Updates from the Executive Director

Dear Berklee Valencia family,

I hope that this email finds you well. As you probably know, it has been a difficult month for the larger Valencia community due to the late-October floods in the region. As such, this newsletter is different from previous editions, as most activities beyond classes and related events were paused out of respect for the people who are struggling with rebuilding their homes, or mourning the loss of a loved one.

The evening of October 29, 2024, when the initial storms came through the region and following guidelines from the local authorities, the Berklee Valencia campus closed its facilities and remained closed through Monday, November 3. We were fortunate that the severe weather was outside the city and therefore did not impact our campus or students. There were predictions of more storms the following week, November 12–13, that would impact the already hard-hit regions. Fortunately, those storms did not materialize in Valencia and recovery efforts were able to move forward. 

There has been an outpouring of support for the greater Valencia community. At Berklee Valencia, we held a donation drive to support people in the affected communities. This past week, we moved forward with our regularly scheduled Berklee a Les Arts concerts, inspired by Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore. The concerts were dedicated to those impacted by the floods and all ticket proceeds were allocated to aid Valencian Societats Musicals in the affected areas as part of a solidarity initiative by the Federación de Sociedades Musicales de la Comunidad Valenciana. 

I would like to thank the many people in the greater Berklee family who reached out and sent us messages of support. We feel fortunate to be part of such an amazing community. I would also like to recognize the many people at Berklee and Berklee Valencia in particular who worked tirelessly to make sure our campus and community were secure and communication channels were open. I also want to thank all of our students, who showed an incredible amount of empathy and understanding. 

While our campus and students did not experience the storms or flooding, many members of our faculty and staff were impacted by these storms, either directly or indirectly. It has been a challenging time for our colleagues, their neighbors, families, and friends, and our thoughts are with them.

Thank you all for your support. I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and I look forward to a future update.

Best wishes.

Simone Pilon
Executive Director
Berklee College of Music, Valencia

Dear Berklee Valencia Family,

As October comes to a close, I am excited to share some highlights and initiatives that are enhancing our vibrant community here at Berklee Valencia.

This month, we kicked off our Mental Health Awareness Residency with Rosana Corbacho, a clinical and humanistic psychologist specializing in the music industry and founder of M.I. Therapy. She was joined by Dr. Adam Ficek, a psychotherapist who specializes in therapeutic work with creatives, musicians, and music industry professionals. Dr. Ficek, a professional musician with extensive world touring experience, provided valuable insights into the unique challenges faced by those in our field.

In addition to this residency, we were pleased to announce the return of Yoga in the Park every Friday, along with Pockets of Mindfulness sessions. These initiatives aim to provide a moment for our students to disconnect, and to promote their wellbeing.

We had a variety of guest speakers this month, including a master class for students in the Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) master’s program by Didier Likeng on The Origins of Gospel Music. Students in the master’s program for Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games were treated to a talk by American film composer Thomas Newman, whose credits include Shawshank Redemption, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and 1917. We also hosted a Music Business Seminar featuring marketing consultant Karma Bertelsen.

Undergraduate students had the opportunity to take part in a day trip to Xàtiva and Gandía, allowing them to see more of the area and enhance their cultural understanding of this beautiful region. Additionally, our undergraduate students had the opportunity to attend a Madrid Industry Day Trip, where they met with professionals from EA and Warner Music. 

Students in the master’s program in Global Entertainment and Music Business program participated in the Pro Weekend showcase and conference in Castellón, where they benefited from a variety of talks and panels, as well as a mentoring session. The Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games students recorded with a string quartet as part of their program.

At a campus-wide level, the International Career Center (ICC) has been active, offering a Branding Camp and sessions on gigging in Valencia, equipping our students with essential skills for their professional journeys. Our Berklee Valencia Open House was a resounding success. We offered sessions on each of our programs as well as on the student life and career services we offer. These sessions provided prospective applicants, their families, and interested individuals the opportunity to meet our program directors, faculty, and staff, while gaining valuable insights into the Berklee Valencia experience.

One of the most exciting events of October was the first in our 2024–25 The Berklee a Les Arts series. These are shows created by the Berklee Valencia artistic and musical team, inspired by an opera being performed at the Palau de les Arts. This month, we reinterpreted Jules Massenet’s opera, Manon. Our show, entitled A Room in the Desert, explored the evolution of female autonomy through artistic expression. It juxtaposed the life of young Manon Lescaut, whose fate was dictated by men, with the liberating narratives found in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. The show honored female artists who began their careers at approximately the same age as Lescaut (16 years) and defied societal expectations. Through the music of artists such as Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Nina Simone, and Madonna, it highlighted the contrast between a past where women were often silenced and a present where they possess the freedom and tools to shape their destinies.

