President Erica Muhl Delivers Keynote Address at Culture Summit Abu Dhabi Berklee community members participated in both the three-day summit and an event at the Berklee Abu Dhabi Center.
By
Daniel Pesquera
December 5, 2022
Berklee President Erica Muhl speaks at the 2022 Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.
Image courtesy of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism
Berklee President Erica Muhl delivered an address as a keynote speaker at the 2022 Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, a three-day gathering of world leaders, creative thinkers, artists, and CEOs from a wide swath of industries and global communities that influence culture and the arts. Hosted by Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, the fifth-annual summit, which took place at Manarat Al Saadiyat October 23-25, combined discussion-based activities with performances and participatory workshops centered around the theme A Living Culture.
President Muhl addressed participants on the third day of the program, which focused on the arts and culture through the lens of diversity, and empowering communities by engendering a more inclusive society that reflects and amplifies the strength of different cultural perspectives.
Imagine what the world could be, what we could accomplish, if the creativity at the center of each and every one of us was nurtured from a very early age, carefully developed and allowed to grow, and then harnessed in a collective mission toward societal transformation, shared President Muhl in her address, Educating Change Makers Through Arts and Culture. [Berklee's] vision is to create an interconnected network of campuses, centers, and partnerships that foster and inspire new artistic expressions . We also seek to learn from our partner communities, and to distinguish these programs and offerings in ways that are enhanced by the work of local artists and arts organizations, local industries, and most importantly, by local traditions and practices.
Mayssa Karaa, artistic director of Berklee Abu Dhabi Center, performs with Danilo Perez's Global Jazz Project at Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.
Image courtesy of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism
In addition to President Muhl, several additional members of the Berklee community contributed to the summit. Mayssa Karaa, artistic director of Berklee Abu Dhabi, moderated the panel discussion Integrating Cultural Diversity Through Music. Among the panelists joining Karaa were Danilo P rez, founder and artistic director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI); BGJI alumnus George Lernis; Berklee faculty member Patricia Z rate P rez; and Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, who shared their respective personal experiences and insights on building a borderless global community through music and the arts.
The BGJI offered audiences a taste of their eclectic sound with a closing performance that featured P rez, Lernis, Z rate P rez, vocalist and Berklee instructor Nadia Washington, bassist Ciara Moser, and violinist ngela Varo, with special guest Charbel Rouhana, an acclaimed oud performer and composer. In a separate performance, Berklee Abu Dhabi instructors Yarub Smarait (violin) and Samvel Gasparyan (piano) treated attendees to a harmonious blend of Arabic-influenced world music.
Immediately following the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, the Berklee Abu Dhabi Center hosted the Berklee Abu Dhabi Music Summit October 26-27, which focused on the theme of Emerging Technologies in the Music Industry. The two-day event convened industry professionals and artists to learn, network, and reimagine the world of creative arts in the Middle East through immersive discussion panels, interactive workshops, and high-energy performances.
Danilo Perez, founder and artistic director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, participates in a panel discussion at Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.
Image courtesy of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism
We are extremely honored to be able to have President Muhl, Danilo P rez, the Global Jazz Institute, and so many other members of Berklee Abu Dhabi be a part of this critical cultural event, said Gael Hedding, director of Berklee Abu Dhabi and a speaker in the summit's Mentoring for Impact panel, which discussed the impact mentoring in the arts can have on younger generations. One of the many strengths of Berklee is our ability to connect across cultures and create safe spaces for creative minds to share ideas. Culture Summit Abu Dhabi and the Berklee Abu Dhabi Music Summit harness that connective energy, and we are proud that Berklee has played such an important role in pushing toward those ideals.
During her visit, President Muhl joined the Berklee Abu Dhabi leadership team for a tour of the state-of-the-art center, where she was able to connect and engage with the programs talented students and faculty. The Berklee Abu Dhabi Center represents a significant commitment by Berklee to the advancement of arts education experiences and public performances, not only in Abu Dhabi but across regions in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Programs offered at the center serve local and regional students of all ages with instruction in voice, piano, DJing and turntablism, production, songwriting, film scoring, music business, dance, and more.
About Berklee Abu Dhabi The Berklee Abu Dhabi Center is a hub that ignites and inspires creative industry professionals poised to impact the growing and thriving cultural, educational, and performing arts industries in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Through sustainable and innovative educational experiences, the center builds bridges between the Middle East and Berklees global ecosystem.
In addition to hosting major performances each year, the center offers the PEARL (Performance Artistry and Leadership) certificate program, a competitive, pr
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13 with guest ...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
04/12/2025
Lightware, a global specialist in AV connectivity, is looking back on a year defined by new advancements, strong collaboration and continued growth. Across the ...
04/12/2025
Riedel Communications today announced a new partnership with Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual col...
04/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Normann Engineering today announced a major milestone in their strategic collaboration, celebrating 20 successful broadband deployme...
President Erica Muhl Delivers Keynote Address at Culture Summit Abu Dhabi Berklee community members participated in both the three-day summit and an event at the Berklee Abu Dhabi Center.
