The Master of Music in Contemporary Performance with a concentration in production is designed to give advanced instrumentalists and vocalists of any style the confidence and skills in performance and production technology to take their careers to the next level.
It is distinctly contemporary in its content and approach, and embraces the principal musical movements of our time, allowing students to master their own style while discovering others. Students develop a strong artistic identity through frequent performance opportunities, private instruction, ensembles, and studio recordings. Throughout the program, students become adept at pre-production, recording, and mixing processes through ample firsthand experience in state-of-the-art studios—ready to meet the unique demands facing the artist of tomorrow.
30+ live concert opportunities
45+ clinics and workshops
100+ original songs recorded
100+ gigs outside of school
Program Highlights
Contemporary Approach
The program is style-independent and is open to advanced performers from a wide variety of genres and styles, such as jazz, Latin, world music, pop, rock, classical, electronic and fusion, among others. Through hands-on playing and recording experience, you'll expand your musical horizons and learn to work with diverse and dynamic musicians.
Production Technology
Students spend ample time on pre-production, recording and mixing processes in our state-of-the-art recording studios and scoring stage designed by the Walters-Storyk Design Group. By the end of the program, you'll feel confident in any studio setting.
Live and Recorded Performance
Through private instruction, ensembles, the performance forum, and frequent performance opportunities, students work with faculty and visiting artists to develop their artistic identity to shine on stage or in the studio.
Who We Are Looking For
We are looking for highly skilled and creative instrumentalists and vocalists from all styles of contemporary music who wish to develop their performance career further while also immersing themselves in the recorded production process and experience.
Ideal candidates will:
Enter the program with a very advanced level of instrumental or vocal technique and musical skill;
Desire to expand their experience through further exploration of familiar and new styles including fusions of genres;
Be deeply motivated to learn and apply strategies for recorded music production (including the preproduction, recording, and mixing processes) to their craft, with a focus on artistic identity and intent; and
Demonstrate a strong interest in learning and applying new performance technology, electroacoustic instruments, and video into their live and recorded performances.
Program Information
The Master of Music degree in contemporary performance (production concentration) offers advanced studies to instrumentalists and vocalists who demonstrate excellent musical proficiency and a desire to develop their individual artistry and performance career regardless of style or instrument. Through the program, advanced musicians have the opportunity to develop their artistry in a wide array of performance and recorded projects.
Students work with master musicians in a variety of genres such as flamenco, salsa, rock, Afro-Cuban, jazz, electronic music, and more. Through applied lessons, ensembles, master classes, and coursework, students deepen their understanding of the harmonic and stylistic practices associated with their chosen area of performance.
Students also learn to master the technological and entrepreneurial skills that are essential for the contemporary performer. Through the study of music business and recorded production, students develop strategies for producing and marketing their performance projects. Students’ projects may take a variety of forms: a recording project, a concert, a lecture/demonstration, a grant proposal, a website marketing plan, or another option of students’ devising. This program is distinctly contemporary in its content and approach, and embraces the principal musical movements of our time.
Location:
Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus:
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía - Anexo Sur, Avenida Profesor Lopez Piñero, 1 46013 Valencia (Spain)
Lenguage:
English
All classes are taught in English
Class Registration
During orientation week (Monday, August 30 - Friday September 3, 2021)
Students will meet with their Program Director and/or their Academic Advisor during Orientation Week and will register for classes following that meeting.
Program Purposes and Learning Outcomes:
When students complete the Master of Music in contemporary performance (production concentration), they'll have the ability to:
Integrate languages, techniques, and contemporary styles to music performance in the context of studio recording as well as in live performance.
Display expertise in technology applications as related to the recording, production, and post-production processes.
Apply musical and artistic aesthetics to projects in a variety of contexts and styles.
Integrate techniques to original music creation, be it in spontaneous or predetermined processes, applied to their own artistic choices as well as to others.
Produce musical works that integrate artistic and technological processes related to their own area of expertise.
Integrate different digital formats available to recording, production, and distribution contexts.
Integrate elements involved in the production, promotion, and distribution of a musical product, as applied to their own projects as well as to those by others.
Apply new models of knowledge and artistic creation dissemination based in new technologies and the internet.
Culminating Experience
The culminating experience is the final project that students present at the end of the program and is related to their career direction. Through the culminating experience, students make a creative contribution to and/or define and solve a problem that exists in the profession. Working in close consultation with their advisor, the performer’s culminating experience will fall into one of three categories—a creative work, a practical project, or a research project—and may take a variety of forms such as a recording project, a concert, a lecture/demonstration, a grant proposal, a website marketing plan, a video lesson series, or another option of students’ devising. All projects include supporting materials that may take a variety of forms: a student might build a website to promote a recording, for example, or draft a grant proposal for a public performance of their music, using a recording project to supplement the grant proposal application. Students are required to meet with their advisors on a regular basis to assess their progress. The final project must be defended before a faculty committee chaired by the student's advisor.
Culminating Experience Timeline
Semester One: Students propose their culminating experience to their advisor and program director.
Semester Two: Students revise and refine their proposal and get final approval from their advisor. Students also work with their advisor to form the culminating experience committee for their project.
Semester Three: Students complete and present their final project to the culminating experience committee.
For more detailed information about the culminating experience, you may reference the Graduate Bulletin.
Culminating Experience Examples
George Marti: Sonic Landscapes and Visual Textures
George Martin's project explores the intersection between improvised music and painting through a creative, collaborative process and an interdisciplinary performance. The sources of inspiration are colors combined with Valencian experiences and research. A common musical language is built, and songs and lead sheets are created and reflected in expressive paintings.
This artistic journey leads to a performance, where colors, improvised music, painting, and video production open up room for contemplation. The methodology used is performative research, and the tools are audio and video recording, photography, feedback forms, a diary, and individual and group reflections. In addition to featuring artists, this project offers valuable findings regarding how to build up a band, create songs and produce a performance while addressing what may also have an impact on our decisions when improvising: the social context and the expectations that we attribute to each other. As George Marti is visually impaired, this project aims to show that this is not a barrier for anyone who wants to be a leader in their field.
