Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Berklee Abu Dhabi Fellows Bridge Worlds Through Music

21/09/2024

Berklee Abu Dhabi Fellows Bridge Worlds Through Music The fellowship provides opportunities to musicians from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia regions to grow as artists and bring their culture into the larger Berklee community.

By

Daniel Pesquera

September 20, 2024

Berklee Abu Dhabi Center

Berj Fazlian first heard about the then-nascent Berklee Abu Dhabi Center at the Dubai Culture Expo in 2021, and thought that the offerings were like nothing else he had seen.

Now a third-semester performance major at Berklee College of Music, Fazlian credits a scholarship from the Berklee Abu Dhabi Fellowship Fund, which allowed him to begin his studies in fall 2023, with transforming his life and musical journey for the better.

I'm in Boston right now, and I am still in denial that I got accepted for this scholarship, said Fazlian. Without the help of Berklee Abu Dhabi, it wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't be here. I'm very grateful for this opportunity.

Launched in March of 2023 by Abu Dhabis Department of Culture and Tourism, the fellowship fund offers scholarships to emerging artists from the United Arab Emirates and the wider Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia region, providing students with access to Berklee's state-of-the-art academic programs and creative spaces around the globe. In addition to Berklee Abu Dhabi and Berklee College of Music, prospective fellows can apply to study at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Berklee Valencia, Berklee NYC, and Berklee Online.

I've been learning so much, and I imagine what I can give back to people in the Middle East. I'm so happy to share what I've experienced.

- Berj Fazlian

To date, the fund has received over 700 applications, with scholarships being awarded to 13 students representing eight countries.

For insight into how the fellowship fund has opened possibilities for these artists, we spoke with Fazlian and fellow scholars Nejma Alkoor and Ahed Alameri about their musical and cultural backgrounds, experience with the program, and future aspirations.

Nejma Alkoor, Third-Semester Professional Music Major Growing up in a family of musicians and educators, Nejma Alkoor, a native of Abu Dhabi, had her mind set on Berklee early on. Alkoor began singing and playing piano at six years old, and soon began competing in singing contests including two appearances on The Voice Kids. In 2021, her mother, an oud player and professor, connected her with Mayssa Karaa, artistic director of Berklee Abu Dhabi, to tour the center and learn more about the academic offerings. Alkoor was immediately struck by the rigor and quality of the coursework and decided to enroll in the Performance Artistry and Learning program (PEARL) as a grade 11 student. Despite juggling the demands of her secondary school and Berklee Abu Dhabi coursework, Alkoor rose to the challenge, becoming the youngest person to earn the PEARL certificate. It was more than I thought, in a good way, said Alkoor. Honestly, I came out of [Berklee Abu Dhabi] knowing so much already and I hadn't even gone [yet] to university.

Nejma Alkoor credits Berklee Abu Dhabi with helping deepen her skills before attending college.

Soon after, Gael Hedding, director of the Berklee Abu Dhabi Center, suggested that Alkoor apply to the fellowship for the chance to study at Berklee's campus in Boston. Alkoor noted the motivation and support from the Abu Dhabi team as a big reason why she applied, despite apprehension about leaving home. I've been in some competitions . . . and after you feel drained, overwhelmed. . . . But when I entered Berklee Abu Dhabi, I felt the support and love, and I was able to do more concerts with my name in the set list. When I saw people being impacted by what I'm singing and getting emotional, it kept pushing me to do what I'm doing, even when it's difficult.

Now in her third semester, Alkoor has found a renewed sense of confidence and purpose in her artistry, citing the musical and cultural diversity at the Boston campus as a major influence on her development. Her performance in the Signature Series concert celebrating the Middle Eastern Music Festival was particularly special, not only because she took the stage at the Berklee Performance Center as a first-semester student, but because she was able to honor her culture through that performance.

I have friends that have been in a position where they don't know if they should move abroad or if they should continue following their passion. I always say, you should go for it, even if you're at a low point in your life or think you're not good enough, because one person can change so much in this world.

Ahed Alameri, Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive AlumnaUnlike many other students pursuing careers in music, Ahed Alameri of the UAE was not born into a family of artists. Instead, she found her way to the piano on her own, magnetically drawn to the instrument at a young age. Alameri's mother, while not having a background in music, recognized her daughter's deep love and natural ability for performance. Alameri would come to earn recognition for her talent from various secondary schools throughout the Emirates, eventually participating in international competitions.

The Fellowship Fund allowed Ahed Alameri to attend the renowned Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive at Berklee.

Image courtesy of the artist

Along the way, Alameri fell in love with classical music and jazz, genres she says have become an integral part of my identity, and continue to inspire and captivate me every single day. Her search to expand her artistic palette would lead her to discover the fellowship fund, through which she applied for Berklee's Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive program. I wanted to experien
LINK: https://www.berklee.edu/berklee-now/news/berklee-abu-dhabi-fellows-bri...
See more stories from berklee

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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 Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

14/04/2026

ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 Playout and Live News Workflows

ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Haivision Launches Falkon X4 5G Mobile Video Transmitter

Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026. ...

