Berklee Creates Scholarship Fund in Honor of Recording Legend Al Schmitt The scholarship fund will support financially and academically deserving students majoring in music production and engineering.
By
Colette Greenstein
November 23, 2021
Al Schmitt
Berklee has created the Al Schmitt Engineering Scholarship to honor the legacy of multiple Grammy Award-winning recording engineer and producer Al Schmitt.
The scholarship was established by the Music Production and Engineering Department (MP&E) with a $50,000 donation from the endowment fund of Wayne Wadhams, a former Berklee faculty member who was instrumental in founding the department in 1983. The fund will support students majoring in MP&E who are financially and academically deserving and have the potential to make a significant contribution to society through the art and craft of audio engineering and record production. The tuition-based scholarship will be awarded to one student per year, with the inaugural recipient set to be announced in fall 2022.
Al Schmitt would be so honored and pleased, as is his family, at making the scholarship available, said his wife, Lisa Schmitt. We can think of no greater way to celebrate Al than to financially assist those attending Berklee who want to follow in his footsteps.
Schmitt, one of the most decorated and longest-active recording engineers in the music industry, passed away on April 26, 2021. In a career spanning more than 60 years, he won 20 Grammy Awards, two Latin Grammys, and a Trustees Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 2006. He won his first Grammy in 1962 for engineering Henry Mancini's Hatari! film score.
Want to Contribute to the Al Schmitt Scholarship?
Learn how to make a gift to the Al Schmitt Engineering Scholarship fund.
Schmitt recorded more than 150 gold and platinum albums, including George Benson's Breezin, Steely Dan's Aja, Natalie Cole's Unforgettable... with Love, and Berklee alumna Diana Krall's When I Look in Your Eyes. He collaborated with some of the most iconic musicians and artists of the past 60 years, from Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley to Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Ike and Tina Turner, and Celine Dion, among many others.
I can't think of a more meaningful way for us to honor a man that defined every benchmark of the craft of music production and audio engineering. Al's work embodied limitless musicality, stunning technical ability, and most importantly a sense of warmth, compassion, and humanity, said Rob Jaczko, chair of Music Production and Engineering. The MP&E Department at Berklee is proud to award the Al Schmitt Engineering Scholarship to recognize and inspire the next generations of audio professionals.
A native New Yorker, Schmitt later moved to Los Angeles and became the first engineer hired when RCA Records opened its studio in Hollywood in the 1960s. Known as the engineer's engineer, Schmitt cofounded the Recording Academys Producers and Engineers Wing and served on the academy's National Board of Trustees. In 2014, he received an Emmy nomination for his work on CBS's The Beatles: The Night That Changed America. That same year, Berklee presented Schmitt with an honorary doctorate, and in 2015, he was the first engineer/mixer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
There are no two words on the planet more synonymous with excellence in recording than Al Schmitt, said Daniel M. Thompson, assistant chair of Music Production and Engineering. Over decades, Al has come to define the art of the craft, and at the same time I can think of few engineers or producers who have been as universally beloved as Al, for his wit, his wisdom, and his warmth as a person. We are thrilled to be able to help preserve Als legacy while lifting up the next generation through the Al Schmitt Engineering Scholarship at Berklee.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Arooj Aftab B.M. '10
Berklee's 2022 Alumni Grammy Nominees: See the Full List Nominees include Arooj Aftab, Miguel Zen n, Esperanza Spalding, and others in categories including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.
Latest
Tia Fuller, Berklee City Music ambassador and artistic director of the Berklee City Music Boston High School Academy program, delivers remarks at the Berklee Encore Gala ahead of performances with City Music students and fellow ambassadors.
Image by Mike Spencer
Berklee City Music Launches Ambassador Program Nine ambassadors representing all aspects of the music industry will advise, mentor, and work with Berklee City Music students throughout the academic year.
Berklee student Henry Ferland, aka Traash Boyyy, with former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis
Image by Shira Stoll, courtesy of NBC10 Boston
Student TikToker Takes on Trash with Help from a Former Governor Henry Ferlands activism has gone viral on TikTok and led to a meeting with fellow clean-up enthusiast Michael Dukakis last week.
Al Schmitt
Image courtesy of the Schmitt family
Berklee Creates Scholarship Fund in Honor of Recording Legend Al Schmitt The scholarship fund will support financially and academically deserving students majoring in music production and engineering.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
27/02/2026
ESPN and the Horizon League announce a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement, continuing a 38-year collaboration that began with the 1988 Midwes...
27/02/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NETGEAR will highlight its new switch models and major updates to its Engage Controller software. The company's network d...
27/02/2026
Riedel Communications announces that Fondazione Teatro alla Scala has deployed a...
27/02/2026
Lyuno specializes in media localization, including translation, dubbing, subtitling, and voice-over services for a wide array of entertainment content. The comp...
27/02/2026
Chyron Weather 2.3, the latest edition of Chyron's weather visualization suite for broadcasters and meteorologists, recently launched.
The release includes...
27/02/2026
Telestream, which concentrates in media workflow technologies, announces expanded practical AI enhancements across its Vantage, Vantage Cloud, EDC, Stanza, and ...
Berklee Creates Scholarship Fund in Honor of Recording Legend Al Schmitt The scholarship fund will support financially and academically deserving students majoring in music production and engineering.
