called “Waltz 1/19,” featuring Walter Smith III, chair of the Woodwind Department; Lawrence Fields ’08; Marvin Smitty Smith B.M. ’81; and Vic Juris. 

1977

Richard Gibbs B.M. of Malibu, CA, was elected as governor of the Motion Picture Academy.

Harrison Robert Goldberg of Gualala, CA, wrote the young adult novel Once Upon a Tune: One Young Man’s Quest to Become a Jazz Saxophonist.

1978

Elizabeth A. Ficalora B.M. of Nashville, TN, designed the Drum Chart Builder app for the working drummer. The app was based on her book How to Write a Fast and Easy Drum Chart,  available on Amazon.

Gary Relkin of Belleair Bluffs, FL, and his band, the New York Guitar Cats, have been entertaining audiences for the last 15 years at a local concert hall, and continue to perform at Florida clubs, hotels, and resorts along the Gulf of Mexico, which it's been doing since 1998

Bennet Riley of Bristol, RI, has worked with members of the Joe Perry Project and has opened for various English and American international rock bands.

1980

Win Bent of Austin, TX, has released Gli Altri, his latest album of electronic ambient music. The album’s name means “the others.” For more information and free streaming, visit haus.org/glialtri.

Michael J. Persico B.M. of Sandwich, MA, was the producer and director of "Classic Jazz Visions: The Photography of Jack Bradley," a multimedia presentation of Bradley's work and friendship with Louis Armstrong.

1982

Heidi Knowlton Langan B.M. of Austin, TX, retired after 27 years of teaching. The last 25 of her career were spent at Austin Independent School District teaching elementary music.

Benjamin Smeall B.M. of Green Bay, WI, is writing songs and teaching music at Menominee Indian High School.

1983

Kris S. Chesky B.M. of Denton, TX, joined Johns Hopkins University as a professor of performing arts health, investigating issues at the intersection of music and health.

Emiel van Egdom of Rekem, Belgium, has worked on several recording projects as producer and/or guitarist, including a project with artist Paula Knooren for her album of children's stories, which was accompanied by a book. 

Gabriel Espinosa of Pella, IA, released Bossas & Boleros with multiple fellow alumni for the New York music label Zoho Records.

Jenny Hill of Croton-on-Hudson, NY, plays saxophone and flute with the band Liquid Horn, which was awarded a 2023 Performance Plus grant from Chamber Music America. The grant provides funding for rehearsals with a jazz mentor and a recording session.  

Lennie Moore B.M. of Santa Rosa, CA, scored and implemented over two hours of music for orchestra, choir, and soloists for the video game Outcast 2: A New Beginning. He also released a big band album, Mentors, which was recorded remotely during the pandemic.

Steve Thomas B.M. of Concord, MA, wrote music for Windows on Earth, a 48-minute film of stunning photography of Earth captured by astronauts from the International Space Station. Earth Movie Theater released the film.

1984

James R. Centorino M.M. of Cambria, CA, released the single “Eyes of the Forest” and received the Arts Council Alumni Award from Boston College.

Scott Gershin B.M. of Stevenson Ranch, CA, won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for an Animated Program for the series Maya and the Three for his work as a sound supervisor, sound designer, and mixer.

Joel Goodman B.M. of Topanga, CA, recently released the album An Exquisite Moment, coproduced by his longtime friend Joe Mardin B.M. '85 of New York, NY. The album, which features several Berklee alumni and has earned kudos throughout the jazz world, including a spot on NPR Music's Jazz Night playlist, was recorded partly at Power Station at Berklee NYC. 

Dan Mockensturm of Clearwater, FL, recorded automated dialogue replacement for all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies. 

Michael Nickolas of Holden, MA, has written music for various television shows, including RuPal’s Drag Race, Married at First Sight, and Tyler Perry’s Bruh.

Barry Rocklin of Revere, MA, spent 3,364 nights at sea performing both solo piano and vocal shows, and dueling pianos. Rocklin gives master classes in singing at major national conventions.

Michael E. Russo B.M. of Doylestown, PA, is an audiobook narrator with 13 books to his credit. The most recent, I Was Playing Their Song, is the autobiography of three-time Tony-nominated orchestrator Larry Blank, and is available on Amazon.

1985

Dana Friedman B.M. of New York, NY, completed a standup comedy tour in Israel in May 2022 and will be returning in December. She produces Hey We're Back, comedian and actor Jonathan Katz's Emmy Award–winning podcast.

Paul Godwin B.M. of Placerville, CA, composed the art rock opera Fire/Land: Knowing the Territory, which was presented in June at Wakamatsu Farm in Placerville. 

Paul Zarvis of Albany, NY, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in music production. He’s made three studio albums and continues to play, both as soloist and in a band, in the Albany area. 

1986

Kevin Twit B.M. of Nashville, TN, made nine projects of old hymn texts set to new music with Indelible Grace Music. A live album was recorded at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and another was recorded during a sold-out concert at Memphis’s Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. 

1987

Tony DiMito B.M. of Burbank, CA, is a music editor for MICDI Production in Burbank and works as music editor on NBC’s Lopez vs Lopez. He also writes and produces music with Kasim Sulton. He married his Berklee sweetheart, Amy Lowe B.M. ’85, three years ago.