Huntress: From Dark to Light is a concept album with eight original songs, music videos, and press photos, and includes Naomi Westwater Weekes’ artist identity in addition to a press and marketing plan created to establish the artist in the music industry.
Huntress is her second conceptual album and is inspired by Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt and moon. It presents and explores the female archetype of the huntress through expressions of female empowerment, love, vulnerability, and primal desire. Through creating this project, Weekes learned how to record an album, create a release campaign, and become a more dynamic artist.
This master's degree program runs from September to July. View the academic calendar for the current academic year.
Graduate Bulletin
The graduate bulletin contains all the information relevant to Berklee graduate programs for the current academic year. Program information may change year to year.
The Master of Music in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) is accredited by official authorities in the United States. See accreditation and disclosures information.
Graduation Requirements
On-campus graduate programs are designed to be completed in three semesters of full-time study or one full academic year—a consecutive fall, spring, and summer. The full-time summer term is six-to-seven weeks in length directly following the spring semester.
All students are expected to be in residence for the entire program (three academic terms). Furthermore, all candidates seeking to graduate must earn a minimum letter grade of B- in each course counting towards a degree requirement, attain a minimum GPA of 3.00, and complete all course work, the culminating experience, and other graduation requirements.
María Martínez Iturriaga, Executive Director, Valencia Campus
Simone Pilon, Dean of Academic Affairs
Olga Román, Program Director of Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration)
Enric Alberic, Professor
Student Advisory Representatives (2)
Courses
The master of music program at Berklee College of Music is designed to be completed in three semesters of study–or one full academic year: fall, spring, and summer semesters. There is an optional internship that takes place the fall after graduation for those who want to do an internship through Berklee for credit.
Total Credits: 36/37 with optional internship
Total ECTS: 60
Learn more here for an overview of the class schedule for graduate programs.* *Courses subject to change
The course is a project-based, experiential learning exercise that will arm students with powerful tools and strategies in music production. Artist identity, vision and intention will provide direction for a recording project that will give students first-hand experience in the preproduction, recording and mixing process. Recording sessions will take place in a variety of venues, from professional recording studios with a large-format console, to project studios, to home recording set ups. Students explore the ways that the recording process can best serve their own professional and artistic goals, while collaborating with musicians and engineers.
In this seminar and performance-based course, students learn interdisciplinary approaches to music-making and develop practical materials useful for a profession as a performer. Students also explore various concepts of aesthetics, with a focus on developing their own aesthetic philosophy and artistic identity. Students perform and analyze their own music projects; they learn to evaluate and critique each other; and they learn to respond to feedback and advice. Students collaborate with classmates, guest lecturers and visiting artists from a variety of diverse styles and backgrounds: performers, producers and educators, among others. They synthesize rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic vocabulary from a variety of musical styles.
The private lesson at the master’s level focuses on developing the student’s artistry. An additional emphasis is the evolution of the student as a musician. Students study jazz etudes with a broad representation of various styles within the wider jazz idiom. This may include sub-genres, such as Latin jazz, blues, bebop, Afro-Cuban jazz, etc. Studies include exercises and song study as students develop agility and stylistic acumen, while also building instrumental skill. Students master advanced studies in stylistic components, such as jazz vocabulary in improvisation, phrasing, and the study of great artists. Students also study harmonic and stylistic practices. This work culminates in the development of a marketable recording, an online presence, and the establishment of the student as a well-rounded artist.
This course enables students to enhance their ensemble-playing skills, deepen their knowledge of a particular style and its associated repertory, and develop their individual performance identities. Students develop their ability to create and perform music in a particular style. Working under the direction of a senior faculty member, students complete exercises that enhance their intonation, articulation, and improvisational skills in an ensemble context. Students learn to maintain stylistic integrity by developing their awareness of the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic practices associated with a particular repertory.
In the digital age, musicians need to be innovative in the way they promote, distribute and monetize the product of their creation. Even if talent is still a critical aspect that will determine the artist’s ability to succeed, building a sustainable career now requires a wide set of skills including an acute understanding of how business works. In this course, artists are developing business-related skills that will be fundamental in their career. Students learn about the economics of creative industries; they learn to analyze emerging trends in music business and come to understand how these trends apply to their own artistic work; and they learn to apply important business skills to foster their own careers.
PS-622 continues the learning that began in PS-619 Masters Performance Forum: Production. In this seminar and performance-based course, students learn interdisciplinary approaches to music-making and develop practical materials useful for a profession as a performer. Students also explore various concepts of aesthetics, with a focus on developing their own aesthetic philosophy and artistic identity. Students perform and analyze their own music projects; they learn to evaluate and critique each other; and they learn to respond to feedback and advice. Students collaborate with classmates, guest lecturers and visiting artists from a variety of diverse styles and backgrounds: performers, producers and educators, among others. They synthesize rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic vocabulary from a variety of musical styles.
This course provides a structured approach to the many aspects of record production. Through project-based, experiential learning exercises, designed to arm students with powerful tools and strategies in music production, this course enables students to create a recording that may serve as an essential piece of their culminating experience. Students gain first-hand experience in the preproduction, recording and mixing process. Recording sessions take place in a variety of venues, from professional recording studios with a large-format console, to project studios, to home recording set ups. Students further explore how the recording process best serves their individual artistic and professional goals, as they collaborate with musicians, technologists, and stakeholders involved in developing material for record company release.
This second semester private lesson at the master’s level continues the work begun in the first semester. There is continued focus on developing the student’s artistry. An additional emphasis is the evolution of the student as a musician. Students study jazz etudes with a broad representation of various styles within the wider jazz idiom. This may include sub-genres, such as Latin jazz, blues, bebop, Afro-Cuban jazz, etc. Studies include exercises and song study as students develop agility and stylistic acumen, while also building instrumental skill. Students master advanced studies in stylistic components, such as jazz vocabulary in improvisation, phrasing, and the study of great artists. Students also study harmonic and stylistic practices. This work culminates in the development of a marketable recording, an online presence, and the establishment of the student as a well-rounded artist.
