
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Tania Le n and Kelli O'Hara at Commencement Ceremony This years honorary doctorate recipients were recognized for their profound influences on the worlds of music, theater, and education.
By
Tori Donahue
May 13, 2025
From left to right: student commencement speaker Grigori Balasanyan, Berklee President Jim Lucchese, honorary doctorate recipients Tania Le n and Kelli O'Hara, and Boston Conservatory Executive Director Michael Shinn.
Dave Green
On Saturday, May 10, 285 graduates from around the world came together at the Berklee Performance Center for Boston Conservatory at Berklee's annual commencement ceremony. At the event, Berklee President Jim Lucchese and Boston Conservatory at Berklee Executive Director Michael Shinn presented honorary doctorates to two iconic artists: Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, conductor, and educator Tania Le n, and Tony Award-winning actor and singer Kelli O'Hara.
Le n was recognized for her work leading orchestras around the world and for her powerful compositional voice. She is the first Latin American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music, for her orchestral work Stride, which honored the women's suffrage movement. She has also served as a visiting professor at Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Chicago, among others.
In her address to the graduating class, Le n reflected on her memories as a young musician in Cuba, where her grandmother encouraged her to pursue piano at the age of four, and on her move to the United States, where she studied composition and established her footing professionally in New York City. She shared stories about her early days composing for the Dance Theatre of Harlem (which she cofounded) and her work with Arthur Mitchell, emphasizing the importance of creative collaboration and working with others to write history.
What we make of an idea fueled by passion could be extraordinary, said Le n. I could quite actually change the world. You could quite actually change the world. She closed her speech with advice for the class of 2025. Just as music transcends language and culture to connect us all, let your actions be a symphony of compassion, empathy, and understanding in a world in dire need of harmony, she said.
O'Hara was recognized for being one of Broadway's most versatile artists, for which she received a Tony Award and eight nominations, as well as Emmy, SAG, and Grammy nominations throughout a career spanning more than two decades. She made history in 2015 as the first artist to cross over from Broadway to opera when she debuted opposite Ren e Fleming in the Metropolitan Opera's The Merry Widow. O'Hara also enjoys a robust career on screen, and can currently be seen as Aurora Fane on HBO's The Gilded Age.
Today and this moment remind me of what it actually means to be an artist, a person of craft, said O'Hara in her commencement address. She discussed falling in love with movie musicals and films as a girl, discovering a path that would ultimately lead her to Broadway. O'Hara also shared her memories as a young Broadway actress, and how she learned to shape-shift and adapt for different roles as she auditioned around the city, ultimately finding her niche.
It's not just the craft-finding work inside the craft-it's your interpretation of the craft, your authentic voice within it, your artistry. And if the in' thing, whatever that means, isn't necessarily your thing find some trusted collaborators and build a world for yourself. She imparted advice to the graduating class, saying, We must fight for humanity-all humanity-by staying, by telling our stories and the stories of others any way we can with our true voices, and the ones that don't ask us to compromise-especially for those who don't have voices to use.
The senior speaker for Boston Conservatory's graduating class was Grigori Balasanyan (BM 25), a composition major from Yerevan, Armenia. Balasanyan shared his fondest memories and plans for the future in a student spotlight feature ahead of his graduation. His opera, Silent Tears, debuted in November of 2024 to great acclaim, and will be performed throughout the world, including Los Angeles, Indiana, London, Paris, and Balasanyan's home country of Armenia during the 2026-2027 season.
Past honorary degree recipients for Boston Conservatory at Berklee include Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Betty Buckley, Andr De Shields, Cynthia Erivo, Sutton Foster, LaChanze, Victoria Livengood (MM 85, voice), Lar Lubovitch, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Nicholas Paleologos, Billy Porter, Awadagin Pratt, Leontyne Price, and Chita Rivera, among others.
Watch Tania Le n and Kelli O'Hara's remarks at Boston Conservatory's 2025 commencement ceremony.