Terje Gewelt of Nesbyen, Norway, released a new album, When Summer Comes, with the Swedish guitar great Staffan William-Olsson.

Julie Kinscheck B.M. of Billerica, MA, published the book Vocal Training for Praise Singers and graduated with a master’s degree in voice pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. 

1988

Derek Davodowich B.M. of Flanders, NJ, and his band, Days Before Tomorrow, have regrouped after a 10-year hiatus. The band, whose music Davodowich describes as “Styx/Kansas meets Rush/Dream Theater," released a video for the first single from its new EP, Now and Then, Part II.

Thomas Alexander Stein B.M. of Gloucester, MA, is the inaugural department head and professor of music for the School of Culture and Creativity at United International College in Zhuhai, China. 

1989

David Bondelevitch B.M. of Denver, CO, retired as a tenured associate professor after 30 years in higher education at the University of Colorado Denver's Music & Entertainment Industries Studies program and University of Southern California. 

Dow Brain B.M. of Newton, MA, is a composer for Burnett Music in Los Angeles. He has contributed to the music scores for Temptation Island, Claim to Fame, Nailed It!, The Real Love Boat, and Ring Nation. 

Anthony Dec of Southampton, NY, is an independent podcast architect, strategist, and content developer working with high-profile as well as independent podcasters. 

Dimos Dimitriadis B.M. of Corfu, Greece, was named dean of the faculty of music and audiovisual arts at the Ionian University, remains active as a jazz musician, and serves on the board of the International Association of Schools of Jazz.

Bob Folse B.M. of Weston, FL, was a finalist in the Best Instrumental category of the 19th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards for his song "Luna Llena."

Dave Mullen B.M. of North Arlington, NJ, was the touring saxophonist with Gloria Gaynor. He released his new jazz album, Solace (Mullsoul Music Records), which has garnered airplay nationally and internationally.

1990

Thomas Mark Anthony B.M. of Wayne, PA, released his second album under the artist name TERMINAL, called The New Republic.

John Baldwin of Elizabeth City, NC, was nominated for nine Trop Rock Music Association awards and had six top 40 songs on indie trop rock radio. He was music captain and guitarist for the dance performance show Celtic Fyre at Busch Gardens. His praise music videos aired on AIM Christian Television.

Stevie Blacke B.M. of Sherman Oaks, CA, flew to London with P!nk to conduct songs he arranged and directed for BBC Radio 2: The Piano Room. He also arranged for Air Supply and Miley Cyrus: Endless Summer Vacation, and played for Michael Bolton.

Kevin Joseph Galie M.M. of Maltignano, Italy, has garnered 9 million streams over various platforms for the recordings of his re-orchestrations of the ballets Le Corsaire, La Bayadere, Laurencia, and Sleeping Beauty, and has a weekly average of 90,000 plays.

Louis Robert King B.M. of New York, NY, cowrote and arranged the album Changing Light with Bay Area band the Ironsides, available on vinyl and streaming via Colemine Records.

Kevin Rapillo B.M. of Nashville, TN, is celebrating his 20th year as the drummer and bandleader for multiplatinum-selling country artist Rodney Atkins. He’s also a member of the band the Amplifier Heads, which released the album Rectifier (New Rumbar Records).

Paul Rogalski of Longmont, CO, recorded with Max Ridgway B.M. ’90 (guitar) and G. Calvin Weston from the group Ornette Coleman & Prime Time. Visit explodingsky.bandcamp.com/album/exploding-sky.

1991

Cristina Abaroa of Sherman Oaks, CA, released Danilo & Chapis’s Vamos Al Zoo, an album for children to raise awareness about the conservation of species around the world; it was mixed, mastered, and arranged by Berklee alumni.

Andrea Bensmiller B.M. of West Harrison, NY, launched a professional music blog at substack.com/synchronized, which focuses on topics in music culture and industry.

Elizabeth Landy B.M. of Woodinville, WA, will be performing Debussy and Ravel string quartets with Emerald City String Quartet at Cascadia Art Museum's October Music in the Museum series while continuing with the 2023–2024 season with both Kirkland Civic Orchestra and Everett Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Geila Zilkha B.M. of Tokyo, Japan, released two albums, Covers and Originals, in 2022 and was nominated for the Music Pen Graph Award in Japan. She is also a professor at Osaka University of Art in the Music Performance Department.

1992

Ken Van Druten of Dallas, TX, is the front-of-house live sound engineer for Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Justin Bieber, Iron Maiden, KISS, Guns N’ Roses, Linkin Park, and many more. He’s earned over a dozen live sound engineer accolades, including a TEC Award and a Parnelli Award.

Jason Eckhardt B.M. of Kerhonkson, NY, was promoted to distinguished professor, the highest faculty honor at the City University of New York, where he teaches music composition. 

Andrew Germain B.M. of Calabasas, CA, is a musician, songwriter, and teacher as well as the author of Harmonious Mind of the Child and the composer of three children’s albums: It’s Your Day, Excuse Me, and Monster in Pink Underwear.

Jason Jennings B.M. of Burbank, CA, was the supervising sound editor for The Nun 2, released in August by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.