This course enables students to enhance their ensemble-playing skills, deepen their knowledge of a particular style and its associated repertory, and develop their individual performance identities. Students develop their ability to create and perform music in a particular style. Working under the direction of a senior faculty member, students complete exercises that enhance their intonation, articulation, and improvisational skills in an ensemble context. Students learn to maintain stylistic integrity by developing their awareness of the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic practices associated with a particular repertory.
Students participate in a diverse array of professional development experiences to facilitate their career success. These experiences may occur throughout the school year as well as during the Professional Development Week at the beginning of spring semester. These experiences assist students in refining their career goals and focus and in developing a career plan. Students also assess their professional skills, remediate gaps, enhance their professional profile, and sharpen their job search skills. More importantly, students strengthen their skills in career exploration and career resilience.
Working in close consultation with their advisor throughout the academic year, students develop a unique project. This may be an artistic production or performance or a project that involves research. Research is understood here in its broadest sense, involving also artistic research. Artistic research may take many different forms, such as exploring the capabilities of an instrument in order to introduce it to unfamiliar audiences; joining different musical styles to create a new musical fusion; developing interdisciplinary performance projects that bring together literature, visual arts, sciences, poetry, jazz and/or folk; or exploring connections between language and music. Students are encouraged to be as creative and as collaborative as possible in the design of their projects. In addition, students must have a performance based outcome, such as a recording or recital. This could be accompanied with video recordings and booklet projects. Students projects will also require various supporting materials. Those supporting materials may take a variety of forms: a student might build a website to promote a recording, for example, or draft a grant proposal for a public performance of his/her music, using a recording project to supplement the grant proposal application. Students are expected to meet with their advisors on a weekly basis to assess their progress. The final project must be defended before a faculty committee chaired by the student’s advisor.
This third semester private lesson at the master’s level continues the work of the previous lessons. There is continued focus on developing the student’s artistry. An additional emphasis is the evolution of the student as a musician. Students study jazz etudes with a broad representation of various styles within the wider jazz idiom. This may include sub-genres, such as Latin jazz, blues, bebop, Afro-Cuban jazz, etc. Studies include exercises and song study as students develop agility and stylistic acumen, while also building instrumental skill. Students master advanced studies in stylistic components, such as jazz vocabulary in improvisation, phrasing, and the study of great artists. Students also study harmonic and stylistic practices. This work culminates in the development of a marketable recording, an online presence, and the establishment of the student as a well-rounded artist.
This course enables students to enhance their ensemble-playing skills, deepen their knowledge of a particular style and its associated repertory, and develop their individual performance identities. Students develop their ability to create and perform music in a particular style. Working under the direction of a senior faculty member, students complete exercises that enhance their intonation, articulation, and improvisational skills in an ensemble context. Students learn to maintain stylistic integrity by developing their awareness of the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic practices associated with a particular repertory.
Students work closely with their faculty advisor to conceive and develop their culminating experience—a practical, creative, or research project enabling the student to make a contribution to his/her field of study and to develop their academic and career goals. Meetings between the student and advisor begin during the first week of the first semester (or during orientation) and continue until the final week of the program. Students present ideas, receive feedback, advice, support, suggestions, guidance and more from their advisors as they design and execute their culminating experiences and plan their academic and professional careers. Advisors guide students in meeting the various deadlines and milestones required as students complete their culminating experience, prepare for graduation and prepare for their careers.
This course provides students an opportunity to integrate professional and academic experience through internships. The internship site must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor and/or the program director and must provide a learning experience that enables the student to meet academic and/or career goals. Through the internship, students apply theories learned in their graduate studies and explore aspects of the music, entertainment, and/or other industry as appropriate. Students who opt-in to the graduate internship program must complete their internship in order to graduate.
Please note: Students are responsible for securing their own internships. The internship must be secured prior to course registration. Students must complete approximately 100-300 hours during the internship. International students in F-1 status must obtain authorization on their Form I-20 from their International Student Advisor prior to beginning an internship.
This course enables students to deepen their knowledge of rhythm, focusing on the study and practice of rhythms from different world cultures, while also analyzing their essence and synthesizing them within their own musical vocabulary for performance and composition. Working under the direction of a senior faculty member, students enhance their sense of rhythm, interpretative skills, and improvisational skills in a practical environment that involves composition, transcription, listening, improvisation, and playing music. Through listening, transcribing and analysing different rhythmic cells, students will be able to expand their musical language and creative skills by developing their ability to understand complex rhythms and apply them to their own music. Students learn to maintain stylistic integrity by developing their domain over rhythmic practices which involve the coordination of body and mind to integrate rhythm in a much deeper way.
In this course, students explore the musical concepts of melody, rhythm, harmony and form as applied to the principles and techniques of writing and arranging for the rhythm section (drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, basic percussion) and a lead-line in a solo instrument, two horns (trumpet, alto or tenor sax) or voice. Students learn about the conceptualization process of combining individual components to create a musically satisfying arrangement. Students also learn various contemporary musical styles and the musical concepts that comprise them, including writing from the bottom up (groove-driven) and top down (working with a melody in a lead instrument or voice). Students will complete writing assignments that incorporate combinations of acoustic, electronic, and/or MIDI instruments.
In this course, students will strengthen their command of rhythm and tonal, modal, and chromatic melody and harmony through singing, movement, recognition, dictation, and transcription. They will survey and experience a variety of ear training techniques and practices drawn from a variety of traditions, including Western classical music, jazz and blues, and West African and Indian musical cultures. Students will explore applications of ear training skills to vocal and instrumental performance including improvisation, interpretation, ensemble rehearsal, and music teaching. Each week's classes will include singing and dictation practice, rhythmic performance and movement, guided dictation and recognition activities, and discussion of methods, problems and solutions. Notated and recorded music examples used in class will come from a variety of styles, genres, cultures, and eras. Students complete ten singing and rhythm performance practice assignments, ten online and CD dictation and recognition practice assignments, two transcription projects, and two multitrack home recording projects.
