
Boston Conservatory at Berklee to Honor Cynthia Erivo and Awadagin Pratt at Commencement Ceremony Interim Executive Director Lucinda Carver will present honorary doctorates in person to Pratt and virtually to Erivo during the Conservatory's commencement on Saturday, May 13.
By
Tori Donahue
April 20, 2023
Boston Conservatory at Berklee will present honorary doctorates to Cynthia Erivo (left) and Awadagin Pratt (right) during the Conservatory's commencement on Saturday, May 13.
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Interim Executive Director Lucinda Carver will present an honorary doctorate in person to acclaimed concert pianist Awadagin Pratt and virtually to Emmy-, Grammy-, and Tony-winning actress, singer, author, and producer Cynthia Erivo at the Conservatory's commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13. Pratt will deliver commencement remarks for the Boston Conservatory at Berklee class of 2023 at the ceremony, while Erivo will deliver remarks to the graduating class and receive her honorary doctorate virtually.
Erivo and Pratt will be recognized for their achievements and influences in music, television, film, and theater. Past honorary degree recipients for Boston Conservatory at Berklee include Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Betty Buckley, Barbara Cook, Andr De Shields, Sutton Foster, Victoria Livengood (M.M. 85, voice), Nicholas Paleologos, Billy Porter, Leontyne Price, Chita Rivera, Mary Rogers, and Brian Stokes Mitchell, among others.
It is an absolute honor to welcome pianist Awadagin Pratt and actress Cynthia Erivo to Boston Conservatory at Berklee as part of this year's commencement festivities, said Carver. Awadagin Pratt's distinguished performances have brought joy and inspiration to audiences for decades, and Cynthia Erivo's marvelous acting and vocal abilities have garnered legions of television, music, theater, and movie fans around the world.
Boston Conservatory at Berklee will hold its commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13 at 4:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center.
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo is an Emmy-, Grammy-, and Tony-winning actress, singer, author, and producer, as well as an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominee. Since bursting onto West End and Broadway stages in The Color Purple, she has taken the world by storm.
Erivo is currently in production on Universal's film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked, where she will star as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande's Glinda in the highly anticipated film from director Jon M. Chu. Wicked: Part One will be released in late 2024.
She was most recently seen starring opposite Idris Elba and Andy Serkis in the Netflix feature film installment of Luther: The Fallen Sun, continuing the story of the acclaimed crime series. Erivo plays Odette Raine, a by-the-book inspector who finds herself John Luther's unlikely ally. Luther: The Fallen Sun was the number one film on Netflix the week of its premiere in March 2023. In fall 2022, Erivo starred in Disney+'s Pinocchio as the Blue Fairy, opposite Tom Hanks, Keegan Michael Key, and Luke Evans.
Erivo can next be seen starring in and producing Drift, directed by Anthony Chen. The film follows a young Liberian refugee named Jacqueline, played by Erivo, who has barely escaped her war-torn country to a Greek island. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023, and opened to rave reviews.
Erivo has received widespread critical acclaim for her work, including two Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and a Grammy Award nomination for her portrayal of Harriet Tubman in 2019's Harriet, in addition to lending her voice to the movie's title song, Stand Up, which she cowrote. She also received SAG and Emmy Award nominations for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in National Geographic's Emmy Award-winning global anthology series Genius: Aretha.
In addition to her illustrious acting career, Erivo is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and performer, often headlining sold-out shows, symphonies, and music spaces, including the Kennedy Center Honors, the 2020 Academy Awards, the 2017 Governors Ball, and the 2017 Grammy Awards. Erivo released her debut album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, with Verve Records and Universal Music Group in September 2021.
Erivo added author to her r sum in fall 2021 with the release of her first children's book, Remember to Dream, Ebere. The book follows a young girl named Ebere whose mother encourages her to dream as big as possible. Erivo wrote the book as an ode to a child's imagination, a parent's love, and the big dreams shared by both.
In August 2020, Erivo launched her production company, Edith's Daughter, and announced her first-look deal with MRC Television and Civic Center Media. Edith's Daughter focuses on projects that express the beauty in the stories and people who are often overlooked and underrepresented. Erivo named Solome Williams as vice president of the company.