Michael Powers B.M. of Wakefield, MA, is the bandleader, drummer, and singer for Lucky 13 and the MP3 Jazz Trio, and teaches drums at the Onset School of Music in Wakefield.

Adam Wake of London, England, signed a global administration deal with Primary Wave publishing in New York City, and cofounded the British dance/pop collective the Disruptiv, which had four top 15 hits on the U.K. dance charts. He also set up the Adam Wake Music Production Scholarship at Berklee.

Eliza Pollack Zebert B.M. of Encino, CA, joined the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. She works as a supervising automated dialogue replacement and dialogue editor for feature films, most notably on Ghosted, Flamin' Hot, Silver Linings Playbook, and Frozen.

1993

Steve McAllister B.M. of Pflugerville, TX, released a new album, I Hope You Are Okay, featuring performances from Dave Gregory (XTC) and Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa). The album was recorded remotely during lockdown and is available on all streaming platforms.

1994

Richard Roccapriore B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, is the drum chair for ’80s band Berlin (“Take My Breath Away” from the movie Top Gun). He also finished his first album, Résumé, with the band Catfish Critters. 

1995

Jen Chapin of Brooklyn, NY, completed five years teaching global history at Brooklyn Prospect High School and earned a second master’s degree, in liberal studies with a concentration in Africana studies, at City University of New York.

Marc Fendel B.M. of Seattle, WA, has collaborated with over 100 artists and musicians around the world.

1996

Alejandro Martinez Casamada B.M. of Barcelona, Spain, cofounded the organization Grow Up Singing, with the aim of enriching the lives of children with music. He hopes that musicians from around the world will join the project or collaborate with it.

Deanna DellaCioppa Colón B.M. of Las Vegas, NV, is the lead actor in a national commercial spot for Jardiance and was cast in a Pepsi commercial with Bad Bunny for Apple Music. She also sang "Sono Bugiarda" for the film Book Club: The Next Chapter, starring Jane Fonda.

Michael Drexler of New York, NY, joined Verifi Media as senior vice president of business development. He continues to run his consulting firm, Drexler Research, working with institutional investors, music technology companies, artists, labels, and publishers on digital strategy, business development, and marketing.

Julian Graciano of Buenos Aires, Argentina, released a new album, Immersive Tango, with his group Graciano 4, produced with Fernando Richard. 

Beto Hale B.M. of Woodland Hills, CA, produced a classical album for Spanish soprano Auxi Belmonte titled Kairos, which was submitted for a 2023 Latin Grammy Award.

Fred Hedemark B.M of Belmont, NC, won his second Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound for his work at the Beijing Olympics. He’s been with the Olympics audio team since 2012 and was with Late Night with Seth Meyers from 2014 to 2022. 

Milton Mermikides B.M. of London, England, is the 37th professor of music at Gresham College, London's oldest educational institution. This historic post, established in 1597, provides free public lectures on a range of subjects to a global audience. Visit gresham.ac.uk.

Christos Rafalides B.M. of Rutherford, NJ, released the album Home, which features guests from around the world presenting music that transcends geographies, cultures, and moods.

Alan Voss of Independence, MO, released his debut album, Baobab, in March.

1997

Justin Ballard B.M. of Hanover, MA, is the frontman and rhythm guitarist for a Chris Cornell tribute band called Song Garden, covering Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog, and solo Cornell material.

Steve Hass of Los Angeles, CA, toured and/or recorded with Ravi Coltrane, John Scofield ’73  ’97H, Mavis Staples ’11H, Christian McBride, Patti Austin ’00H, Mindi Abair B.M. ’91, Jeff Lorber ’71, Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, and Take 6. 

Shie Rozow B.M. of Valencia, CA, music editor and composer on a multitude of big projects, released a book about film music titled Every Note Tells a Story. 

Barry Silver B.M. of North Attleborough, MA, became vice president of information technology for Imperial Distributors in Worcester. He is still an active drummer in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Amy Ward-Wurst B.M. of Overland Park, KS, performed the national anthem for Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City vs. Minnesota United game. 

1998

Bryan Cook B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, produced, recorded, and mixed Jeff Goldlbum’s new jazz album, Plays Well with Others, as well as Ruthie Foster’s album Healing Time, which was produced by alumnus Daniel Barrett.

Daniel S. Gil B.M. of Keene, NH, composed music for Quadrants Vol. 4, released on Navona Records. Visit navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6483.

1999

Timo Arthur of Springfield, IL, has been the lead guitarist for blues harmonica ace Brandon Santini for the past nine years, touring across the United States, Europe, Mexico, Canada, and India.

David W. Collins of North Hollywood, CA, was nominated this year for an Emmy in two categories, Sound Design (for The Mandalorian) and Sound Editing (for The Book of Boba Fett). 

Richard Furch B.M. of Woodland Hills, CA, mixed the score for Assassin's Creed Mirage for Ubisoft, and mixed the song "Don't Think You Ever Loved Me (feat. Lenny Kravitz),” by Tyrese.

Dave Johnstone of Burbank, CA, serves as house band drummer and music director for Dave Koz & Friends at Sea, which toured Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, and will travel to Greece, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt.