This course is a study of the pervasive harmonic language and techniques of popular American song. The goal of this course is to foster an understanding of the harmonic ideas that have carried American music through the latter half of the last century, and to discover harmonic alternatives to the traditional tonal systems that pervade American popular music of this time. Students come to understand the contextual relationship between melody and harmony through observation of different song forms from different styles of popular music, including show tunes, jazz standards, blues, rock/pop/R&B, and through-composed works in the jazz idiom. Harmonic options, both diatonic and otherwise, will be observed through study of the scale(s) that relate to the chord/tonality of the moment.
In this course, students explore different topics in improvisation in various musical styles, including rock, pop, blues, and more. Students will explore the melodic styles and content of improvised solos through history, listening, ear training, shared student transcriptions and analyses, practice assignments, and creative performance projects. Students increase their knowledge of the musical choices, issues, and possibilities they face as improvisers. They learn the historical context of their own original work. Students will improve their musical ear and the connections among their musical imagination (inner hearing), aural perception, musical notation, and instrumental performance. They will develop their skills in transcription and analysis, with the goal of gaining a greater command of musical materials for use in their own music. They will experience ways in which the work of improvisers in the past can inspire their contemporary creative work in the present.
Through this course, advanced instrumentalists and vocalists learn effective teaching and clinical skills. Students learn to analyze group and individual skills; structure lessons, clinics, and rehearsals; and assess student progress. Students also model teaching scenarios with peers and engage in active professor-moderated feedback. As they apply models of music instruction, students explore educational philosophies, objectives and methods. Students master principles of educational psychology, models of music pedagogy, and various teaching techniques, with special emphasis on jazz pedagogy (jazz harmony, improvisation, jazz styles, etc.). Throughout the course, students explore motivational concepts, lesson planning, technology-based instruction, administrative organization, the student/instructor relationship, and mentorship. Students also learn strategies for working with diverse groups. This course is highly recommended for students who would like to transfer their performance skills into applied teaching knowledge using basic pedagogy principles.
In this class, student performers will gain skills in composition for a variety of genres through analysis and composition assignments. They will learn new methodologies in composition, cultivate their creativity, broaden their global knowledge as well as their musical perspective of music, and obtain a richer palette of musical tools and devices. Throughout the course, students will create their own works, developing composition skills through writing, playing, listening, analyzing, transcribing, arranging, reading, and improvising. Topics of exploration include: melodic construction, rhythm, melodic and rhythmic counterpoint, as well as the use of non-musical sources as inspiration for composing.
This course provides students with working knowledge and basic skills on a secondary instrument. Students work on technique, repertoire, and sound while gaining a better understanding of how to write, arrange, and produce for this instrument in various musical settings.
Principles of Music Research introduces the tools of music scholarship, including reference and research materials in both book and electronic forms. Students develop the skills, attitudes, and understanding to research and write about music by learning how to approach various types of scholarly study within music and by increasing their proficiency with music library resources. Projects and assignments will be tailored to the individual needs of the student working towards his/her culminating experience or thesis project. Students learn advanced information seeking, assembling a literature review, evaluating current research, writing and documenting sources professionally and ethically, distinguishing primary and secondary research, and finding and applying for funding sources. Students taking this course should have the ability to recognize, identify, and define an informational need; seek basic information in a strategic way; locate and access basic information; and evaluate information sources for essential levels of quality and relevance.
In order to give students a broader understanding of the music industry, we host industry-leading artists and faculty from Boston on campus to give lectures and workshops related to specific challenges and opportunities in the industry. Faculty visiting from the Boston campus frequently come to Valencia for special workshops and presentations. In many cases, students from all master's programs are welcome to attend all visiting artist and faculty sessions, regardless of program.
Visiting artists and visiting faculty change each year. Here are some of the visiting professionals who have visited campus in the past on behalf of contemporary performance (production concentration):
Michael League is a Grammy Award-winning bassist, composer and producer who is involved in a number of projects, most notably Snarky Puppy. League visited campus with New York City-based band "FORQ," featuring members Henry Hey and Adam Rogers. The group gave a masterclass and performed for students.
Record Producer, Multi-instrumentalist, Songwriter, Music Director and Singer
Well known for her Grammy-nominated single 'Forget Me Nots,' American composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, music director and vocalist Patrice Rushen visited our...
Well known for her Grammy-nominated single 'Forget Me Nots,' American composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, music director and vocalist Patrice Rushen visited our campus to speak about her experience in the music industry, and to coach students musically. She ended her week long visit with a performance that featured our students.
American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
Becca Stevens has tested the limits of musical identity, mining everything from jazz to Irish folk to indie rock while striving for complete and authentic expression. In her latest musical...
Becca Stevens has tested the limits of musical identity, mining everything from jazz to Irish folk to indie rock while striving for complete and authentic expression. In her latest musical endeavor, WONDERBLOOM, the North Carolina–bred, Brooklyn-based artist defies all expectation, dreaming up a groove-heavy, dance-ready sound infused with elements of pop, funk, and R&B.
Silvana Estrada is a Mexican singer and composer with influences from Latin American folk, indie music, and jazz. Despite her young age, she has created a clear identity with a nostalgic...
Silvana Estrada is a Mexican singer and composer with influences from Latin American folk, indie music, and jazz. Despite her young age, she has created a clear identity with a nostalgic and timeless air. She has shared the stage with artists such as Charlie Hunter, Antonio Sánchez, and Michael League.
Award-winning bassist, record producer, and educator
Berklee Performance Scholar in Residence Victor Wooten is a multiple Grammy Award winner and a founding member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. He has been called the most influential...
Berklee Performance Scholar in Residence Victor Wooten is a multiple Grammy Award winner and a founding member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. He has been called the most influential bassist of the last two decades. His recent release, Trypnotix, features Bob Franceschini and Dennis Chambers in a trio format.