As you can see, it has been a busy month at Berklee Valencia! I look forward to sharing more updates with you in the coming months, including information about our next Berklee a Les Arts show. Please keep in mind that these productions are live streamed so follow us on social media for more details!

Best wishes,

Simone Pilon
Executive Director
Berklee College of Music, Valencia

Dear Berklee Valencia Family,

It is a pleasure to welcome you to a new academic year. I hope this message finds you well as we embark on another season of learning, creativity, and growth at Berklee Valencia. Other than a few exceptionally rainy days in September, the weather has been beautiful, sunny and not too hot, a perfect welcome for our students.

This fall, we are delighted to have 299 students on campus. Of these, 125 are joining our graduate programs and 175 are undergraduate students participating in the Berklee Study Abroad and First Year Abroad programs. One of the most remarkable aspects of our Berklee community is its diversity. This year, we are thrilled to have students representing 45 different countries.

Our academic journey began with Orientation Week, where we offered activities tailored to both undergraduate and graduate students. The week covered essential topics, such as living in Valencia, accessing medical services, and understanding our equity policies. In addition to these informational sessions, students enjoyed a variety of social activities as well as a resource fair. Through the fair, students were able to get to know different offices on campus as well as resources in the community, such as banks and cell phone providers. Our graduate students connected over picnics, while our undergraduates explored the city through a scavenger hunt. All students were invited to take a double decker tour bus around the city. The week culminated in our annual Opening Convocation, where we were treated to a performance by faculty member Federico Nathan.

Our Un Lago de Conciertos series, open-air concerts in the City of Arts and Sciences, have been running each Friday since the end of August. The first concert featured a band composed of Berklee Valencia faculty; the following concerts each featured performances by three student ensembles. The Un Lago de Conciertos series has quickly become one of the highlights of our campus life, drawing hundreds of spectators each week, including members of the Berklee Valencia and larger Valencia communities, as well as tourists. These concerts provide our students with an invaluable public performance opportunity and showcase their talent. Our last Lago de Conciertos of the fall will be on October 11 and the series will resume in the spring.

We are always pleased to welcome guest artists and speakers to the campus. Among our visitors so far, the master’s in Global Entertainment and Music Business welcomed Paula Peñaranda, Artist & Label Partnerships Manager at Spotify, and Andrew Batey, Cofounder and Co-CEO of Beatdapp. Legendary bass players Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey joined the students in the master’s in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration). 

September also saw the start of our Berklee Valencia Open House series. These sessions are designed for prospective applicants, their families, and anyone interested in learning more about our campus. Attendees have the opportunity to meet our program directors, faculty, and staff while gaining valuable insights into the Berklee Valencia experience. More information on these sessions can be found on our website.

As we move forward into the semester, I am energized by the sense of community that continues to grow here at Berklee Valencia. I look forward to sharing more updates and celebrating the many accomplishments of our students in the months ahead.

Best wishes,

Simone Pilon
Executive Director
Berklee College of Music, Valencia

Dear Berklee Valencia family,

The month of April started with the last days of Easter, an important holiday in Spain (Semana Santa), and one particularly celebrated in the neighborhood where our undergraduate students live. There are processions with elaborate floats and marching bands. I am sure your students found this time interesting!

Beyond festivities in the city, we had festivities on campus including our INOCON event, which consisted of a conference and a concert. This event, organized by students and held over three days, included panels on a variety of topics relating to the music industry, including topics of sustainability and diversity and inclusion. There was also a networking event for students, with representatives from different organizations.

Spring brought the return of our Lago de Conciertos series, with performances by student bands, as well as end-of-semester concerts by our undergraduate and graduate ensembles. These are wonderful open-air events that draw hundreds of people each night, including members of our community, Valencia residents, and tourists. They are a great way to showcase the work of our students and give them a public performance opportunity.

We continued to welcome a variety of guest speakers to campus, including Dr. Ron McCurdy, professor of music and assistant dean of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee at USC Thornton School of Music. He spoke to students and presented to faculty and staff on the Arts Curriculum in the 21st Century. Dr. McCurdy also performed with members of our Black Student Union at a Lago concert.

The end of the spring semester is upon us and we are sad to be saying goodbye to our undergraduate students. We hope they have had a wonderful semester or year in Valencia and we look forward to hearing about their future projects.