2000

Marco Cavina B.M. of Opera, Italy, was commissioned to transcribe the music of world-renowned acoustic guitarist Gilles Le Bigot. The transcriptions were released with Le Bigot's new CD, Bale.

Wydell Croom B.M. of Nashville, TN, earned his Master of Education at Lipscomb University and teaches music in the Nashville school system.

2001

Jocelyn Medina B.M. of Boulder, CO, is on the voice faculty at the University of Colorado Denver and Metro State University of Denver. 

Darcie Nicole B.M. of Ganei Modi’in, Israel, is a Berklee Career Network mentor and Grammy U mentor, in addition to working at Rimon School of Music, a Berklee global partner school.

2002

Jon P. De Lucia B.M. of Brooklyn, NY, has a full-time lectureship at Borough of Manhattan Community College and won a PSC-CUNY grant to record music by the Dave Brubeck Octet with Scott Robinson B.M. '81 and an all-star band.

Philippine Duchateau B.M. of Vienna, Austria, is a jazz faculty member at JAM MUSIC LAB University.

Monica Giraldo B.M. of Bogotá, Columbia, returned to her home away from home in June for an intimate performance at City Winery Boston. 

2003

Shaun Cunningham B.M. of West Hills, CA, is the rerecording mixer for Family Guy, Futurama, American Dad!, and Masters of the Universe: Revelation.

Alejandro Lopez Maciel B.M. of Vancouver, Canada, signed to Padre Records and released a new single, "Si me quieres," under the artist name El Parna Lopez. He’s also voiced ads for Pringles, Toyota, Sky, and many other companies. 

Jonathan Hart Price B.M. of Forest Hills, TN, is vice president of supply chain operations for the Americas and Australia at BMG: The New Music Company, based in Nashville.

2004

Adam Keshen B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, is the head of content administration at Hawk Inc., creating song placements for television via Spirit Music. He also continues to produce and mix for independent artists as well as to do microsync licensing for YouTube videos.

Danny Sullivan B.M. of San Francisco, CA, designs and teaches music classes at San Francisco Ballet School and performed in the Dance-Along Ballet Extravaganza, presented by San Francisco Ballet in Palo Alto.

Sheldon D. Webster of B.M. of Marietta, GA, launched the album Riddimstruction in April. Visit riddimstruction.com.

2006

Mark Byers B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, was a music producer for RuPaul's Drag Race and produced the new version of the theme song. He also cowrote and produced the theme for the Hulu show Drag Me to Dinner.

Lindsay Clark B.M. of Portland, OR, had her new full-length album, Carpe Noctem, featured on NPR, Bandcamp, Oregon ArtsWatch, and more. 

Zachary Ray of Randolph, MA, has had his music highlighted in Rolling Stone India and Vogue India, and is working alongside singers in Mumbai and Kolkata, India.

Giovanni Rotondo B.M. of London, England, had his album, 8-Bit Time Capsule (Enjoy The Ride Records), released in June. The album debuts in music-card format, exclusively through Magic Deck Records. The release, together with its prequels, offers a novel immersive listening experience, merging innovation and nostalgia.

2007

Aaron Jackson B.M. of New York, NY, cowrote and costarred in an A24 movie musical. Other cast members include Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Megan Thee Stallion, Bowen Yang, and Josh Sharp. His novel The Astonishing Life of August March was published by HarperCollins in 2020.

Juan Andres Ospina B.M. of Bogotá, Columbia, produced Karol G’s super hit “Mientras Me Curo del Cora,” for which he arranged and recorded a 38-vocal track accompaniment at home, using his voice. 

Christopher James Vazquez B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, is the program director and a founding partner of SoundLife Music Academy. As a guitarist, he tours with legendary soft-rock band Air Supply.

Ryan Wood B.M. of Provo, UT, graduated with an M.B.A. from Brigham Young University and traveled to India and the Middle East to explore culture and business. 

2008

Julie Grebenau of Somerville, MA, self-released her second full-length album, The Dance. She also hosts a radio show online Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. ET via internet radio station kpiss.fm.

Ken Cheung-Kin Lam B.M. of Hong Kong, China, played guitar in the concert Connie Wong: A Wonderful Journey at this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival.

2009

David Michael Celia of Altadena, CA co-composed music for the BBC hit show Death in Paradise, and for a children’s animation show for Apple TV+ that’s set to air in 2024.

Zoe Sebastian-Evans of Santa Fe, NM, released her new single, “For the Night,” and is working on her new EP, set to release this winter.

Josh Turner of Aurora, CO, released his alternative rock single "Not Satisfied" under his stage name, Josh North.

Matt Witek B.M. of Woodland Hills, CA, is a luxury real estate agent with COMPASS Real Estate in Los Angeles. 

2010

Seth Botos B.M. of Dorchester, MA, released the album Remedy with his band Gozu via Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records.

Scott Gasaway B.M. of Centerville, OH, directs the nationally renowned high school band program at Centerville High School, which was selected to perform in the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Tavonna Miller B.M. of Brooklyn, NY, is enjoying an adjunct professorship in the Theatre, Dance, and Arts Management Department at Long Island University Post in Greenvale, NY.