From Cleveland, Ohio, percussionist and drummer Jamey Haddad holds a unique position in the world of jazz and contemporary music. He's an associate professor at Boston's Berklee College of...
From Cleveland, Ohio, percussionist and drummer Jamey Haddad holds a unique position in the world of jazz and contemporary music. He's an associate professor at Boston's Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He was voted one of the top four world percussionists in the world by the most largely read Percussion periodical, Modern Drummer, in July 2007.
French mixing engineer, record producer, and teacher
'Fabulous' Fabrice Dupont is a mixing engineer, record producer, and teacher. He has created records for artists such as Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bebel Gilberto, and Freshlyground, and...
'Fabulous' Fabrice Dupont is a mixing engineer, record producer, and teacher. He has created records for artists such as Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bebel Gilberto, and Freshlyground, and received three Grammy nominations for his work with Toots and the Maytals, and Kirk Whalum. Dupont is the owner of Flux Studios in New York City as well as co-owner of Puremix.net, an educational website for production and recording techniques.
Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Sofia Ribeiro has a degree in jazz performance from Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo in Porto, Portugal. During her studies she did a one year...
Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Sofia Ribeiro has a degree in jazz performance from Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo in Porto, Portugal. During her studies she did a one year exchange program in Barcelona at “Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya”, and another one at Berklee. She was a student of Bob Stoloff and was awarded the “Oliver Wagmann Memorial Scholarship”. Later she received a master’s degree in jazz performance with “great distinction” from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where she studied with David Linx.
Pianist, composer, arranger, and producer Juan Andrés Ospina is one of the most active and prominent exponents among an outstanding generation of Colombian musicians. As a Berklee alumnus,...
Pianist, composer, arranger, and producer Juan Andrés Ospina is one of the most active and prominent exponents among an outstanding generation of Colombian musicians. As a Berklee alumnus, he studied with musicians such as Danilo Pérez, Maria Schneider, Greg Hopkins, and Dave Samuels, among many others, and was a recipient of the Jazz Herb Pomeroy Award.
Born in Athens, Miltos Pantelias studied engraving and lithography at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. He is inspired by the mechanisms of memory, the past, and its recall and...
Born in Athens, Miltos Pantelias studied engraving and lithography at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. He is inspired by the mechanisms of memory, the past, and its recall and transformation into something new. Most of his artwork functions as monumental snapshots that release an aura with intense elements of nostalgia and lust, which is also reinforced by the characteristics of his art, the obsession with detail, and the quiet use of color.
Colombian pianist, composer, arranger, producer, singer, and teacher
Nicolás Ospina is one of the most versatile and renowned musicians on the Colombian contemporary scene. He has played keys for the multiple Latin Grammy–winner Fonseca, the band Alé...
Nicolás Ospina is one of the most versatile and renowned musicians on the Colombian contemporary scene. He has played keys for the multiple Latin Grammy–winner Fonseca, the band Alé Kuma, and many other renowned artists including Antonio Arnedo and Tico Arnedo, Marta Gómez , Juan Sebastian Monsalve, Javier Colina and Guillermo Klein.
Professional dreamer, Rwandan playwright, director, and cultural entrepreneur
Odile Gakire Katese, who goes by Kiki, describes herself as a professional dreamer and a woman of firsts. She is a Rwandan playwright, director, and cultural entrepreneur. Currently, she is...
Odile Gakire Katese, who goes by Kiki, describes herself as a professional dreamer and a woman of firsts. She is a Rwandan playwright, director, and cultural entrepreneur. Currently, she is the director of the Woman Cultural Centre (WCC). She was the first recipient of the League of Professional Theatre Women's Rosamond Gilder/Martha Coigney International Award in 2011.
Known as a cultural icon in Puerto Rico, four-time Grammy nominee and composer William Cepeda was born and raised in Loiza, the heart of Puerto Rico’s Little Africa. His work and research...
Known as a cultural icon in Puerto Rico, four-time Grammy nominee and composer William Cepeda was born and raised in Loiza, the heart of Puerto Rico’s Little Africa. His work and research on Puerto Rican music, dance, and culture have earned him multiple awards, grants, and recognition. In 2013, Cepeda was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.
Nona Hendryx’s legendary career spans six decades of sound and style evolution. Fans know her as a founding member of the girl group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame in 1999. She is currently ambassador for artistry in music at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
An Amsterdam-based jazz and improvisational band, Tin Men and the Telephone employ live electronics, projected visuals, and audience participation in their work. They incorporate their own groundbreaking technology (an app of their own design) to get audiences involved in their one-of-a-kind concert experiences.
Professor of Woodwinds and Jazz at Berklee College of Music
Saxophonist George Garzone is a member of the Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti. A veteran jazzman, Garzone has appeared on...
Saxophonist George Garzone is a member of the Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 that includes bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti. A veteran jazzman, Garzone has appeared on more than 20 recordings.
Fernando González is a Grammy nominee and an Emmy-winning arts journalist active in record production, teaching, radio hosting, and arts administration. He is currently working as the...
Fernando González is a Grammy nominee and an Emmy-winning arts journalist active in record production, teaching, radio hosting, and arts administration. He is currently working as the international editor at JAZZIZ Magazine, a media outlet that has been covering the music scene, documenting innovations, and charting industry trends.
Bass extraordinaire, Abraham Laboriel Sr., has been featured on more than 4000 recordings. Abe spent a few days with graduate and undergraduate students sharing his wisdom and knowledge on music and on life.
Berklee had the pleasure of hosting a residency by several members of the creative team from the award-winning musical documentary Take Me to the River, including Martin Shore, director, William Bell, songwriter and producer, and Al Kapone, rapper and producer. As part of this residency, students were given the opportunity to apply to attend a special songwriting and production workshop. Selected students received constructive feedback and advice on their own songs from experienced professionals.