Most Popular
Image by Maddie Ross, courtesy of Tape Op magazine
Building a Home Recording Studio? Here's What You Need. Experts break down the home studio setup and share tips to create a pro-level recording space on any budget.
Latest
Jonathan Mahoney, the New Dean for Pre-college, Online, and Professional Programs
Image courtesy of Jonathan Mahoney
Berklee Announces Jonathan Mahoney as the New Dean for Pre-College, Online, and Professional Programs Mahoney brings a collaborative, strategic, and learner-first mindset to Berklee POPP.
John Yao, a 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient.
Image courtesy of Chris Drukker
John Yao Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship for Interactive Jazz Project The Berklee professor and trombonist will debut Let's Make Some Noise, an immersive big band experience that invites audiences to co-compose in real time.
From left to right: student commencement speaker Grigori Balasanyan, Berklee President Jim Lucchese, honorary doctorate recipients Tania Le n and
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
15/06/2026
One of the more exciting internal video production divisions within a college at...
15/06/2026
The deal valued at $22 Billion is expected to close in the first half of 2027...
15/06/2026
Golf Channel and the Arnold Palmer Cup have announced a partnership to livestream the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup on Golf Channel Mobile and GolfChannel.com. The tou...
15/06/2026
TikTok and Panini have announced a partnership to bring a digital collectible ca...
15/06/2026
Cosm and Monster Energy have announced the debut of the first full-dome immersiv...
15/06/2026
Real American Freestyle (RAF) and Fox Nation have announced an exclusive streaming agreement for three RAF international events, beginning with RAF Georgia on J...
15/06/2026
FanConnect has announced a partnership with Extreme Networks integrating FanConn...
15/06/2026
Ten Emerging Filmmakers Ages 18 to 25 Will Start Fellowship Year at Ignite Lab from June 14-19
LOS ANGELES, CA, June 15, 2026 - The nonprofit Sundance Institut...
15/06/2026
Innovative three-band soft synth introduced
UVI's latest synth takes an interesting approach to synthesis, offering a trio of synth engines that each op...
15/06/2026
Applications now open for 2026
The Oram Awards have returned for 2026 to celebrate the unusual, unique and unfiltered creative worlds of women and gender-di...
15/06/2026
New intelligent auto-fader plug-in revealed
PSPaudioware's latest release offers automatic level adjustment and provides more detailed control than many...
15/06/2026
4.78M AUSSIES TUNE IN FOR SOCCEROOS WIN OVER T RK YE ON SBS
15 June, 2026
Media releases
Match had a Total TV average audience of 3.035 million, with over ...
15/06/2026
SBS Head of Commissioning John Godfrey to depart after 18 years
15 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Head of Commissioning John Godfrey will depart the broadca...
15/06/2026
Greater Manchester Police installs Rohde & Schwarz security scanner for custody ...
15/06/2026
Insights from NAGRAVISION's latest industry webinar featuring One Hungary, Liberty Global and Media Press Group
In this blog, Laura Rognoni explores the k...
15/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/06/2026
Clear-Com has introduced Avalon , a purpose built 1RU IP intercom communication platform for modern networked production, designed to simplify and scale workfl...
15/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/06/2026
MiLB Club Deploys LDX 110 Cameras at CarMax Park to Deliver A New Standard in Engaging Fan Experience
Grass Valley today announced that the Richmond Flying Sq...
15/06/2026
Detach from Direct-Attached: How Remote Editing with EVO Keeps Creative Teams Mo...
15/06/2026
Techtel Completes Media Production Setup for a major AFL sporting organisation
Sports
15 June Written By Suzanne Costello
(Sydney, Australia 15 June 2026)...
15/06/2026
Monday 15 June 2026
Sky News takes viewers inside Minab in new film investigati...
15/06/2026
Fox Corporation to Acquire Roku, Inc. Combination Creates a Scaled Media and Technology Platform with Superior Reach, Engagement and Monetization Capability
...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...