Jussi Reijonen B.M. of Amsterdam, Netherlands, released the internationally acclaimed album Three Seconds | Kolme Toista with nine artists who were selected out of 576 international ensembles to showcase at jazzahead! in Bremen, Germany.

Jessica Sarin-Perry B.M. of Swampscott, MA, became the interim assistant chair of Berklee’s Professional Music Department in July.

Jordan Seigel B.M. of Reseda, CA, orchestrated the new Hozier album Unreal Unearth. He also arranged and performed the piano version of the song "Long, Long Time" for the HBO series The Last of Us.

Yasser Tejeda B.M. of Brooklyn, NY, released his new album, La Madrugá, via ONErpm. He had previously put out the uplifting single "Tú Ere' Bonita," his collaboration with Vicente García called “En El Naranjo," and his single "Todo Va A Marchar."

Juan Pablo Alvarado Victoria B.M. of Bogotá, Columbia, recorded two albums, Walking the Unknown and The Awakening, for which he composed a total of 19 songs.

Sara Wunsch M.M. of Lachine, Canada, is teaching music theory to musical theater performers and professionals through her online course–based business.

2011

Jeremy Barnett M.M. of New Malden, England, released his debut album, The Longest Year, in 2022. It’s available on all streaming platforms.

Sierra Hull of Nashville, TN, was nominated in the Mandolin Player of the Year and Collaborative Recording of the Year categories of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 34th Annual Music Awards.

Aaron Jay Myers M.M. of Arlington, MA, released his third album of chamber music, Late Night Banter, on Neuma Records while teaching at Boston Conservatory's high school composition intensive.

Charlie Rosen of Brooklyn, NY, won a 2023 Tony Award for Best Orchestration for Some Like It Hot.

Bhrigu Sahni B.M. of Pune, India, released “Everytime,” a collaboration across genres with famed South Asian music producer Karsh Kale and Bollywood playback singer Shalmali Kholgade. 

Marco Scorsolini B.M. of Rome, Italy, composes original music for a number of shows, documentaries, and radio programs for the Italian national station, RAI. 

2012

Shannon Allen B.M. of New York, NY, is the deputy general manager at the Lyric Theatre on Broadway, which runs the Tony Award–winning play Harry Potter and The Cursed Child.

Alex Blizniak B.M. of Nashville, TN, released their debut record, A Step Behind, in April. It features guitar-centric arrangements and dense three-part harmonies, and was made in collaboration with numerous Berklee alumni.

Joseph Capalbo B.M. of Fort Lauderdale, FL, has had his original songs placed in ads for Coca-Cola and U.S. Bank. His music is also playing in over 5,400 AT&T stores globally.

Ivan Chopik B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, is the chief operating officer of Abasi Concepts, a company he co-owns with Tosin Abasi that focuses on designing and manufacturing modern, ergonomic, extended-range guitars.

Brian Dillon B.M. of Jersey City, NJ, joined the Broadway company of Disney’s Aladdin.

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes of Madison, TN, was nominated in the Fiddler of the Year category of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 34th Annual Music Awards.

Sam Luddy B.M. of Methven, New Zealand, is the head of music at Mount Hutt College where he oversees the choir, concert band, and jazz combo.

Matt Savage B.M. of Somerville, MA, released the jazz quartet album The Whole Package! in June. It’s his first acoustic jazz album since 2016 and it contains his largest collection of original songs and jazz standards.

Alysha Suley B.M. of Bloomsburg, PA, released three singles last year on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.

Richard Odell Trotter B.M. of Nashville, TN, self-produced, engineered, and distributed his debut album, Better Late Than Never, in March with the group Richie Trotter and the Motor Company.

2013

Grey Arney B.M. of Boston, MA, learned to speak fluent Chinese after graduation and his Chinese-language songs advocating freedom and democracy have been reported on by Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, and other news outlets. Follow him at @geleilaoshi.

Jessica Kion B.M. of West Warwick, RI, released My Dad Died, a cathartic and honest collection of songs exploring her father’s passing, capturing the complex emotions of grief, love, and regret through poignant lyrics and melodies.

Sebastian Laverde M.M. of Valencia, Spain, has been selected for the second year as a vibraphonist in the Paquito D’Rivera Sextet.

Xiao’an Li B.M. of Allston, MA, is the composer for the new Tetris mobile game by Playstudios. He created the main theme for their flagship game, myVEGAS, which has 90 million users.

Major Noemdoe B.M. of Pretoria, South Africa, released the track “4EVERMORE,” which reached no. 4 on UK Talk Radio and no. 8 on BMS Radio Chicago’s Urban Fire Chart.

Zeniba Now B.M. of Brooklyn, CA, released a new EP, Wholly Chill, with Rodney Bush B.M. ’11.

Catie Offerman B.M. of Nashville, TN, had a new video of her played in New York City’s Times Square. 

John Philbrick of Woodland Hills, CA, released his debut album, If You Say So, available on all platforms.

2014

Daniel A. Alba B.M. of Brooklyn, NY, is the engineer and producer at Grammy-winning Zampol Productions. Credits include Jack White, Miley Cyrus, Tom Morello, Mac Miller, Jesus Christ Superstar Live!, and other artists and productions. 

