Updates from the Executive Director

February Update 

Dear Berklee Family,

We have seen a slight increase in temperatures in Valencia over the past few weeks and, with that, there is a feeling that spring is around the corner. In addition, the city is starting to prepare for the annual festival of Fallas, where giant sculptures are built throughout the city (only to be burned on March 19). 

It has been a busy few weeks at Berklee Valencia. The Master’s students in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) had two concerts of their fall ensembles at our neighbor in the City of Arts and Sciences, CaixaForum. We also had our last performances in the 2024-25 Berklee a Les Arts SeriesLa Superficie del Mar. Under the artistic direction of Magda Giannnikou, and with the support of several Berklee Valencia faculty members, this multidisciplinary production, featuring renowned dancer Ariadna Montfort, reimagined the timeless themes of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman through the poignant lens of Senta, the opera’s enigmatic heroine.

The International Career Center has been active, following the great success of the annual Global Career Summit. The Center held a session on Gigging in Valencia, as part of its Coffee and Careers series, and launched the six-month mentoring program. The department for Student Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion held a student club fair in the library and resumed weekly yoga sessions for students, faculty, and staff. Black History Month celebrations included a conversation and a showcase concert hosted by members of the Black Student Union. Unfortunately, the day trip to Sagunto, planned for undergraduate students, had to be postponed due to weather conditions. 

As always, the campus has been full of guest speakers and artists, including Rocío Vallejo-Nágera, Director of Concerts and Large Events for Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid CF; Mark Garfield, a drummer, producer, songwriter, and music publisher, founder and co-owner of Pop-Up Music, a UK music publisher and sync agent; movie and television music supervisor Thomas Golubić (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Silo, and Six Feet Under); Pieter Van Rijn, CEO and President of Downtown Music; and Peruvian Indie folk duo Alejandro y María Laura. We also welcomed legendary engineer and producer Susan Rogers, who was Prince’s staff engineer on albums such as Purple Rain, for a week-long residency. 

Students in the master’s in Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games (SFTV) program recorded with a string quartet at the Palau de la Música. One of the highlights of the SFTV program is that students have the opportunity to record with professional musicians in various settings throughout the year. These include small ensembles in Valencia, as well as with full orchestras in Budapest and in London. The projects allow students to hone their skills with an orchestra (conducting as well as managing time in the session) and leave the program with numerous professional recordings for their portfolios. 

Thank you for all your support of Berklee Valencia and our students. I look forward to sending you more updates soon.