Berklee had the pleasure of hosting an inspiring “Improvisational techniques” clinic with Chilean saxophonist and Berklee alumna Melissa Aldana. Aldana is a Concord Music Group recording artist and recent winner of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz's International Jazz Saxophone Competition. She is currently making waves in the professional world and visited our campus to share her musical and career experience.
Assistant Professor of Voice at Berklee's Boston campus
Christiane Karam, assistant professor of voice at our Boston campus and founder and leader of the Annual Berklee Middle Eastern Festival, visited our campus and dropped in on the graduate...
Christiane Karam, assistant professor of voice at our Boston campus and founder and leader of the Annual Berklee Middle Eastern Festival, visited our campus and dropped in on the graduate middle eastern music ensemble headed by saxophone legend Perico Sambeat.
Legendary Puerto Rican double-bassist Eddie Gómez visited campus to receive an honorary doctoral degree in a ceremony held at the Palau de Les Arts auditorium and to give some master...
Legendary Puerto Rican double-bassist Eddie Gómez visited campus to receive an honorary doctoral degree in a ceremony held at the Palau de Les Arts auditorium and to give some master classes to our students.
Multiple Grammy nominee, Guggenheim Fellow, MacArthur Fellow and Berklee alumnus Miguel Zenón is widely regarded as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his...
Multiple Grammy nominee, Guggenheim Fellow, MacArthur Fellow and Berklee alumnus Miguel Zenón is widely regarded as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation. During his visit, he shared his musical journey, music composing process and influences with students at our campus.
Professor of Lyric Writting and Poetry at Berklee's Boston campus
Pat Pattison gave one of his legendary master classes where he worked on the students' original songs, improving them by applying his Stable/Unstable technique. Pattison is one of the...
Pat Pattison gave one of his legendary master classes where he worked on the students' original songs, improving them by applying his Stable/Unstable technique. Pattison is one of the professors of Lyric Writing and Poetry at Berklee's Boston campus. He is also the author of Songwriting Without Boundaries, Writing Better Lyrics, The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure, and The Essential Guide to Rhyming. Pattison also gave a clinic called 'Writing Better Lyrics' together with Clare McLeod.
Visiting Artist Gergõ Borlai and Berklee Faculty Gary Willis did a recording workshop of 'Watermelon Man' with Contemporary Performance students. They focused especially on drums and bass and how to navigate a real-world recording session by setting up the ideal recording environment, including mic selection and placement, playing to a click, and how to monitor yourself.
World-renowned banjo players Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn visited campus to conduct a workshop with students in the Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) master’s degree program. The duo also offered a clinic to the entire student body. Fleck is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most technically gifted and innovative banjo players in the world, and has been a Grammy Award nominee in more categories than any other musician in history.
Assistant Chair of the Percussion Department at Berklee's Boston campus
Yoron Israel is Assistant Chair of the percussion department at our Boston campus. He brings unique influences and experiences in Jazz and various other musical styles having played with...
Yoron Israel is Assistant Chair of the percussion department at our Boston campus. He brings unique influences and experiences in Jazz and various other musical styles having played with musicians such as Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Burrell and Abbey Lincoln, among others. He spent a week at our Valencia campus, sharing ideas and guiding ensembles.
John Blackwell Jr. visited campus to offer a clinic to the entire student body. Blackwell Jr. is a recognized drummer and a Berklee alumnus. His recordings and performances include Patti...
John Blackwell Jr. visited campus to offer a clinic to the entire student body. Blackwell Jr. is a recognized drummer and a Berklee alumnus. His recordings and performances include Patti LaBelle, Prince, The New Power Generation, Justin Timberlake, P Diddy, among many others. Blackwell talked about his musical background, his Berklee years, and the importance of adding business skills to his professional career.
Master percussionist-songwriter Joca Perpignan and pianist Alon Yavnai visited campus to host a Brazilian rhythm and aesthetics workshop. The duo also talked about creating effective...
Master percussionist-songwriter Joca Perpignan and pianist Alon Yavnai visited campus to host a Brazilian rhythm and aesthetics workshop. The duo also talked about creating effective arrangements and creating a sense of space and variation when playing in a small ensemble.
Every year, the M.M. in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) welcomes students with diverse musical backgrounds and styles. During this one-year program, students develop their artistic identity to shine on stage and in the studio through private instruction, ensembles, tons of performance/recording opportunities, and career coaching. Find below highlights and relevant information about the program by instrument.
When you are on campus, you'll find yourself in the midst of a multitude of cultures, backgrounds, and styles. Berklee is well known for the diversity of students and faculty, and on the Valencia campus we celebrate the musical creations and cutting-edge ideas that come from this blend of culture and backgrounds.
Graduate students come from all over the world, and bring a wide range of experiences to share on campus during the year-long program in Valencia. Students are the center of campus life, as they turn classrooms into laboratories and collaborate on innovative projects with students in other graduate programs.
Collaboration with Other Programs
It’s not just the faculty and visiting professionals that inspire, at Berklee you will be surrounded by and collaborating with talented peers, musicians, and composers from around the world, both in the contemporary performance (production concentration) program, and from the other masters’ degrees on campus in music technology, scoring, and music business. It is in this collaboration that opportunities begin to form, relationships are built, and your creativity and ability to innovate are put on center stage.
Outside the classroom, contemporary performance students may find themselves working with students from the music technology innovation master's program to put an electronic track on a new arrangement, or get some extra insight on sound engineering and mixing. Students from the master in music business and global entertainment work with performers to gain experience in promotion, marketing, and artist management, while students in the master in scoring for film, television, and video games often look to contemporary performance students for help to record their compositions in the studio. In addition, students from many programs on campus are musicians and enjoy coming together to perform at events on and off campus.
Performance Opportunities
From day one, students in the master in contemporary performance (production concentration) program will find a plethora of performance opportunities available on campus. Beyond the coursework of the program with ensembles, recording, and private instruction, there are extracurricular activities that everyone on campus is welcome to join. In addition, Valencia is a vibrant music city, with a number of clubs and bars that enjoy collaborating with Berklee students.