14/04/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Stripe TVs Matthew Pavey on Making Live-Production Tech More Portable, Intuitive, and Accessible

Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...

14/04/2026

Studio Berlin Adds LDX 135 and LDX 180 Camera Systems from Grass Valley

Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...

14/04/2026

LTN Appoints Mark Romano and Edward Cox to Vice President Roles

LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...

14/04/2026

Agor and Sennheiser to Deploy Largest Spectera System to Date at Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...

14/04/2026

DAZN and ADI Predictstreet Announce Prediction Market Partnership Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...

14/04/2026

Deltatre Completes Digital Platform for Serie A as Part of Four-Season Partnership

Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Daktronics to Exhibit with Grass Valley

Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22. Daktronics will showcase a...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Backblaze to Host Partner Showcases

Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: BRAHMA AI to Exhibit Enterprise AI Content Platform

BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...

14/04/2026

Bridge Technologies VB440 Integrated into NEP Platform

Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Clear-Com to Demonstrate Expanded Intercom Ecosystem

Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: EZDRM to Introduce Revenue Security Prism Framework

EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telos Alliance Product Preview

Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026: TV and Media Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Panasonic to Showcase IP and IT Production Solutions

Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...

14/04/2026

Behind the Mic: WNBA Adds Sue Bird, Sophie Cunningham to Networks Commentary Teams; John Buccigross Signed to ESPN Extension

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces Multiple New Products

Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...

14/04/2026

Thomas Riedel Acquires ARRI, Adding Camera and Lighting Component to Riedel Group Portfolio

The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...

14/04/2026

Taming the Untamed: Producing the 2026 Absa Cape EPIC Mountain-Bike Race

BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...

14/04/2026

SVG Announces Sports AI Innovation Lab to Advance the Use of AI in Live Production

The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...

14/04/2026

AIR Music Tech release Fabric Vintage Synths Vol.1

Captures a trio of renowned polysynths The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...

14/04/2026

United Plugins introduce UnitedFreeBundle

Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...

14/04/2026

Celemony update Tonalic

Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...

14/04/2026

Supporting Safe Space Flights with WESCAM MX-Series Imaging Systems

WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....

14/04/2026

L3Harris Demonstrates Autonomous Electronic Warfare Capability During US Army Experiment

DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...

14/04/2026

GOES-19 One Year Later: Protecting Communities Through Advanced Technology

GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...

14/04/2026

Reimagining Earth Measurement for the AI Era: L3Harris and Xoople Develop a New Spacebourne Capability

For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...

14/04/2026

Nielsen Appoints Roberto Ruiz to Lead Measurement Science

Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision. He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...

14/04/2026

LTN Appoints Mark Romano, Edward Cox to Leadership Positions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Grass Valley Adds Telestream Vantage, Pulse and UP to AMPP

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

XenData Announces Backup, Archive and Cloud-Connect for LucidLink

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Thomas Riedel Acquires ARRI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Pann...

Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB 2026 New system removes PTZ pan restrictions for teleprompter-based productions Shotoku US...

14/04/2026

Telestream and Grass Valley Connect Live and File-Based W...

Integration of Vantage, Pulse, and Telestream UP with Grass Valley AMPP Ecosystem enables scalable, interoperable workflows spanning live production and file-ba...

14/04/2026

Dalet Appoints Brian Doheny as President and Chief Revenu...

Enterprise growth leader to scale Dalet's next phase of innovation and global expansion New York, NY April 14, 2026 Dalet, a leading technology and ser...

14/04/2026

Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event

Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event Directed by Tia Fuller, the Prince Project (April 16-17) brings together more than ...

14/04/2026

Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable

Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable The singular artist explores the juxtaposition of grief and joy, dark and light, in her distinctive sound. April 14, ...

14/04/2026

Appear Expands X Platform from Core to Edge at NAB Show 2...

Appear launches include XM estate management and new X Platform processing enhancements to add density for next-generation hybrid & IP workflows, X5 is also now...

14/04/2026

Synamedia turns OTT content into TikTok-style feeds with...

Addressing the needs of a new generation's viewing habits, Synamedia launches GO Shorts. The AI-powered module turns existing catalogues into TikTok-style ...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026 - Vubiquity and Eluvio Showcase Streaming Soluti...

Vubiquity, an Amdocs company and global leader in technology-led media services, will be showcasing a new end-to-end streaming solution in collaboration with El...

14/04/2026

LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB S...

LiveU today announced a significant expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, introducing integrated support for Sony's file-based workflow solu...

14/04/2026

BBC World Service TV selects Open Broadcast Systems for I...

Open Broadcast Systems (https://www.obe.tv/) has announced that BBC World Service has selected its decoders for IP Television distribution. The high-quality, lo...

14/04/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21 Brie Clayton April 14, 2026 0 Comments Major update adds new Photo page bringing Hollywood's most a...