Elena Bonomo B.M. of Astoria, NY, is the drummer for SIX, the musical on Broadway, and has appeared as a guest drummer with the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Jasna Gara B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, is the production manager for LA Opera and has also funded a nonprofit called Mothers in Music.

Caitlin Hebb B.M. of Haverhill, MA, runs MedRhythms Therapy, presents at national conferences, and was asked to join the advisory council for the Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy.

Yinon Kuperstein of Herzliya, Israel, created a new Android ear-training game based on the moveable do solfège method.

Tali Rubenstein B.M. of Boston, MA, released a new album, Memoire (Casa Limon). In it, she blends her singing and mastery of various recorders to create compositions that incorporate Hebrew melodies, classical harmonies, and improvisational jazz fragments and evoke emotions of longing, vulnerability, and transcendence.

Ian Molinaro-Thompson B.M. of New Orleans, LA, has toured full-time with two-time Grammy Award–winner Terrance Simien since 2018 and is a founding member of the all-star New Orleans band Funk Griot.

Jeremy Turgeon of Statesville, NC, played on the new Tyrese single “I Don’t Think You Ever Loved Me (feat. Lenny Kravitz),” and released new music at the end of August.

Molly Tuttle of Nashville, TN, was nominated in the Entertainer of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Collaborative Recording of the Year categories of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 34th Annual Music Awards.

2015

Niki Giermasinski B.M. of Lambertville, NJ, is celebrating two years of being appointed principal flutist of the revolutionary all-women's Firdaus Orchestra of Dubai. She has performed with Beyoncé, Andrea Bocelli, and Christina Aguilera.

Roberto Hermosillo M.M. of Santa Monica, CA, cocreated the first Fender Play guitar lessons in Spanish and was named Fender Play’s resident Latin music expert. 

Christopher Caleb Hsu B.M. of Van Nuys, CA, is doing music production for Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Olivier Jaquet B.M. of Sallanches, France, finished composing Symphony no. 2 and Concerto for Electric Guitar and is a part of the music faculty at the International School of Geneva.

George Karpasitis M.M. of Woodland Hills, CA, composed the music for Palmares in collaboration with the Brasil Brasil Cultural Center. Last June the cast performed six consecutive sold-out shows at the Broadwater theater and won Best Dance and Physical Performance at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. 

Timothy Leonelli B.M. ’12 and M.M. of Abington, MA, earned the 2023 Chester J. Millett Jr. Outstanding Certified Staff award for Abington Public Schools, where he is marching band director and the director of music.

Shane Sager of Boston, MA, has been on tour with Grammy Award–winning artist Sting ’94H as his featured soloist since 2019, performing in over 40 countries.

Sminoa Smirnova of Astoria, NY, published her first sheet music book, Kanklės in New York, featuring notation of 14 original pieces for kanklės, a folk Lithuanian zither instrument. 

Sherman DeWayne Wood B.F.A. of Los Angeles, CA, toured with The Lion King’s Rafiki National Tour from 2021 to 2023.

2016

Nicole Marie Dillman B.M. of Madrid, Spain, is the international sync manager at Alondra Music.

Julian Harris and Julia Camayd B.M. of Miami, FL, are touring musicians and cofounders of the contemporary R&B band Soulpax, which will be performing at Sunfest this year along with the Killers, the Chainsmokers, Jack Johnson, and many others.

2017

Samantha Elliott B.M. of Worcester, MA, facilitates music therapy groups for adults in recovery.

Jennifer McMahon M.M. of Dublin, Ireland, founded Irish Women in Jazz in 2022, an organization championing female and female-identifying musicians in Ireland. She also hosted a live podcast and performance on a new residency launched on International Women’s Day.

David Murillo R. B.M. of South Pasadena, CA, scored the music for John Leguizamo’s new MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America and Netflix’s Who Killed Sara?

Matt Scutchfield B.M. of Plymouth, IN, was awarded an Indiana Arts Commission On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Fellowship at the end of last year that helped him realize a crosscultural album he released in August. 

John Varkados B.M. of Marietta, GA, won Best Student Video (while in pursuit of his Master of Fine Arts) at the 27th Annual Webby Awards Internet celebration in April. 

2018

Andrew Andraos of Boston, MA, charted on Spotify and then released his song "Amore Mio," which garnered over 2 million streams within a week of its release.

Skyler Clark-Hamel B.M. of Charlottesville, VA, completed an M.B.A. at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and is now beginning a Ph.D. in strategy, ethics, and entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Felix Herbst of Boston, MA, was the violinist in the pit orchestra for Fiddler on the Roof during its national tour.

Alan Hsiao B.M. of Branchburg, NJ, is working on his third EP in his little songs series. His first EP broke new ground, with three tracks being featured on Spotify’s Jazz Pop editorial playlist and garnering over 1.5 million streams.

Yotam Ishay B.M. of Brooklyn, NY, released his third album, SPROUT, with guest artists and Milena Casasdo B.M. ’19, Harshitha Krishnan B.M. ’17, Roni Eytan B.M. ’16, and Sharon Renold B.M. ’18.

Sebastian Kuchczynski M.M. of Warsaw, Poland, released his debut music video for the single "Drifting."