Nan MacMillan - Northbound Train
Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) graduating student Nan MacMillan performed her original song 'Northbound Train' at the Commencement Concert 'La Nit de Berklee' held on July 7th, 2018.
David Duncan - Corporal Ab, Sarty Party, We'll Aye Gang Back To Yon Town
Graduating Berklee students played a medley of traditional songs 'Corporal Ab' and 'Sarty Party', as well as 'We'll Aye Gang Back To Yon Town' by A. Walker, adapted by contemporary performance (production concentration) graduate student David Duncan Yandell at the Commencement Concert
Fuego Fatuo Studio Recording
Graduate performance student Luis Regidor Pain performs 'Fuego Fatuo,' a piece by the spanish composer Manuel de Falla on solo guitar. This is part of a musical piece titled 'El amor brujo' that includes other celebrated pieces such as 'Danza ritual del fuego.'
'Soul Power' (James Brown Cover)
Contemporary performance program master's students perform the song 'Soul Power' at the Aula Magistral of the Palau de les Arts during the Groove Masters a Les Arts concert.
'Run' - Valencia Commencement Concert
Graduate student Andrea Fraenzel (contemporary performance program) performs the song 'Run' at the 2014 Valencia Commencement Concert.
'Sodade' - Valencia Commencement Concert
Graduate student Cassandra Allen (contemporary performance program) performs 'Sodade' at the 2014 Valencia Commencement Concert.
'Let's Move' by Brail Watson and Produced by Patrice Rushen
'Let's Move' is an original song by Phillip 'Brail' Watson, recorded during a guest artist recording session produced by Patrice Rushen, Berklee Ambassador for Artistry and Education, as part of the contemporary performance master's degree program.
'Pursuit of Peace' by Sarah Hodges
'Pursuit of Peace' is an original song by Contemporary Perormance student Sarah Hodges during the Discover concert series.
Berklee Flamenco Ensemble Perform Carlos Gardel's 'Volver'
Students perform flamenco in the Discover Series as part of the Berklee Flamenco Ensemble.
Berklee Fusion Ensemble Perform Gary Willis's 'Cadillac'
'Cadillac' is an original song by faculty Gary Willis performed by the Berklee Fusion Ensemble.
Berklee Vocal Ensemble Perform Boyz II Men's 'Thank You'
Faculty Brian Zalmijn leads the Berklee Vocal Ensemble in an accappella version of 'Thank You' by Boyz II Men at the Discover Series concert.
Berklee Latin Jazz Ensemble Perform 'Café Quemado'
Faculty member Victor Mendoza leads the Berklee Latin Jazz Ensemble in his original song 'Café Quemado' at a Discover Series concert.
David Minguillón Group Performs 'Adrian'
Contemporary Performance student David Minguillón leads his original song 'Adrian' in the Discover Series concert.
Berklee Contemporary Jazz Ensemble 'Question and Answer'
The Berklee Contemporary Jazz Ensemble Perform Pat Metheny's 'Question and Answer' at the Discover Series concert.'
'Shawarmito' by Fernando Cilio at The Discover Series
An ensemble performs Fernando Cilio's original song 'Shawarmito' at the Discover Series concert. Cilio is a student in the Contemporary Performance program.
Berklee Mediterranean Ensemble Performs 'Selmani'
Contemporary Performance students, alumni, and faculty perform 'Semani' at the Mediterranean Roots Festival.
'Lions' Music Video by Olivia Dawn
Music and lyrics, and music produced and performed by Olivia Dawn for a music video series shot on campus. Dawn completed the Music Production, Technology, and Innovation master's degree, as well as the Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) degree the previous year.
Coursework in Performance
Each semester students' coursework includes intensive practice in performing. Coursework includes private instruction, ensembles, the performance forum, and recording projects.
Private Instruction: Students take a 3-credit class with their private instructor each semester. Instructors are assigned to students based on instrument, style, and personal goals.
Music Technology Collaboration: Contemporary Performance students are paired with students from the music production, technology and innovation program. Each semester the students work together on recording and production projects throughout the year both in their courses as well as their culminating experience and other projects.
Ensembles: Each semester students participate in an ensemble under the direction of a senior faculty member and perform with their ensemble in concerts each semester. Ensemble styles change each semester, and adapt to the students' needs and experience. Some past examples of ensembles include Salsa/Latin, Mediterranean, Contemporary Jazz, Funk/Groove, American Roots, and Flamenco Fusion.
Masters Performance Forum: This is a performance workshop in which students learn interdisciplinary approaches to music-making. Students work on developing their culminating experience project and present ideas and music for critique and feedback. This is also the place where students get the chance to interact with visiting artists.
Extracurricular Performing Opportunities on Campus
The campus is full of life, and there's always something you can get involved in. Extracurricular activities are optional and vary from year to year. Some opportunities are open for all students to participate, while others are by audition, application, or invitation.
Events: There are opportunities for select students to perform in many on-campus events such as orientation, graduation, ensemble performances, events at the City of Arts and Sciences, etc.
Extracurricular Activities: Extracurricular activities are completely optional for students, take place outside of class time, and vary year to year. Past examples of such activities include a batucada group, flamenco workshop, a choir, Valencia DJ Collective, ensembles, etc.
Performing In and Around Valencia
Music has always played an important role in the culture and people of Valencia, and since Berklee arrived here a whole new music scene has developed. Students are responsible for finding and participating in gigs and shows around Valencia on their own, but many bars and clubs are very open to collaborating with Berklee students. See an article in British Airways Highlife magazine written by an alumna on Six Places to Listen to Live Music in Valencia.
'Bordering the Mediterranean on Spain’s east coast, Valencia has long been the nexus of Western, African, Hispanic and South American cultures, the various musical traditions blending with the local.'
These performing opportunities are not part of the official curriculum, and the opportunities change from year to year.
Conferences: There are many music-related conferences located throughout Europe and Spain each year. Students are encouraged to pursue performing opportunities at conferences, and students in the past have participated in EmTech, MIDEM, and TEDxBerkleeValencia. Most of these opportunities have a selection process such as an application or audition the student must submit.