Dear Berklee Valencia family,

I am writing to you on the second last day of Fallas, the iconic Valencian festival that fills the city with large sculptures, people dressed in elaborate costumes, marching bands, and the incessant sound of fireworks. It is a dramatic and exciting time to be in Valencia and I hope our students are taking advantage of the experience. Our undergraduate students can’t miss it as there are nightly festivities right outside their residence hall!

The past couple of weeks have been a little quieter on campus with the completion at the end of February of our Berklee a Les Arts series and our annual collaboration with Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, held at the beginning of March. Instead, attention turned, in particular at the undergraduate level, to midterms and spring break plans. Our favorite dogs Cosmo, Lana, and Rómulo joined us during midterm week for Pet a Pooch, an opportunity for students to unwind with canine friends. 

We continued to have activities on campus, including a weeklong residency by Yvette Noel-Schure (Valencia honorary doctorate recipient 2023) in the global entertainment and music business program.The contemporary performance (production concentration) program held a session on claves and patterns most used in Afro-Cuban music, hosted by faculty member Yoel Páez. Scoring for film, television, and video games students met with filmmaking counterparts from ESCAC (Film and Audiovisual School of Catalonia) in order to find opportunities for collaboration. And Pablo Munguía, director of the music production, technology, and innovation program, met with prospective students and a couple of alumni in Los Angeles, while he was there to work on the Oscars. 

The International Career Center (ICC) offered a branding camp for undergraduate students in the LHUM-400 (Professional Development Seminar) class. During the session, students worked on a series of activities to develop their bio, visual identity, and content strategy. In its Coffee and Careers series, the ICC helped students consider how they share their material with prospective employers, through the exploration of portfolio platforms and a discussion of systems for collecting media and telling a story to create a package that is professional and appealing to others. Student Affairs, Diversity, and Inclusion continued with its new mindfulness series, led by faculty member Fiona Ghiglione.

I wish you a happy official start to spring (for folks in the Northern Hemisphere) and a happy start of autumn for those in the Southern Hemisphere. And I look forward to updating you next month!

Dear Berklee Valencia family,

Winter in Valencia continues to be mild and dry. It already feels like spring! I don’t think there is a Spanish equivalent of Groundhog Day so we’ll have to wait and see what the coming weeks bring.

February and March are busy months for our student performers. We have two upcoming signature events, including our third, and final, concert in the 2023–24 Berklee a Les Arts series. Berklee a Les Arts is a collaboration between Berklee Valencia and the Palau de les Arts. We work collaboratively to select three operas that the Palau de les Arts is presenting during the season and we create an original work, based on the theme of that opera. This final Berklee a Les Arts, Styx, is based on Gluck’s opera, Orpheus and Eurydice. In addition, our annual collaboration with renowned Madrid-based conservatory Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía resumes, with two concerts in their facilities on Friday, March 1, followed by one concert in Valencia on March 2, in the auditorium of one of our newest partners: Caixa Forum. 

In February we offered three day trips for undergraduate students: one to Albufera, a freshwater lagoon and beautiful park, where flamingos can be seen at certain times of the year. This is also the birthplace of paella, and there are many rice fields in the area. Did you know that the original ingredients of paella were rat and eel? Fortunately people now have access to a wider variety of ingredients so that rat and eel do not need to be used! The second day trip was to Sagunto and the Caves of San José, which boast a subterranean river. In addition to these day trips, our second Music Industry Day of the year for undergraduate students is scheduled for February 29. Students will have the opportunity to visit and meet with industry professionals at BMAT, Intorno Lab, Too Young LTD, and Bridge 48. 

Graduate students have been equally busy, with string quartet recording sessions for students in the scoring for film, television, and video games program; a variety of guest speakers in the global entertainment and music business program including Josh Greenberg, founder and creative strategy consultant at Green Mountain Lodge, and Marie-Anne Robert, managing director of Sony Music Entertainment France; a presentation by Pablo Munguía, director of the music production, technology, and innovation program, on his work as a member of the Super Bowl Halftime Show production team; and a visit by singer and gospel musician Didier Likeng to the contemporary performance (production concentration) program. 

Have a wonderful end to this leap year February and I look forward to updating you again soon.

Dear Berklee Valencia family,

I hope that 2024 is off to a great start for you and your student. We took some time off between Christmas and the new year. And many members of our team took the following week off to enjoy the important Spanish holiday, Reyes Magos (Epiphany). This is when most Spanish children get their gifts and it is an important holiday in the country.

Once the holidays were over, we finalized details of our first two events for the 2024 spring semester. We welcomed 86 new Study Abroad students and offered a week of orientation events for them, including a reception for students and their families, campus tours, and a session on how to make the most of their time abroad. The week ended with a scavenger hunt, allowing students to discover different corners of Valencia.

