
Berklee Honors Usher, Roberta Flack, and Sona Jobarteh at Commencement The legendary artists received honorary doctorates for their immeasurable impact on music, activism, and popular culture.
By
Tori Donahue
May 13, 2023
Usher addresses the crowd at Berklee College of Musics commencement ceremony.
Image by Michael D. Spencer
Berklee Professor Gabrielle Goodman speaks at the commencement ceremony.
Image by Michael D. Spencer
More than 1,230 graduates from 62 countries and all 50 U.S. states came together to celebrate at the Agganis Arena in Boston for Berklee College of Music's 2023 commencement ceremony. Berklee Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs David Bogen presented an honorary doctorate to recording artist and icon Usher at the ceremony, while Berklee Professor Gabrielle Goodman accepted Roberta Flack's degree on behalf of the acclaimed singer-songwriter. Gambian kora master Sona Jobarteh received her honorary doctorate at the inauguration of President Erica Muhl in April and delivered her remarks to the graduating class in a video.
The annual commencement concert took place the previous evening at Agganis Arena and featured many of Berklee's most talented graduating students paying tribute to the honorees by performing their music, including Usher's smash hits Yeah!, U Remind Me, and Burn, among others. The artist joined students on stage at the conclusion of the concert to sing the final notes of Without You. Flack's tribute included Killing Me Softly, Feel Like Making Love, and her iconic cover of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Students performed a panoply of Jobarteh's music, concluding with Musolou, where she joined performers on stage to sing and play the kora.
Usher joins students on stage at the commencement concert.
Image by Elizabeth Friar
Global megastar and eight-time Grammy Award winner Usher was recognized for his tremendous artistry and profound influence on R&B music. He was also lauded for his role as a devout humanitarian, raising tens of millions of dollars for various causes and uplifting youth via his New Look Foundation, which has provided opportunities for young people in underserved communities since 1999.
My goal as an artist has always been to inspire people to make a positive impact through my music, to make you feel something, and last night I felt proud of the legacy that has been built and that we're building together as artists, said Usher reflecting on the tribute concert from the previous evening. He continued by urging the graduating class to keep running past that finish line [of your goals], break the barriers, identify that spark in you that motivates you to keep going, and don't expect everything to be perfect and run smoothly. Take what you've learned here [at Berklee], go into the world, and make great things.
Known for her timeless vocals and legendary songwriting abilities, Flack was hailed as one of the greatest songstresses of our time, unparalleled in her ability to tell a story through her music. She was honored for enriching the lives of others through her humanitarian outreach with the nonprofit Feed the Children and the Roberta Flack School of Music in the Bronx, and her role as author of The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music, her debut children's book with Tonya Bolden.
Never stop learning. Never stop growing. Use what you have and share yourselves with the world.
- Roberta Flack
Goodman, who toured and performed with Flack and considers her a musical mother, read remarks from the artist at the ceremony. I have always said that love is a song. Music crosses all boundaries, and in this time of great division and fear we need to reach for what connects us all, now more than ever, she said.
Sona Jobarteh performs at the commencement concert.
Image by Elizabeth Friar
In her remarks, Flack mentioned her deep love of education, from her time as a teacher to her role as a mentor for so many young artists. To this day, I continue to be a student of music; it finds me everywhere-in the darkest of moments, in the times of fear, and the depths of doubt it lifts me higher than the sky, warming my heart and opening my soul to love, to dream, and to try. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. Use what you have and share yourselves with the world.
A musician and educator from the Gambia, Jobarteh was born into one of the five principal griot families in West Africa, a hereditary tradition that dates back over 700 years to the Mali Empire. She is the first woman within this ancient tradition to master the kora, a 21-string instrument from the Mandeng regions. Jobarteh delivered the keynote address at the inauguration of President Erica Muhl in April, where she was recognized for her boundary-breaking role in Gambian music as well as for her work as an educator and activist.
In video remarks to the graduating class, Jobarteh described the adversity she faced in her career as a musician in a male-dominated tradition and as a woman of color studying in the United Kingdom. Always keep your eyes on the ultimate goals, and regard all stages of life as just another chapter to help you get closer to those goals, she said. I call on young people to always remind themselves that they have the power to effect real change on society, especially young people who have chosen to pursue music...Each of you have purpose in this life, just as your music also has a purpose.
With your music or talent, do something that makes life a little sweeter for someone you don't know.
- Ron Mahdi, professor of ensembles
This year's faculty speech was delivered by Ron Mahdi, professor of ensembles. A Berklee alumnus himself, Mahdi looked back on how artistic struggles made him a better person, which he imparted onto graduates in his remarks.
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...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
First Nations Factual Co-production Development Fund launched to elevate Indigen...
19/05/2026
The winner of Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2025, Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, and runner up Wangu Kanuri enjoyed a three-day trip to London ...
