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
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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.