That same week, all graduate students returned to participate in the Global Career Summit, an annual event with a variety of keynote speakers, panel discussions, and workshops. Speakers included President of MBK Entertainment Jeanine McLean; Louisa Rainbird, head of music for Amazon Studios Europe; Sound designer and producer Will Littlejohn, who was involved in the creation of Guitar Hero; and singer-songwriter Tone Stith. Students had the opportunity to take part in one-on-one mentoring sessions with these and other guest speakers and artists. In addition, we offered workshops on a variety of topics including visas, the Post-Master Program, and Fulbright.

Construction on campus continued over the holidays. We now have a new storage area for our production equipment. And the studio team has a new office! We will pause construction on the main campus until our next break. However, progress on the annex expansion area continues and we hope to have that completed by May.

I wish you and your loved ones all the best for 2024. And I look forward to sending you a new update soon.

Dear Berklee Valencia family,

I am writing this during our last week of classes and by the time you receive this, the semester will already be over. I hope that your student had a great semester at Berklee Valencia, that they were able to grow academically and personally, and that they enjoyed their time in this beautiful city.

We have had several events since I last wrote, including the second set of shows in our Berklee a Les Arts series. Entitled “Queens,” this original show was inspired by the opera Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti. In “Queens,” Berklee Valencia students and faculty paid tribute to outstanding musical personalities from the U.K. and Ireland’s music scene, while reflecting on competitive behavior and rivalry within the music industry. The confrontation between Mary Stuart (Mary I of Scotland) and Elizabeth I (Queen of England) was woven through the lyrics and music of Sade, Kate Bush, Laura Mvula, Sinead O’Connor, Lianne La Havas, Amy Winehouse, and Adele, to name a few. Through their lives, we contemplated on the weight that a crown can carry. 

We also hosted a series of concerts at the club El Loco, where student ensembles—undergraduate and graduate alike—gave their end-of-semester performances. In addition, SFTV students completed their final recordings of the semester, remotely with the Budapest Arts Orchestra.

On campus, we hosted our second Pet a Pooch event of the semester, where students had the opportunity to interact with dogs outside our campus. This is a fun and impactful experience as many students miss their pets and playing with an animal can lower stress levels. We hope this helped your student with their final projects, exams, and proficiencies. We also continued with our weekly Friday afternoon yoga sessions, to which all students, faculty, and staff are invited. 

Beyond classes and activities, our expansion and renovation project that I mentioned a few months ago continues. The new space (or “Annex” as we call it) has had new floors poured to make it a two-story addition (it was previously a large, open, single-story space) and walls of the new classrooms, library, and offices are being erected as we speak. It is exciting to see this project come together!

I wish you a wonderful and restful holiday and all the best for 2024. I look forward to updating you in the New Year!

Dear Berklee Valencia Family,

When I last wrote, I commented that autumn had yet to arrive in Valencia. However, the weather knew we turned back our clocks at the end of October, and with that change, the cooler weather finally came. We are now enjoying brisk mornings and evenings and warm sunny days.

As always, it has been a busy time at Berklee Valencia. The master’s programs hosted a variety of events, including a celebration of the International Day of Flamenco by the Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) program (CPPD), featuring guest artists Alicia Carrasco (voice), Jose Manuel Moreno (guitar), and faculty member Sergio Martinez (percussion). Global Entertainment and Music Business (GEMB) held a series of events as part of their Innovation Week. Music Production, Technology, and Innovation (MPTI) hosted producer Emilio Miler. Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games (SFTV), students recorded pieces for brass quintet. In addition, a few students from CPPD and MPTI also traveled to Haarlem, Netherlands, to participate in a Songwriting Camp. 

Meanwhile, the undergraduate students participated in our annual Industry Day Trip to Madrid, a chance to visit relevant music companies that operate in the city. From labels to promoters, recording studios, and more, this was a unique chance to meet some leadership and staff and to learn about the ongoing day-to-day tasks that the different departments undertake. In the spring, we will offer a similar program in Barcelona. Lastly, undergraduate students also had their final Open Mic of the semester.

We also had some fun with a Pet a Pooch event featuring three of our staff member’s pups: Cosmo, a young mutt recently adopted by Academic Affairs staff member Laura Blasco; Lana, a Schnoodle that belongs to Diana Prieto from Student Affairs, Diversity, and Inclusion; and Romulo, a French bulldog owned by Martina Naretto in our Academic Records and Services Office. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to relax, spend social time together, and bond with amazing and loving dogs.

While Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Spain, we were fortunate to have a community Friendsgiving dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe Valencia. Eighty faculty, staff, and students came together to celebrate our community and partake in a traditional Thanksgiving meal (including a vegetarian/vegan option). 

I look forward to giving you one more update before 2024!

Dear Berklee Valencia family,

It doesn’t feel like autumn yet in Valencia, where temperatures remain high and we have seen little rain in weeks. We aren’t complaining though as it gave us incredible weather for our Lago de Conciertos series, which is held outside, beside the Museum of Sciences in the City of Arts and Sciences. We have had a variety of bands—composed of First Year Abroad, Study Abroad, and CPPD (Master of Music in contemporary performance and production concentration) students—perform in the series to hundreds of enthusiastic people each night. Our last show for the fall was on Friday, October 13, and we’ll start back in April 2024.

In addition to our Lago concert series, we have had a variety of events and speakers on campus, including Sean Goulding and Simone Torres as part of the MPTI (Master of Music in music production, technology, and innovation) Innovation Series; the GEMB (Master of Arts in global entertainment and music business) program welcomed Ruth Koleva; and Susana Corbacho conducted a series of workshops on mental health. We organized sunset boat trips on the Mediterranean for students as well as a paella-making activity, specifically for the undergraduates.

Our SFTV (Master of Music in Scoring for Film Television and Video Games) students took part in their first recording sessions with members of the Budapest Art Orchestra. And GEMB students went to Barcelona for the Future of Music Forum conference.

We also engaged our community in Berklee’s Strategic Planning process, with a tabling event in which students, faculty, and staff could participate. And our enrollment team organized an open house for prospective students, with a series of workshops and information sessions. Finally, our first performance in the Berklee a les Arts series, La Mano Ganadora, an original work based on the opera Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky, was held this month.

Our most exciting news is that, for the third consecutive year, our GEMB program was chosen by Billboard as one of the top music business programs for 2023. We are proud of this recognition and know that it will help our students when they graduate.
I look forward to sending you more updates soon.

Dear Berklee Valencia family,

As we embark on a brand new academic year, I am thrilled to share some exciting updates with you. It brings immense joy to see fresh faces on our vibrant campus, and I am delighted to announce that we've welcomed 290 enthusiastic students this fall, comprising 140 in our esteemed graduate programs and 150 in our dynamic undergraduate programs. These students hail from a staggering 47 different countries, creating a wonderfully diverse and enriching environment. Notably, the United States and China have the largest representation among them.

Our academic journey began with an engaging week-long orientation program, tailored for both our undergraduate and graduate students. During this orientation, we covered a wide spectrum of essential topics, including valuable insights into living in Valencia, access to medical services, and an exploration of our equity policy. Additionally, we organized various social events, including delightful picnics for our graduate students and an exhilarating city-wide scavenger hunt for our undergraduates. Our opening convocation was truly memorable, featuring a captivating performance by the talented Berklee Valencia faculty and esteemed alumni, under the guidance of the renowned Professor Perico Sambeat. To wrap up the week in style, our Un Lago de Conciertos series commenced with phenomenal performances by three exceptional ensembles.

Our fall semester follows the success of our Summer Performance Program, which unfolded over the final two weeks of July. This intensive program saw 142 dedicated students actively participating in enriching musicianship classes, collaborative ensemble work, immersive studio recording experiences, and a diverse range of workshops, including the exploration of Flamenco music and songwriting. Notably, all our ensembles had the privilege to showcase their talents on our esteemed Lago stage, performing in front of appreciative audiences, comprising family members, local residents, and numerous tourists who flocked to the iconic City of Arts and Sciences, where our campus resides, during the summer season.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the exciting expansion and renovation project that kicked off in August. Over the course of the next two years, we are set to augment our facilities by adding an impressive 10,000 square feet of usable space, marking a remarkable 25 percent increase in our infrastructure. This ambitious project encompasses several exciting components, including the construction of a second floor in our new annex building, the revitalization of our library, the establishment of a state-of-the-art ensemble room equipped with recording capabilities, the creation of a cutting-edge keyboard lab, the addition of more classrooms, and the provision of enhanced office space for our dedicated staff and faculty members. Furthermore, an exquisite event room is in the works. I eagerly anticipate keeping you informed about the progress of these remarkable developments.

In closing, I want to extend my best wishes to all our students for a successful and fulfilling semester ahead. I promise to keep you in the loop with regular updates throughout the year, so please stay tuned for more exciting news and achievements from Berklee Valencia.