Miscellaneous Opportunities: Throughout the year, various opportunities may arise where students have the chance to perform outside of Valencia, either as official representatives of Berklee College of Music or on their own. Past opportunities have arisen for students to travel and perform to Madrid, Brazil, and Taiwan. Most of these opportunities are invitation-only.
Careers
Getting a master's degree from Berklee College of Music pushes you towards the next big step in your career, and the International Career Center (ICC) is one of the resources you have to help get you there. The mission of the ICC is to provide expert guidance, cutting-edge resources, and professional development experiences to help our diverse body of students achieve their career goals. Rather than acting as a one-time job link, our overall focus is on career management. We help you access available resources and activities and apply them to your career path.
Getting a master's degree in contemporary performance opens you to a world of possibilities in the music industry and beyond. After graduating, many students work as performing artists, session musicians, songwriters, and some discover additional opportunities in teaching, sound design, production, etc.
Succeeding in the music industry is all about building your professional network and making connections with the right people. Students are encouraged to take advantage of their time in Europe to attend or participate in the many music and performance-related events held in Spain and Europe. All event participation and attendance is optional and students make all the arrangements to attend on their own. In some cases, students may be able to access special offers and student discounts through Berklee.
These are the events that we recommend for contemporary performance students.
"Amsterdam Dance Event is a combination conference and club music festival centered around the many subgenres inside of the Electronic Dance Music scene from around the world. ADE's multiple conference tracks offer the ultimate annual business and inspiration platform in the field of electronic music, featuring dedicated programming for business professionals, start-ups, aspiring producers and musicians, students, VJs, visual artists and stage designers. In 2016 the conference welcomed 550 speakers and 7000 delegates."
WOMEX is an international networking platform for the world music industry. The annual five-day event comprises a bustling Trade Fair, Showcase Festival, Conference, and Film programme, as well as festive Opening and Award ceremonies.
"Loop is three days of discussions, performances, presentations, studio sessions, installations and interactive workshops aimed at exchanging ideas at the cutting edge of music, technology and creative practice. Bringing together artists, technologists, educators and other creative thinkers, Loop is a collective exploration of what it is to make music today and what it could be tomorrow."
"12 Points showcases young, creative and ambitious artists in jazz and related music from all points on the continent. Our mission is to assist and promote these emerging artists, bringing their music to new audiences."
"The Great Escape (TGE) is a new music festival that showcases emerging artists from all over the world. Over 400 up and coming bands play in 35 Brighton venues, accessible on one wristband. It’s the first place to discover your new favorite band and see them in an intimate setting before they go on to headline major festival stages."
Berklee College of Music’s optional graduate internship program supports Berklee master’s students who seek to integrate academic and professional experience after completing the coursework and culminating experience projects required in their specific master’s program. This program will take place during an additional semester, following the completion of all course work, and students will be charged a part-time comprehensive fee. Note that students are responsible for securing their own internships and for securing all appropriate and required visa statuses.
Accreditation
All graduate programs at Berklee are accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.), which is internationally recognized as an authority on educational quality.
Program General Competencies
Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:
CG01—Synthesize knowledge from different fields of musical expertise—technical, aesthetic, historical, stylistic, and technological—into their daily professional or academic activity.
CG02—Apply creativity to production of musical or academic works, in their area of expertise, in different artistic, stylistic, and aesthetic contexts and formats.
CG03—Apply knowledge and skills to the production of projects in the field of recording studio performance, with professional quality standards.
CG04—Evaluate, through artistic practice, the capabilities of music as an art and its intervention in social, educational, economic, and technological contexts.
CG05—Evaluate, through activities in their area of expertise, the impact of music in relation to general performing arts, as well as to other related artistic disciplines such as dance, visual arts, and electronic arts.
CG06—Assess aesthetic principles and concepts that underlie artistic contexts related to their area of expertise, from the perspective of its historical background, as well as for their further development.
CG07—Synthesize knowledge and professional practice as means of social diversity integration and understanding.
CG08—Integrate knowledge and critical thinking into problem solving, involving complex relationships between elements, in the field of music recording and production.
CG09—Develop communication strategies that allow development of professional activity, in the recording studio as well as in live performances, in contexts that involve cultural diversity.
CG10—Develop team management strategies, in ensemble settings or music production teams, by applying professional ethical standards and respect for cultural diversity.
You can apply to a master’s degree program online at berklee.edu/apply. The first step is to register for a new account if you are a new user, or to use your existing login information to create a new application.
Applications to graduate programs generally open in late summer for the following academic year. For more information, please check application deadlines on our website.
Absolutely. Jazz, along with many other styles of music, is embraced on campus. If you are looking for a program specifically focused on jazz, we recommend looking at the contemporary performance (global jazz) master’s degree offered on our Boston campus. For more information about this program, please follow this link.
Berklee embraces all styles of contemporary music. Through a course of practical and theoretical learning experiences that integrate performance and writing, our curriculum covers a variety of the influential styles, current technologies, and career opportunities open to today’s music professional.
There is no clear number of styles a student should know. It's recommended that incoming students have a solid foundation (a minimum of 10 years of study and performance) in at least one style, and have begun studying and performing at least one additional style for three or more years.
While it is highly recommended and most common that applicants have a bachelor's degree in music, it is not a rule. The rule is that you must have a bachelor's degree. The application and interview process is designed in a way that tests for certain levels of musicianship and the technical and theoretical ability that we determine necessary to get the most out of the program. While having a Bachelor of Music can help improve and prepare your skills in these areas, we recognize that a person can study and practice diligently on their own.
At Berklee's campus in Valencia, "production concentration" refers to recorded production. Students spend countless hours in our studios as musicians and producers through an intense, two-semester course in production, gaining first-hand knowledge of the technical aspects of recording their music as well as the production process that songs go through from inception to demo to final version. The focus is to give the contemporary artist more creative control over their music and the skills to be more self-sufficient.
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