Awadagin Pratt
Among his generation of concert artists, pianist Awadagin Pratt is acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances in recital and with symphony orchestras. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pratt began studying piano at the age of six. Three years later, having moved to Normal, Illinois with his family, he also began studying violin. At the age of 16, he entered the University of Illinois, where he studied piano, violin, and conducting. He subsequently enrolled at the Peabody Institute (previously the Peabody Conservatory of Music) of the Johns Hopkins University, where he became the first student in the school's history to receive diplomas in three performance areas: piano, violin, and conducting.
In 1992, Pratt won the Naumburg International Piano Competition, and two years later was
More from Berklee
23/09/2023
Kris Davis Makes DownBeat Cover with New Village Vanguard Classic With her band, Diatom Ribbons, the acclaimed jazz pianist makes a live record worthy of the ...
21/09/2023
Two Alumni Compete on Season 24 of NBC's The Voice Taylor Deneen and Claudia B are the latest Berklee artists to compete on the hit singing competition.
B...
21/09/2023
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2023 Latin Grammy Awards Juan Luis Guerra, Miguel Zen n, and Kristhyan Benitez are among this years nominees.
By
Colette Greens...
18/09/2023
Why the Best Cover Songs Succeed From Fast Car to Heartbeats, there's no formula to making a successful cover song. But the best covers answer two imp...
18/09/2023
Berklee City Music Celebrates 30 Years with Amplify Berklee Gala The annual event, filled with world-class performances, will benefit Berklee City Music stude...
16/09/2023
Deepen Your Orchestral Skills as a Film Composer Ever want to score a horror film, perfect your MIDI glissandi, or learn what the heck the zed clef is? Faculty ...
15/09/2023
Signature Series Presents the Elena Pinderhughes Berklee Septet Pinderhughes, an award-winning vocalist and flutist, will join Berklee students for a performa...
13/09/2023
Boston Conservatory Dancers Open for K-Pop Stars at KCON Los Angeles With multiple sold-out performances, Conservatory dancers ride a wave of K-pop fandom.
B...
13/09/2023
Stella Rosa Named 2023 Jimmy Lyons Scholarship Recipient The 18-year-old trumpeter will perform at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival with Noa Zebley, who...
12/09/2023
Boston Conservatory at Berklee to Present Wind Ensemble: A Brass Celebration The free Center Stage concert is part of Boston Conservatorys Brass Festival Week...
12/09/2023
On NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Hiromi Uncovers Sonic Wonders The virtuosic jazz pianist and Berklee alum skitters across three keyboards and two new songs in a joy...
09/09/2023
From Turntables to Samplers, the Gear That Made Hip-Hop For 50 years, hip-hop has used technological innovations to push the genre forward-producer Prince Cha...
07/09/2023
Berklee and Spelman Colleges Establish an Inaugural Student Exchange Program The initiative will elevate the contributions of African American women to jazz s...
31/08/2023
Berklee Students Give Advice to Their High School Selves As the semester kicks off, students reflect on what they wish they knew in high school-from knowing whe...
29/08/2023
The Music Behind the 1963 March on Washington Dean Emmett G. Price III talks about the March on Washington, the significance of the music behind it, and its 60t...
29/08/2023
Leomar Cordero Receives the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundations Nicky Jam Scholars...
29/08/2023
Berklee Announces 2023 Fall Signature Series Lineup This years series will feature Elena Pinderhughes, Braxton Cook, Pavel N ez, and the Pletenitsa Balkan Ch...
26/08/2023
Illuminati Hotties Sarah Tudzin Sings in Star Wars: Ahsoka First Episode Fellow alum Deana Kiner, a composer on the series, invited Tudzin to go full-gremlin ...
22/08/2023
Student Spotlight: Adalia Martin The fifth-semester professional music major and vocalist talks about how studying harmony and production has boosted her conf...
19/08/2023
Planet of the Bass: Will a Parody Be the Song of the Summer? Alum Chrissi Poland lends her voice to the Eurodance parody thats gone viral on TikTok and beyond.
...
17/08/2023
Gospejazzical Pioneer to Moderate Panel with Hip-Hop Icons Dr. John Paul McGee, Berklee's assistant chair of piano, will guide a discussion with a group t...
16/08/2023
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Turns 25 Berklees Arun Pandian and Danielle Queen D. Scott talk about the groundbreaking album and its impact on their lives.
...
