Berklee Valencia Marks Campus Expansion with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Left to right: Simone Pilon, executive director of Berklee Valencia; Carmen Ortí, regional minister of education, culture, and universities; and Berklee President Jim Lucchese at the Berklee Valencia ribbon-cutting ceremony
Image by Tato Baeza
Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain, celebrated its newly expanded facilities on Thursday, February 26, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Berklee President Jim Lucchese and Carmen Ortí, regional minister of education, culture, and universities.
The completed expansion project adds approximately 900 square meters of new space, increasing the campus’s capacity from 300 to 500 students per semester. The new facilities are fully integrated into the campus’s daily academic activity and reflect Berklee’s continued commitment to educational excellence, technological innovation, and cultural development in the Valencian community.
Designed to support collaboration across programs and meet the evolving needs of students, the expansion includes new academic, technological, and creative spaces. Among them are the Aula Magna, an auditorium with seating for more than 100 people; a new library; the Creative Suite, dedicated to recording, production, and rehearsal; technology labs; and additional spaces for students, faculty, and staff.
The ceremony opened with welcome remarks from President Lucchese, followed by a presentation of the project by Simone Pilon, executive director of Berklee Valencia, and concluded with remarks from Ortí.
"Berklee Valencia has helped to make Berklee even more of who we are: a global community with diverse perspectives, cultures, and creative voices,” said Lucchese. “We are profoundly grateful to the Generalitat Valenciana for a partnership that began in 2012 and now extends through 2040. The Valencia campus expansion is a clear sign of our commitment to this vibrant city, ensuring decades of continued creativity, community, and mission-driven growth."
In her remarks, Ortí emphasized the significance of the project. “The expansion of the campus solidifies a long-term strategic project that strengthens the Valencian community as an international leader in music and educational innovation," she said, adding that the partnership "reflects a strong institutional commitment that delivers exceptional results, connecting the talent of our region with forward-looking education open to the world.”
The expansion is part of the commitment established through the 2020 concession agreement between Berklee and the City of Arts and Sciences, which allowed the college to remain at the iconic cultural complex for an additional 20 years. The project further strengthens the institution’s long-term investment in the region and reinforces its mission to foster innovation, creativity, and global collaboration in music and the performing arts.