Miguel Zen n Named the 2023 Ken Pullig Visiting Scholar in Jazz Studies The Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow will give master classes, lead an ensemble, and work with jazz composition students.
By
Colette Greenstein
May 31, 2023
Image courtesy of Miguel Zen n
Distinguished saxophonist and composer Miguel Zen n B.M. 98 will join Berklees Harmony and Jazz Composition Department as the Ken Pullig Visiting Scholar in Jazz Studies during the 2023-2024 academic year. Zen n is the second musician to be invited to hold the position, which was established in honor of Ken Pullig, a former chair of jazz composition who retired in 2012 after leading the department for more than 30 years.
We are beyond thrilled to have Miguel Zen n join the Berklee community this fall. His passion, love, and respect for music envelops his mind, body, and spirit. It is our expectation that he will inspire our students to take on these same attributes, says George W. Russell Jr., chair of the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department.
As a visiting scholar, Zen n will be in residence for one week each month throughout the academic year, working with advanced jazz composition students and offering his perspective on their work. In addition, he will be coaching a student ensemble, working with faculty, and offering master classes open to the entire Berklee community.
I'm excited and honored about this upcoming residency at my alma mater, Berklee College of Music, adds Zen n. I know it will be amazing and I can't wait to get started.
In a career spanning 25 years, Zen n has released 15 recordings as a leader, including the Grammy Award-nominated albums Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera (2019), Yo Soy La Tradici n (2018), and T pico (2017). His latest work, M sica De Las Am ricas, released in 2022, features original music inspired by his passion for the history of the American continent. The record pays tribute to America's diverse cultures while also challenging modern assumptions about who and what America is.
It is exciting to have Miguel Zen n return to Berklee in this capacity. His music offers a fresh and modern perspective to our community and he is regarded as a cultural ambassador, says Ayn Inserto, assistant chair of the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department. As the MacArthur Foundation states, [he is] reestablishing the artistic, cultural, and social tradition of jazz while creating an entirely new jazz language for the 21st century.
About Miguel Zen n Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zen n represents a select group of musicians who have balanced and blended the often contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences. As a composer, he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, the New York State Council for the Arts, Chamber Music America, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, the Hewlett Foundation, and many of his peers. He has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is currently a faculty member in MITs Music and Theater Arts Department.
The multiple Grammy nominee has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Chicago Tribune. In addition, he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist categories on the 2014 Jazz Times Critics Poll, and was selected as the Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of The Year). In 2023, he was recognized by the same organization as Composer of the Year.
In April 2008, Zen n received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the Genius Grant. In 2011, he founded Caravana Cultural, a program which presents free-of-charge jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. In 2022 he received an honorary doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Coraz n in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the highest honor bestowed by the institution.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Image by Libby Danforth
Viral TikTok Song If I Were a Fish Is a Joyous Call for Acceptance Berklee alum Corrine Savage, who performs as corook, wrote the song with their partner as a way to cope with feeling unaccepted by society for being different.
Latest
Image courtesy of Bahar Badieitar
Student Spotlight: Bahar Badieitabar The composition and performance major talks about her journey to Berklee from Iran, composing on the oud, and how she finds inspiration in the traditional and folkloric music of her home country.
Daedelus, assistant professor in the Electronic Production and Design Department, is a presenter and panelist at this years Connect 2023: EDI Summit.
Image courtesy of the artist
Preview the Latest Electronic Performance Gear from Connect 2023 Berklee faculty share some of their favorite tech from this weeks Electronic Digital Instrument (EDI) Summit-and the future is laptop-optional.
Jett Galindo
Balancing Act Mastering engineer Jett Galindo on building an inclusive industry, and the art of a finely tuned mix.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
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...
07/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/07/2026
New appointments to Screen Australia board 7 July 2026
The Albanese Labor Government has made new appointments to the Screen Australia board.
Dr Tania Chamber...
07/07/2026
The right team. The right time.' How The Killings at Parrish Station stuck t...
07/07/2026
Berklee College of Music Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's...
07/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists train the immune system to make antibodies against numerous HIV strains Preclinical findings mark progress toward a long-sought vacc...
06/07/2026
Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...
06/07/2026
The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...
06/07/2026
This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...
06/07/2026
IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...
06/07/2026
Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...
06/07/2026
NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...
06/07/2026
Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...
06/07/2026
DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...
06/07/2026
Bundle gains 100 new synths & more
Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...
06/07/2026
Available now via free firmware update
MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...
06/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...
06/07/2026
The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Open source AI has shown how quickly developers can innovate when models, data a...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
06/07/2026
Monday 6 July 2026
Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Miguel Zen n Named the 2023 Ken Pullig Visiting Scholar in Jazz Studies The Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow will give master classes, lead an ensemble, and work with jazz composition students.