19/05/2026
Cisco and the USGA have announced a multiyear extension of their partnership, which began in 2018. Cisco serves as the Official Technology Partner of the USGA, ...
19/05/2026
Urban Edge Network (UEN), a streaming platform for NAIA sports, has announced a partnership with Spiideo to provide streaming and production tools to UEN's ...
19/05/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will provide live coverage of all 900 Roland-Garros matches across its platforms beginning with qualifiers on May 18. In Europe, 21...
19/05/2026
Tubi, Fox Corporation's free streaming service, has announced the launch of the FIFA World Cup 2026 FOX Hub, a dedicated destination for World Cup programmi...
19/05/2026
Telef nica, in collaboration with Sony, has conducted a 5G connectivity trial at the Movistar Arena in Spain using the 26 GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) band. The...
19/05/2026
Ross Production Services (RPS) has installed a Calrec Argo M console into its new Hypermax-1 remote production truck, replacing one of three Argo S consoles pre...
19/05/2026
Panasonic Projector and Display Corporation has announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of UK-based media technology company Hive Media Control Ltd. (HI...
19/05/2026
Globecast has announced the completion of a nine-month renovation of its Singapore facility, converting it from a traditional linear broadcast operation into a ...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadc...
19/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that Watch Brasil, a streaming platform operating across Brazil and Europe since 2018, has replaced its legacy systems with Bitmovin'...
19/05/2026
Ateme has announced the migration of Dish Home Nepal's Nepal Premier League (NPL) streaming infrastructure to Ateme's TITAN Live solution deployed on Ak...
19/05/2026
CMSI provided workflow, media management, and HDR support for ESPN during coverage of the NCAA Gymnastics Semifinals and Championships. The company supported fi...
19/05/2026
In advance of this year's Sports Emmy Awards, SVG is taking a deep dive into the six production-technologies nominated for this year's George Wensel Tec...
19/05/2026
In advance of this year's Sports Emmy Awards, SVG is taking a deep dive into the six production-technologies nominated for this year's George Wensel Tec...
19/05/2026
Featuring a fully IP infrastructure, Supershooter 11 is intended for large-scale events. Enabling remote and distributed workflows, Supershooter 65 joins the RE...
19/05/2026
By Jessica Herndon
The line wrapped around the building outside Denver's La...
19/05/2026
Podcasting continues to evolve, and so does Spotify. As we build what comes next, one thing remains constant: This is a medium built on connection. It lives in ...
19/05/2026
Popular design joins Inherit cartridge line-up
When GC Audio introduced their modular Inherit system, it was available with a selection of the company's...
19/05/2026
Resonance-suppression plug-in gets ground-up rebuild
Following on from its 10-year anniversary, oeksound's flagship plug-in has just reached its third m...
19/05/2026
Dedicated FL Studio controller keyboard range refreshed
Novation's dedicated FL Studio controller family has just been upgraded, with four new models ex...
19/05/2026
Rohde & schwarz strengthens its in-vehicle networks test portfolio with the laun...
19/05/2026
Lawful Intelligence: Rohde & Schwarz stellt neues Portfolio f r moderne Polizeia...
19/05/2026
Press Release
18 May 2026, Johannesburg South Africa has been selected as the...
19/05/2026
When all companies in the market are allowed to compete under the same set of ru...
19/05/2026
Battle-proven technology withstands electronic warfare threats across air, maritime surface and subsea domains....
19/05/2026
WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems provide high-precision targeting across domains, including counter-UAS applications...
19/05/2026
Champaign, IL - March 16, 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufa...
19/05/2026
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. April 16, 2026 - Cobalt Digital today announced a partnership ...
19/05/2026
Las Vegas - April 18, 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufactur...
19/05/2026
LAS VEGAS April 18, 2026 - Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital are ...
19/05/2026
LAS VEGAS - May 4, 2026 - Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear initiativ...
19/05/2026
London - 11 May 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear...
19/05/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
19/05/2026
Celebrating its ability to quickly adapt to changing requirements, Ross Production Services (RPS) has put its flexible infrastructure to good use, switching one...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has entered into a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadcast Solutions as the Singapore-based company expands its live production oper...
19/05/2026
Clear-Com supported Musikal Perahu Kertas, a large-scale musical theater production in Indonesia adapted from the acclaimed novel by Dee Lestari, through the d...
19/05/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, and a leading provider of intelligent media monitoring and broadcast compliance platforms, announced today that METEO CONSULT ha...
19/05/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of managed services for the broadcast and media industry, today announced the completion of a major renovation of its Singapore fa...
19/05/2026
Following a major upgrade to its Connecticut remote production centre with the installation of three 60-fader Argo S consoles in 2023, RPS has switched one of t...