Berklee Wrapped 2024: Our Top News and Stories Take a look at some of our best stories of the year, including announcing our next president, hosting Andr 3000, and learning from the alumni shaping Latin musics future.
By
Bryan Parys
December 20, 2024
Image by Kelly Davidson
2024 was a year for new directions.
Berklee announced the hiring of our new president, Jim Lucchese, who officially takes the reins in the new year, with the goal of being an artists advocate. Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee Valencia named new executive directors-Michael Shinn and Simone Pilon, respectively-both of whom had been serving in interim capacities over the last year.
Our alumni, students, and faculty continued to push musical boundaries, holding down the groove in country-rap, taking the stage at major music festivals, and winning countless awards.
Suffice to say, the Berklee community traveled and blazed many trails this year. Below, take a look at just a small collection of some of those journeys.
Best News of 2024Berklee Announces Jim Lucchese as Its Next President
Jim Lucchese Named Berklees Fifth President
It is an immense honor to become a part of the Berklee community, an institution that means so much to me personally and has been a singularly positive force for creativity around the world. -Jim Lucchese
A Tribute to the Late, Great Quincy Jones
Remembering the Rare and Extraordinary Life of Quincy Jones
I wouldnt trade the time that I got on earth for anything-it was just right.-Quincy Jones 51 83H
Best Visiting Artist Stories
Andr 3000 at Berklee: Respect Your Taste-Thats All You GotOne thing I have learned from making music early on is: take what you already have, and make it work as long as you can.
-Andr 3000
FINNEAS and Ashe Talk Confidence and Collaboration in the Music IndustryI think one of the ways I knew I was a producer and a cowriter was I would make stuff that did not fit me.
-FINNEAS
Pop Culture Icon Cyndi Lauper Gives Keynote at Berklee NYC Career ExpoWe were honored to welcome the inimitable Cyndi Lauper to Berklee NYC, an artist who has left an indelible mark on music history just as she did with the audience at the expo.
-Betsie Becker
The Africana Studies Department Hosts Gambian Musician Dr. Sona Jobarteh as Visiting ScholarI'm very excited to be part of the Africana Studies Department this academic year, and to be contributing to its incredibly important work of bringing the cultural and historical context of African/Black music to the fore.
-Sona Jobarteh 23H
Best Alumni Stories
Meet the Berklee Grads Shaping Latin Musics Future
You're working with the future of the music industry right now at Berklee.-Bere Gonzalo BM 21
Beloved Genre-Benders Karate Make a Fitting ComebackWhen I write songs . . . if something feels right when I play it and sing it, then it doesnt matter what the genre is.
-Geoff Farina BM 91
Watch DREIONs Electrifying Shining Star Blind Audition on The VoiceIt's rare to have someone who can sing and has a stage aura like [DREION]. . . . That takes years.
-Gwen Stefani
Alum Gives Soaring Performance at the 2024 Paralympics in ParisPianist and vocalist Luan Pommier BM '24, performed her arrangement of the Paralympic anthem for a crowd of nearly 65,000 gathered on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
Carla Patullo Howls and Heals on Grammy-Winning Ambient AlbumWe go through these cycles of healing, and we go back and we remember things, and then we close down, and then we open up, and its like this circle.
-Carla Patullo BM 01 MM 13
Best Faculty Stories
Sherry Li Teaches Students How to Write Songs for Chinese Audiences
The moment I stepped into my department, I got many questions [from colleagues] about the challenges Chinese students face in communicating and attempting to write English lyrics. So I've been giving presentations about the Chinese education system and music market . . . to explain the cultural and musical differences.-Sherry Li, assistant professor
Beyonc Is a Disruptor: Why the CMAs Snubbed Cowboy CarterWhat [Beyonc 's] trying to do is not only create effective art, but to leverage it to be a conversation starter so that we can heal our nation.
-Emmett G. Price III, dean of Africana Studies
Why Taylor Swift Is So Popular (Berklees Version)I think because she writes with more common chords that are diatonic mostly, it allows the listener to focus on her melodies and her storytelling.
-Scarlet Keys, professor
Best Student Stories
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2024
1,353 students-representing 64 countries, 49 US states, and ages ranging from 19 to 71-received their diplomas and entered into an exciting new phase in their artistic and professional lives.
Student Spotlight: Bethanie LiuBerklee is a place where I can learn many different things-many things that I didnt even know existed before.
-Bethanie Liu
Berklee Popular Music Institute Launches Live DocuseriesThe series follows a group of BPMI students as they learn how to manage real artists at the world's most popular music festivals.
Students Help Bring Nona Hendryxs Dream Machine to Life at Lincoln CenterWhat I heard from the students, and engaging with them about what they were creating, was really inspiring for me.
-Nona Hendryx
Student Spotlight: Mateo Londo oI might not have gone the traditional route, but I accomplished something that I am so proud of.
-Mateo Londo o
Best Playlists
Why Were Not Afraid to Love Scary Music (Plus 13 of the Best Horror Film Scores)
Faculty composer Ryan Page discusses the appeal of scary movies and curates a list of the most memorably terrifying scores.
Dembow Explained (+19 Songs Featuring the Iconic Rhythm)How the dembow beat-found in reggaeton, hip-hop, pop, and far beyond-became a global phenomenon.
What Exactly Is Dad Rock? 21 Songs that Explain
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Berklee Wrapped 2024: Our Top News and Stories Take a look at some of our best stories of the year, including announcing our next president, hosting Andr 3000, and learning from the alumni shaping Latin musics future.