Ana Ortiz Wienken B.M. of Madrid, Spain, was recognized at the 2023 Ouigo film festival for the soundtrack and score for the film Pistacho.

2019

Liya Atanasova B.M. of Boston, MA, had the music video for her single "dreamhouse" nominated for Video of the Year at the 2022 New England Music Awards.  

Artem Badenko B.M. of New York, NY, earned a master’s degree from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at the University of California, Los Angeles. He recorded an album with Jeff "Tain" Watts ’81, Jay Anderson, and Joe Locke, which is scheduled to be released in 2024.

Nathalie Bonin of Burbank, CA, was named the 2023 Screen Composer of the Year by SOCAN, and had the score she co-composed for Women Warriors: The Voices of Change honored by SESAC, the Society of Composers and Lyricists, and the L.A. Live Score Film Festival.

Mike Casey M.M. of Los Angeles, CA, was selected by the Recording Academy for the Grammys NEXT Class of 2023, and released his seventh album in seven years, called In the Before.

John Gill B.M. of Maryland, NY, launched his new online drum education website, Drumming1.com, which provides personal drum instruction for beginners to advanced students playing in all styles of music.

Chris Petty B.M. of Salt Lake City, UT, is an adjunct professor at Snow College, in Ephraim, UT, in the jazz percussion area, and recorded drums for Angie Petty's new single, "Yours." 

Samuel Arthur Sicilia B.M. of Linz, Austria, is a soloist dancer with TANZ LINZ from Landestheater Linz.

Rachel Taylor Summer B.M. of Winchester, MA, will have her original song "Radium Girls (Curie Eleison)" included in an upcoming Library of Congress Folklife Labor Day exhibit. 

Christopher Vasquez B.M. of Houston, TX, released several songs with Houston artists S0L0M0N and Mike B. 

Di Wu B.M. of Shenzhen, China, won first place in a national guitar competition, went on a national tour featuring Greg Howe, and won the Shenzhen, Best Young Educator in Arts award in 2020.

2020

Rose Banuelos B.M. of Vista, CA, found an amazing artist while giving music to children in Central America. She helped the artist release Sin Ti, which released February 14th, 2024.

Hannah Cyr B.M. of Roslindale, MA, will attend Lesley University this fall to receive a Master of Arts in mental health counseling with a specialization in dance/movement therapy.

Alex Halloran M.M. of New York, NY, works at his own company, Help the Bear Records, and started as an A&R representative at Missing Link Music, a leading independent publishing company.

Han-Lin Hsieh B.M. of Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China, released her debut album, From E to I, which features funky music, emotional ballads, and rock and other genres.

Marie-Laurence Lupien B.M. of Quebec City, Canada, is continuing her studies toward a Ph.D. from Laval University in Quebec.

Mami Matsuura of Roosevelt Island, NY, is a pianist and keyboardist who played on the North American tour of Cats from 2021 to 2023.

Masaki Okamoto B.M. of Hidaka, Japan, released seven albums within the past year and plays a weekly live mini-set at a local venue.

Tommy Pedrini of B.M. ’06 and M.M. of Los Angeles, CA, worked on Nintendo's Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp as arranger, composer, marimbist, and core member of the music team.

Autumn Maria Reed of Delafield, WI, is a string bassist and cellist with the Black String Triage Ensemble, which performs music for trauma and violence victims in Milwaukee. The ensemble was featured in the documentary short Black Strings. 

Kelly Riley B.M. of Nashville, TN, released a new single, “Let's Jump in the Grass," and an accompanying video.

Nick Stefanacci M.M. of Wayne, NJ, is a contemporary jazz saxophonist and producer who plans to release his smooth jazz debut EP, Secrets, in 2024. He released the first single, "Mirrors," in August.

2021

Ahmad Aljarrah M.M. of Amman, Jordan, is a music instructor at Saudi National Orchestra, employed by the Saudi Music Commission.

Alexia Bobrowski B.M. of Manchester, CT, is a dance instructor at a performing arts high school, company member at IMMIX, and business analyst for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Slade Darrin B.M. of Lakeport, CA, who is also known as the electronic musician TwistBit, released their first independent album, CALCIUM, which can be found on Bandcamp and all major streaming services.

Jason Davis M.M. of Calera, AL, wrote, recorded, and produced a new album, First Avenue, and released three new music videos on his new YouTube channel.

Camilla DeFaria B.M. of Maryville, TN, cowrote the single “Yellow Acoustic” for Rafael DeFaria and “Eu Escolho Te Amar” for Kezya Garcia.

Rafael DeFaria B.M. of Maryville, TN, and Camila DeFaria run Radical Coaching Studios, which won the 2022 Southeast USA Prestige Music Coaching Service of the Year award. He also released the single “Yellow Acoustic” and was the producer and composer for Kezya Garcia’s single “Eu Escolho Te Amar.”

Riccardo Gresino of Los Angeles, CA, will be the music director and keyboardist for the 2024 North American tour The Life and Music of George Michael, and is the gear demo artist for Atlantic Records.

Aaron Harris B.M. of New Bern, NC, launched Future Soundwave, a production company and online marketplace that provides music producers with top-quality sample packs, loops, drum kits, and other production tools. 