14/08/2023
Hong Kong Indie Artist cehryl Faces Her Fears The alum talks through her layered pop/R&B production, then explores some common fears of the artist and the imp...
11/08/2023
Why Are Fans Throwing Things at Artists? Going to a concert safely is a shared responsibility, Berklee experts explain.
By
Bryan Parys
August 10, 2023
Ima...
10/08/2023
Watch Berklees First Headphone Concert The performance features 20 artists from the college's acclaimed Two Track video series.
By
Callista Chan
August 9...
10/08/2023
Nine Full-Tuition Scholarships Awarded at Berklee City Music Concert Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, the City Music program has to date awarded 27...
09/08/2023
Student Spotlight: Grant Glazier The songwriting major, whose duo Awfbeat performed at Governors Ball 2023, talks about his road to Berklee from an art and de...
02/08/2023
Renowned Producer, Engineer Prince Charles Alexander Reflects on 50 Years of Hip...
02/08/2023
Berklee Performers Explore Origins,' Connection' in July Two Track Berklee's popular YouTube series features students performing original songs ...
01/08/2023
Student Spotlight: Aileen (Ping-Chen) Shen The tenth-semester DJ and producer talks about discovering her passion for electronic performance after being train...
26/07/2023
Lost John Coltrane Record Still Sounds Like Freedom Ethnomusicologist Emmett G. Price III unpacks Evenings at the Village Gate and the enduring power of a sou...
25/07/2023
Student Spotlight: Kirsten (Ki) Kirk The Texan vocalist, producer, and engineer talks about recording new music with a band of all women and nonbinary people ...
21/07/2023
Both Sides of Goose, Americas Premier Jam Band On a new Sounds of Berklee: Goose's live act attracts a devoted following-and the bands studio work highlig...
19/07/2023
Inside the Ever-Changing Job of a Talent Buyer Nicol Kuburoglu B.M. '22, a junior talent buyer at C3 Presents, shares what its been like to work music fes...
19/07/2023
Student Spotlight: Anthony Miller The steelpan player and performance major talks about how ear training courses changed how he hears music, forming a group w...
19/07/2023
Berklee NYC Honors Class of 2023 at Lincoln Center Louis Cato 04, bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, delivered the commencement address; festi...
14/07/2023
Berklee Launches Performance Major for Electronic Digital Instrument (EDI) Music...
13/07/2023
Berklee Alumni Receive Emmy Award Nominations Twenty Berklee alumni received Emmy nominations this year for sound mixing, sound editing, and music composition...
12/07/2023
Student Spotlight: Joel Quatrocchi The producer and guitarist, whose path to Berklee was full of twists and turns, shares his sources of inspiration and break...
11/07/2023
Acclaimed Music Publicist Yvette Noel-Schure Receives Honorary Degree at Berklee...
06/07/2023
Berklee Alums Festival to Celebrate Women and Gender-Expansive Artists Naomi Westwater M.M. '18, managing director of Beats by Girlz Boston, created BBG F...
05/07/2023
Powering Collaboration at Berklee NYC Boston Conservatory students partner with Berklee College of Music's Screen Scoring Department to record original wo...
04/07/2023
Professor Kaye Kelly Named 2023 Commonwealth Heroine The award is given to women who have made exemplary contributions to their communities through public or co...
01/07/2023
VaShawn Mitchell Joins Gospel Performance Program as Artist in Residence The two-time Grammy-nominated singer will present a master class as part of the five-...
01/07/2023
Berklee Dean Joins Creative Team of Disneys Ariel Sean Skeete, interim dean of the Professional Performance Division, talks about his role as Caribbean music ...
01/07/2023
Berklee and Emerson Present New Standards Exhibition and Performance Series The installation opens on July 12 and is curated by Grammy Award-winning artist Te...
28/06/2023
Berklee's Two Track Series Embraces Music's Collaborative Spirit The popular YouTube series features students performing original music and sharing id...
27/06/2023
Student Spotlight: Gaby Pedraza The clarinetist and performance major talks about her love of recording music for film, her upcoming plan to move to L.A., and b...
23/06/2023
Berklee Today Wins Bronze CASE Awards The awards recognized the magazines high-art design and improved redesign.
June 22, 2023
A spread from the spring/summe...
21/06/2023
Student Spotlight: Rub n Segovia Cobo The Berklee Valencia graduate student talks about expanding his production skills, empowering artists to express their i...