Berklee Alumni Affairs Launches Second Season of Pass the Mic Podcast The new season will feature Mark Kelley of the Roots, Broadway veteran Natalie Toro, and former president of Fox Music Robert Kraft.
By
Kelly Wong
September 27, 2024
L-R: Alumni Achievement Award recipients Mark Kelley BM '03, Natalie Toro BFA '86, and Gustavo Borner '89 will be featured guests in season two of Pass the Mic.
Image by Mike Spencer
The award-winning podcast from Berklees Alumni Affairs team, Pass the Mic, has returned for a second season to discuss various aspects of the music industry with many of the college's most accomplished alumni. The first episode of the new season will be available on all podcast streaming platforms on Friday, September 27.
The first episode of the new season features Mark Kelley BM '03, bassist for the iconic hip-hop band the Roots, also known as the house band for NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since 2011. Throughout his career, Kelley has collaborated with a host of Grammy Award-winning singers, songwriters, and producers, including DAngelo-contributing to the neo-soul artist's album Black Messiah-as well as with Grammy Award-winning musicians John Legend and Erykah Badu. In the episode, Kelley will discuss finding one's artistic vision and staying true to one's creative endeavors.
Other guests featured in the upcoming season include: vocalist and composer Mariya Ksondzyk '17, '19; jazz guitarist Jan Esbra BM '16; emerging singer-songwriter Mel Fine BM '23; Grammy-nominated artist and philanthropist Chandrika Tandon; Argentine producer and sound engineer Gustavo Borner BM '89; R&B singer-songwriter Kevin Ross '09; Broadway veteran Natalie Toro BFA '86; and Robert Kraft, a composer and former president of Fox Music. Guests will explore topics such as using music to help those in correctional facilities, life after graduation and career opportunities, music education in different countries, and the real challenges within the music industry.
Hosted by Alumni Affairs staff members Padriac Farma, associate director of digital engagement, and Jaquel Eley, assistant director of digital engagement, Pass the Mic aims to showcase a diverse group of industry professionals from Berklee's community, offering alumni a platform to share their valuable insights and expertise in a comfortable setting. The first season of the podcast featured several globally accomplished alumni such as acclaimed film, TV, and video game composer Pinar Toprak BM '00 and Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter Tommy Torres BM '93.
To recommend a Berklee alum for the podcast, please reach out to Alumni Affairs at alumniaffairs@berklee.edu.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Jim Lucchese
Image by Kelly Davidson
Jim Lucchese Named Berklee's Fifth President A 20-year music industry veteran and a committed artist advocate with deep Berklee roots, Lucchese sets the tone for a new era at the institution.
Latest
Image by Clem Onojeghuo
Independent Music Platform Ampwall Launches Signups Built by and for DIY musicians, the Bandcamp alternative is now open to the public.
On Tour with Shaboozey's Drummer Darren Poindexter The LA-based drummer reflects on how his Berklee training shaped his career and prepared him for touring with the country-rap star.
L-R: Alumni Achievement Award recipients Mark Kelley BM '03, Natalie Toro BFA '86, and Gustavo Borner '89 will be featured guests in season two of Pass the Mic.
Image by Mike Spencer
Berklee Alumni Affairs Launches Second Season of Pass the Mic Podcast The new season will feature Mark Kelley of the Roots, Broadway veteran Natalie Toro, and former president of Fox Music Robert Kraft.
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 ...
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...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
15/05/2026
Major League Soccer has announced four original content series timed to the 2026...
15/05/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced it will exhibit and present at InfoComm 2026, taking place June 13-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Cente...
15/05/2026
InfoComm 2026 will take place June 13-19 (exhibits June 17-19) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will include sessions and exhibits covering broadcas...
15/05/2026
Tracy McGrady's Ones Basketball League (OBL) and FuboTV Inc. have announced ...
15/05/2026
Disguise has partnered with Creative Technology (CT) to deliver visual playback ...
15/05/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new products for professional imaging: the Alpha 7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera and the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS super-te...
15/05/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
15/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
15/05/2026
For sports organizations, the most valuable assets are often the most sensitive:...
15/05/2026
The NFL's broadcast partners released their 2026 regular season schedules ye...
15/05/2026
Besides drawing on experience with boxing, the production integrates specialty c...
Berklee Alumni Affairs Launches Second Season of Pass the Mic Podcast The new season will feature Mark Kelley of the Roots, Broadway veteran Natalie Toro, and former president of Fox Music Robert Kraft.
