Meet Six Students from Berklee's Class of 2023 This years grads tell us about their Berklee experiences and share whats on the horizon after commencement.
By
Darry Madden
May 12, 2023
Image by Michael D. Spencer
Berklee is gearing up for a celebration at this weekend's commencement ceremony, where graduates of the class of 2023 will be awarded degrees in disciplines ranging from business, production, and songwriting to education, dance, and musical theater.
At Agganis Arena, Berklee College of Music will present an estimated 1,233 people with a bachelors degree, masters degree, or a professional diploma. Later that day, at the Berklee Performance Center, Boston Conservatory at Berklee will present an estimated 255 people with undergraduate or graduate degrees. The class of 2023 is highly international, with 62 countries represented, and includes residents from all 50 U.S. states.
Here are a few of their stories, in brief.
Joy Best Major: Music Business/Management
Hometown: Alpharetta, Georgia
In high school, Joy Best was playing bass in rock cover bands in Georgia when she thought a music summer camp might be fun. She heard about Berklee's Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive program and decided to enroll. Her experience was transformative. I thought, If I could get this much in five weeks, imagine what I could do in four years,' Best says.
When she arrived at the college as an undergraduate, she was surprised that music business courses stole her heart, and she dove into working on various live music production, artist booking, and venue operations projects.
While attending Berklee, Best found plenty of opportunities, including as an assistant buyer/event coordinator at the Red Room at Cafe 939 and as a VIP services representative at the 2023 Conference Live at Lititz. Best was one of 20 selected participants in the Hubb, a professional development seminar hosted by Creative Artists Agency. She has interned with tour manager Aaron Triple A Adams (Lecrae, India.Arie) and been mentored by Giovanni Vargas, tour manager for Playboi Carti, OutKast, and Solange. This year, the Berklee Popular Music Institute recognized her with an award for outstanding achievement.
After graduation, Best is headed to Wasserman, a sports marketing and talent management company, to work as an agent's assistant.
Follow Joy on Instagram or visit her official website.
Kristina Fisk Major: Music Production and Engineering
Hometown: Winter Springs, Florida
When Kristina Fisk was preparing her audition materials for Berklee, her voice teacher recorded her. She was fascinated by the experience and the technology, and as soon as the audition tapes were complete, she asked the teacher to pivot and teach her to use the recording software.
She enrolled as a music production and engineering (MP&E) major at Berklee, and has since won the Stacey Hye-Min Park Memorial Scholarship for Women, awarded to academically deserving MP&E majors who demonstrate financial need, and the Storyk/Molho Family Scholarship, which supports MP&E students in their later semesters of study.
I pretty much knew nothing coming into MP&E, Fisk says. I learned a tremendous amount and built great relationships with faculty and friends. Fisk has taken a job as vocal tuning assistant for Grammy-nominated engineer and vocal producer Simone Torres B.M. '15. I'm really looking forward to this position, Fisk says. Simone is incredibly hardworking and talented at what she does. That I will be growing and building my career under her guidance is a huge deal.
Follow Kristina on Instagram.
Rafaela Gutierrez Major: Music Business/Management
Hometown: Quito, Ecuador
A classical guitarist since the age of 4, Rafaela Gutierrez has been a performing musician her whole life. She's also immersed herself in the music industry, which led her first to Berklee's music business/management major, and now to a role at CreateSafe, a design and development studio in L.A. that has worked with Grimes, Lady Gaga, Dom McLennon, and others.
Gutierrez is the founder and president of the Berklee Marketing Club, a student group that collaborates with Sony Music artists on brand and social media strategy. She also served as vice president of the Berklee Blockchain Club, an organization exploring the use of smart contracts, web3, NFTs, and other blockchain-based tools and technologies.
As a member of the Berklee Popular Music Institute, a one-year experiential education program that takes students from the classroom to major festival stages, Gutierrez will be accompanying singer-songwriter and fellow 2023 graduate Tyler Christian to Lollapalooza this summer.
She's excited to bring her knowledge and passion for web3 and blockchain to an evolving music industry.
Follow Rafaela on Instagram.
Nick Kitsopoulos Major: Songwriting and Music Production and Engineering
Hometown: Madison, New Jersey
He was told it couldnt be done, but Nick Kitsopoulos proved his doubters wrong when he completed a double major, in MP&E and songwriting, within Berklees standard eight semesters.
Now he's taken two jobs, one as a songwriter and another as a producer. At Sandblast Productions, he will write and perform children's songs, and at Berklee Online's Master of Arts in songwriting program, he will help students record and produce their work.
For Kitsopoulos, who aspires to be a singer-songwriter and performer, there is so much to learn from both opportunities. I make music for the sake of art, but it's also a commodity. Understanding both songwriting and production lends a balance between artistic integrity and market value in my songs, he says.
Kitsopoulos is the recipient of a Thrive Scholarship and the Songwriting Department's Stevens Award. He also assisted on the recording of the
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Meet Six Students from Berklee's Class of 2023 This years grads tell us about their Berklee experiences and share whats on the horizon after commencement.
