Lee Berk Tribute Concert Honors Legacy of Music Education Pioneer and Former Berklee President The concert, 25 Tributes: Celebrating Lee Eliot Berk, will recognize Berks enduring impact on the institution with performances from students, faculty, alumni, and guest artists.
By
Daniel Pesquera
February 8, 2024
Image by Phil Farnsworth
Berklee will present the Signature Series concert 25 Tributes: Celebrating Lee Eliot Berk, a one-night event that will honor the life, career, and legacy of Lee Eliot Berk, former president and one of the most influential leaders in the institution's history. The concert, which will take place Friday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, is slated to feature contributions from students, alumni, current and former faculty, and special guest artists offering 25 different tributes to Berk in the form of speeches, stories, and live performances.
In addition to memorializing Berk, the tribute concert will offer a chance for the Berklee community to commemorate the tremendous impact that the Berk family has had on countless individuals, whether through personal relationships or the numerous programs Berk helped to create and innovate during his storied tenure. The lineup of speakers and musicians represents many of Berklee's flagship initiatives and partnerships, which either started or expanded during the Berk presidency, including the college's world-renowned jazz curricula, the Berklee International Network (now known as Berklee Global Partners), the Boston Arts Academy, Berklee City Music, the Reverence Gospel Ensemble, and several key academic programs.
Lee Berk (center) with honorary doctorate recipients Amar G. Bose (left) and Oleta Adams (right) at the 1994 commencement ceremony.
Image courtesy of the Berklee Archives
Lee Berk dedicated his life to Berklee and played an immeasurable role in shaping the college into the internationally renowned and globally connected institution it is today, said Dr. David Bogen, interim president and provost. This concert will be a testament to Lees profound legacy, reflected in contributions representative of the many trailblazing programs and initiatives that helped define his tenure as president. We are honored to continue celebrating Lee's impact on Berklee, contemporary music education, and the arts, as well as his enduring belief in the life-changing power of music.
The concert will feature tributes and performances from select members of Berklee's jazz community, under the musical direction of Berklee instructor and jazz saxophonist, pianist, and composer Edmar Col n B.M. '15, M.M. '16, and will feature renowned saxophonist Bill Pierce B.M. '73, woodwind chair emeritus; pianist Kris Davis, associate program director of creative development for the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice; bassist John Lockwood; drummer and alternative jazz artist Tyson Jackson '19; and celebrated jazz trumpeter and professor Greg Hopkins. As a special tribute to Lee and his wife Susan, a big band of students and faculty will perform a composition by Mike Gibbs '63, whose concert at the Berklee Performance Center served as the venue for their first date.
Lee was a friend and mentor, had a keen sense of humor, and rightfully pursued a vision that placed Berklee at the center of global music education, said Dr. Ron Savage, vice president and executive director of academic affairs, who will be performing a stand-alone tribute on snare drum. Lee Berks advice to me as a new faculty member has long become my prime directive' in any youth development situation: Youll know you have it right as a teacher when your students become successful.' That quote portrays a sentiment that I hold dear to my heart. All of us who knew him miss Lee, and I look forward to the opportunity to celebrate his legacy!
The program will also include tributes that recognize the growth and innovation of various academic departments under Berk. Featured performances include Boston Conservatory at Berklee student Elaina Spiro playing film scores arranged by Associate Professor Tim Huling 98; original music from student singer-songwriter Kieran Rhodes; and compositions from Sheryl Bailey B.M. '88, assistant chair of guitar, and department faculty members Tim Miller, Rick Peckham, and Dave Fiuczynski, acknowledging the department's important role in Berklee's history.
Lee and Susan Berk (center) with Rimon School founder Yehuda Eder 85 (far right) celebrate the signing of official partnership agreement between Berklee and the Rimon School.
Image courtesy of the Berklee Archives
Following this tribute, saxophonist and composer Lihi Haruvi '15 and pianist Tom Oren '19, 2018 winner of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition, will perform a duet. The two are graduates of the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat Hasharon, an institution cofounded by seminal Israeli musician Yehuda Eder B.M. '85. During his time as president, Berk established a foundation for a long-standing partnership between the school and Berklee. Alumni from the Boston Arts Academy will then take the stage, led by academy graduate Gregory Groover B.M. '15, M.M. '17, Berklees assistant chair of ensemble, and featuring Tyrone Sutton, the academy's interim head of school.
