
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, ...
18/11/2025
Independent media across Central America are operating under intensifying financial pressure, yet there is a clear appetite for models that can sustain both ind...
18/11/2025
NBA Debuts New Comms Infrastructure and Systems for RefereesTwo-phase rollout is intended to improve game flow, enhance officiating accuracyBy Dan Daley, Audio ...
18/11/2025
Platinum White Paper: How Aggreko Delivers Certainty For Broadcasters On The Wor...
18/11/2025
Kiswe Extends DTC Products With Kiswe Core Cloud-Based Tool for Distributing Con...
18/11/2025
Spanish Basketball Federation partners with ScorePlay to power digital transform...
18/11/2025
HBS selects BBright encoders and decoders to connect ST 2110 live production wor...
18/11/2025
Ashes to Ashes: Inside TNT Sports' hybrid and maverick' production plan...
18/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Mimi Fotopoulos, Director, Talent and Production Operations, Tenn...
18/11/2025
SVG LIVE! Conference Explores the Tech Side of Sports and Entertainment ConvergenceLive sports and music productions increasingly share gear and infrastructureB...
18/11/2025
LPGA Ups Its Production Game in 2026 With 50% More Cameras, SSMO's & Drones,...
18/11/2025
ESPN's Dunk the Halls Real-Time Animated NBA Game Set to Return for Christma...
18/11/2025
By Jessica Herndon
When Chilean filmmakers Diego C spedes and Giancarlo Nasi ar...
18/11/2025
Earlier this year, we announced the BAPE x SPOTIFY x SYNA by Central Cee (aka Cench) capsule collection, a collaboration that blends sound, style, and street c...
18/11/2025
Our mission to make Spotify the ultimate home for all things audio continues. St...
18/11/2025
SGL Carbon and the renowned Link ping University inaugurated an advanced coating...
18/11/2025
CANBERRA, Australia, Nov. 18, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has launched a new, next-generation software device called NETCASTER - the NETwork Contr...
18/11/2025
Pictured are L3Harris ISR President Jason Lambert and Waleid Al Mesmari, EDGE President-Space & Cyber Technologies, signing with Carlo Igniades, L3Harris Region...
18/11/2025
During October, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 23.7%, a marginal shift of -0.8 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YUMI...
18/11/2025
Broadcast Builds On Lead Over Cable, Driven by Football and Drama Programming Ga...
18/11/2025
CINCINNATI E.W. Scripps has issued a statement responding to news that Sinclair has acquired approximately 8.2% of the outstanding class A (non-voting) shares o...
18/11/2025
TYSONS, Va. Tegna has announced that its shareholders have voted overwhelmingly to approve the proposed $6.2 billion merger with Nexstar Media....
18/11/2025
NEW YORK Short-form vertical video has exploded across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, but a new survey commissioned by Media.net, a provider of ...
18/11/2025
SHENZHEN, China DJI today unveiled the Osmo Action 6, an all-in-one action camera featuring a variable aperture with a range from f/2.0 to f/4.0, the company...
18/11/2025
In the high-stakes world of film sound, there's no room for second chances. When an actor whispers a line with the weight of an entire scene, or lets loose ...
18/11/2025
Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a selection of popular products, including a Thunderbolt 4 dock, an eGPU chassis, SATA and M.2 SSD PCIe cards, and mor...
18/11/2025
Amagi, a cloud-based SaaS technology solutions provider for broadcast and streaming TV, today announced the launch of 4Fangs, a new Free Ad-Supported Streaming ...
18/11/2025
Women In Media (WiM) announces its honorees for the 2025 Holiday Toast. The annual celebration recognizes legendary creatives whose work uplifts and inspires th...
18/11/2025
Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra ( Good Fortune , The Bear , Euphoria ) emerged from the 2025 Emmy season with a statuette celebrating his Outstanding Cinem...
18/11/2025
Atlanta-based gaffer and lighting programmer Quinton Thomas brings the same practical, problem-solving instinct of a board op to every set he walks onto. With a...
18/11/2025
Suitelife Systems, a division of NFB Consulting Group, headquartered in California, has announced the appointments of Charles Sotto as Director of Media Technol...
18/11/2025
Sound Director and Audio Product Manager Scott Kramer has built a career around shaping stories through audio, guiding projects across film, television and stre...
18/11/2025
iWedia, a global leader in software solutions for connected TV devices, announces its participation at the APAC TV Summit 2025, taking place November 18 20 in B...
18/11/2025
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) is proud to announce the launch of Flair Bridge, a groundbreaking solution that redefines how operators control MRMC's in...
18/11/2025
Over the summer, world famous musician and rapper Drake continued the rollout of his new album Iceman, by live streaming the second and third episodes of a seri...
18/11/2025
KEIZER, Ore. Municipal broadcaster Keizer City Television, K23 TV, has deployed four Telycam PTZ cameras to upgrade the visual quality of its live meeting cover...
18/11/2025
STAMFORD, Conn. NBC Sports and Peacock have announced that they are working for the second consecutive year with the National Football League, EA Sports and Gen...
18/11/2025
LONDON A new Ampere Analysis study finds that familiar franchises are successfully driving kids' TV consumption on Netflix and that the streamers big bet on...
18/11/2025
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. TV viewers continue to find it challenging to find relevant programs in the fragmented universe of streaming content, according to new findings...
18/11/2025
20 Bob Dylan Songs That Reflect a Legacy of A-Changin On the heels of Bob Dylan receiving a Berklee honorary doctorate, we take stock of one of the most singu...
18/11/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE, November 18, 2025 At Dubai Airshow 2025, Mira Aerospace, the H...
18/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and MILTON expand partnership, unveiling new RF spectrum monitor...
18/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz presents multi-purpose R&S NGT3600 high-precision dual-channel p...
18/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and ELT Group: Towards a Global Strategic Partnership Across All...
18/11/2025
Wuppertal November 18, 2025
Tisman Service Expands Rental Offerings with Riede...
18/11/2025
Today, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Anthropic announced new strategic partnerships. Anthropic is scaling its rapidly growing Claude AI model on Microsoft Azure, powere...
18/11/2025
AI agents have the potential to become indispensable tools for automating complex tasks. But bringing agents to production remains challenging.
According to Ga...
18/11/2025
DJ Carey: The Dodger starts Monday 24th November at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Pl...
17/11/2025
EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast to Return Thanksgiving Night With Immersive, Data-Driv...
17/11/2025
Behind the Broadcast Booth: Impact Ventures' Greer Christian on Building Her...