Stan Lewis B.M. of Peoria, AZ, was the music director for Patti LaBelle ’96H and keyboardist for Seal and Kendrick Lamar, and has producer and composer credits.

Oveante Magsby B.M. of Memphis, TN, released the EP Have a Seat, which is a collection of piano instrumentals recorded in his home studio.

Alyssa Palladino B.M. of Boston, MA, has worked as a manager, and voice and piano teacher, at Musicians Playground, and released the song "Showstopper," available on all streaming platforms.

Ricky Romano M.M. of Goshen, NY, was promoted to manager of rights management at the Orchard.

Matt Sangiovanni B.M. ’14 and M.M. of New York, NY, played for nine Broadway shows, two North American tours, and a handful of off-Broadway shows, including Shucked, 1776, Dear Evan Hansen, and Chicago.

Aubrey Ruby Rosauli Situmorang B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, toured the U.S. with the show The Life and Music of George Michael, and was nominated for an Indonesian national music award for her original records.

2022

Lily Marie Antonini B.M. of Mesa, AZ, became the first ever bilingual synesthete alumna to host her own Berklee Performance Center show, which had over 50 dancers, musicians, and other artists.

Sayre Henley Baker B.M. of Murfreesboro, TN, is the management coordinator at Make Wake Artists in Nashville.

Che Buford B.M. of Brooklyn, NY, premiered When the Spirits Dance, a performance/installation piece made in collaboration with Adama Delphine Fawundu, at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Germany.

Roger M. Busfield of B.M. Sacramento, CA, opened the Sofia, an entertainment venue that hosts professional theater, music, and touring acts, in 2017 in Sacramento.

Isaac Hernandez Campos M.M. of Alicante, Spain, composed a piece for artist Tiffany Chung’s upcoming multimedia installation, which premiered August 4 at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Amy Sara Cores M.M. of Howell, NJ, opened a boutique law firm focusing on music and entertainment law, catering to indie labels and up-and-coming artists. 

Annie Dickinson of Brooklyn, NY, signed Chris James (BTS, Jimin), awfultune, imagiro, omniboi, and PEGGY ’23 to record deals as an A&R representative at Nettwerk Music Group.

Jayen Disla B.M. of Miami, FL, released his debut album, Ultra Max (Universal Music).

Camille Harris M.M. of Brooklyn, NY, released her new album, A Pair of Bats in the Dark, which was recorded at the Power Station at Berklee NYC.

Dionne Hendricks M.M. of Endicott, NY, finished the national tour of Broadways Come from Away as associate conductor, keyboardist, and accordionist, and will play keyboard in Evita at American Repertory Theater.

Kyle Langlois B.M. ’21 and M.M. of Hampden, MA, released an EP, Be, in June. It focuses on mental health and the truths he has explored in the past year.

Alice Macedo B.M. of Miami, FL, is a strategy and planning specialist for Ranked Music, where she has been involved in large projects for many of the major recent Latin artists.

Javier Lloret de Muller B.M. of Miami, FL, signed a management deal with NEON16, a music firm created by multi-Grammy–awarded producer Tainy and industry veteran Lex Borerro. 

Sebastian Olaya B.M. of Brooklyn, NY, is the cofounder of the award-winning music production company Biscuit Head Collective, alongside multiplatinum producer and five-time Grammy nominee Ian Kimmel B.M. ’19.

William Pazdziora M.M. of Rocky Hill, CT, co-owns the Voice Collective, a voice studio that specializes in collaborative and empowering voice lessons for contemporary and musical theater singers. Lessons are offered online and in New York City. 

2023

Nadezhda Chebotareva M.M. of Moscow, Russia, started her project NADEZHDA and released her debut single "Без тебя не могу," featuring five fellow alumni.

Spencer Dennis M.M. of Mooresville, NC, worked as the recording engineer for Li Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape, which debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart upon its release. 

Persephone Godwin B.M. of Los Angeles, CA, works for Pele Pictures, which made Nature Humaine, an art documentary that explores the art of photographer Jean-Paul Bourdier.

Varsha Krishnamoorthy B.M. of Boston, MA, was a finalist in the Best Female Artist category of the 19th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards.

Eleazar Mora M.M. of Miami, FL, won the gold medal in the Latin Music–Male Vocalist category at the 2022 Global Music Awards. He was also recognized by the Davey Awards and the Communicator Awards.

Joshua Rook B.M. of Allston, MA, works for artists such as Hozier, Lauren Spencer Smith, Knuckle Puck, Real Friends, and Bowling for Soup.

Zach Santos B.M. of Seattle, WA, is pursuing a graduate degree at Berklee NYC, and released his fourth album, Superbloom. It’s available on all streaming platforms.

Glenn Schoonmaker B.M. of San Jose, CA, was a part of Accademia Musicale Chigiana’s Film Scoring Intensive Program in Siena, Italy, this summer. 

Ilya Sokolov of Winnetka, IL, opened his Chicago-based firm Roots and Chords, which specializes in helping international and world music artists.

Soledad Toledo B.M. of Córdoba, Argentina, worked on the documentary Virgilio, which was released on Netflix in June and was shown at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

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