The concert will also celebrate the expansion of the global Berklee network, beginning with a tribute from Berklee City Music, a program which started under Berk and now reaches 54,000 students throughout North America every year. Under the direction of singer-songwriter Nichelle Mungo B.M. '97, assistant professor of voice, this tribute will feature performances from City Music alumni, including guitarist Tyrone Chase B.M. '95, ensemble interim chair; percuss
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
02/06/2026
The TV agency was one of the earliest adopters of Nielsen's local television...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Grass Valley today announced that Australian News Channel (ANC), operator of Sky News Australia, has deployed Grass Valley AMPP to transform its newsroom produc...
02/06/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, announces its new Model 385 Mic/Intercom Beltpack. The Mode...
02/06/2026
The Riedel Group today announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel Networks. She succeeds Michael Martens, who has led Riedel Networks since 2...
02/06/2026
More signals, higher quality, and outstanding ingest and streaming flexibility deliver professional results in a small, all-in-one footprint...
02/06/2026
farmerswife will be featured on the Modena Media & Entertainment stand at this year's Mediatech Africa 2026, giving visitors an opportunity to explore the l...
02/06/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17 19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Trust has become a commercial issue With global advertising spend forecast to exceed US$1 trillion this year*, the commercial consequences of weak governance co...
02/06/2026
June sees Ireland's cultural calendar in full bloom, as RT Supporting the Arts showcases a vibrant and wide-ranging programme spanning music, theatre, visu...
02/06/2026
After The Traitors Ireland launched in 2025, Irish audiences proved to have a taste for the global hit reality show. This Bank Holiday Monday fans can indulge e...
01/06/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
01/06/2026
Designed to solve a common problem in broadcasting, the automated workflow detects, identifies, removes, and documents copyrighted music
AudioShake has introdu...
01/06/2026
The sports-analytics company combines its data with proprietary AI to help leagu...
01/06/2026
Category line-up & sponsors announced
Photo: Paul Clarke
The Production Music Awards (PMA) have announced that submissions are now officially open ahead of...
01/06/2026
New hybrid sample/synthesis instrument revealed
Excite Audio have just released the latest instalment in their Evolve series, which has been developed in co...
01/06/2026
Latest TONEX expansion captures three rare vintage amps
The newest addition to IK Multimedia's ever-growing TONEX line-up introduces a set of three incr...
01/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
01/06/2026
SBS confirms its broadcast sponsors for FIFA World Cup 2026
1 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has secured Hyundai, Hisense, Macca's, Rexona, bet365, Com...
01/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Satellite Industry Days 2026 guided by the motto From Earth to ...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Marshall Electronics is showcasing a comprehensive lineup of next-generation POV cameras, purpose-built to power today's connected AV environments, at InfoC...
01/06/2026
Adobe Announces Concept to Vector
Deepa Subramaniam June 1, 2026
0 Comments
One of the biggest frustrations we hear from designers is how difficult it...
01/06/2026
Vampire Feature Night Patrol Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton June 1, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist shapes dark, gritty tone for horror thri...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Luxembourg, June 1, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, launched fast and reliable multi-orbit satelli...
01/06/2026
Agentic AI is getting physical.
At COMPUTEX on Tuesday, NVIDIA announced NVIDIA JetPack 7.2 and NVIDIA NemoClaw support on NVIDIA Jetson.
JetPack 7.2 brings a...
01/06/2026
Financial institutions have spent years building AI: fraud models, credit models...
01/06/2026
Mardi 2 juin 14h00
FilmLight (ARRI), 10 rue Ren Boulanger, 75010 Paris
Rejoignez-nous pour d couvrir comment FLAPI (l'API FilmLight) peut transformer e...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
31/05/2026
Olivia P rez-Collellmir to Premiere Original Work at Gaud Centennial in Barcelona The Berklee graduate and faculty member will debut her choral symphony with...
31/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Wins 15 Awards at the Canadian Screen Awards - See Pho...
31/05/2026
Taiwan is home to more than 500 NVIDIA ecosystem partners. More than 1 million N...
31/05/2026
As factories move from isolated automation to plant-wide intelligence, manufacturers need AI systems that can connect live machine signals, quality systems, wor...
31/05/2026
The NVIDIA AI Cloud ecosystem is accelerating the global buildout of AI factory infrastructure. Partners are expanding capacity to meet growing demand from ente...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Lee Berk Tribute Concert Honors Legacy of Music Education Pioneer and Former Berklee President The concert, 25 Tributes: Celebrating Lee Eliot Berk, will recognize Berks enduring impact on the institution with performances from students, faculty, alumni, and guest artists.
