Tales from students, faculty, alumni, and staff make for a meaningful kick-off to the year.

By Danielle Dreilinger
Berklee.edu Correspondent
September 28, 2007

Faculty member Greg Hopkins
Photo by Phil Farnsworth

The temperature said summer, but the Berklee community revved up for fall on the second annual Opening Day, themed "Nourishing Your Spirit."

At a faculty/staff breakfast at the Westin Copley, jazz composition professor Greg Hopkins eulogized the late Herb Pomeroy as a man who "started jazz education as it is in America today."

"Berklee was like the Emerald City and Herb was the Wizard," Hopkins said. "Now we're going to change the world as he did."

It was the kickoff to a day of inspiration.

President Roger H. Brown said the new school year felt like approaching the Grand Canyon: "You can feel that something dramatic is just over that precipice."

He shared a long list of the college's recent accomplishments: auditioning and interviewing every entering student; completing the college's first-ever curriculum review; increasing the diversity of the entering class; enhancing first-year advising; preparing a new expansion plan; and readying Cafe 939.

Brown also announced the launch of the Newbury Comics Faculty Fellowship for innovative projects that promote better teaching.

Two student speakers awed the room with their determination. In her soft Texas drawl, incoming student and singer/songwriter Emily Elbert described gigging her way to Berklee. The deal was sealed when Elbert came to the Five-Week Summer Performance Program.

"It was a peak experience in my life," she said. "Berklee was a place that could harbor the dreams that I had."

As she prepared to begin her education at Berklee, Elbert was on top of the world. "It's my dream school," she said. "Heck, my only fear is that I won't be able to be part of every single class and ensemble and late-night jam session that I want to. But I'm sure that my spirit will find nourishment in its new home up north, and that with the help of my school, I'll find the path that is perfect for me."

	Patrice Rushen
	Photo by Phil Farnsworth

The Zimbabwe language has a single word for wind, spirit, mind, the Holy Spirit, ghost, and breath, said sixth-semester music production and engineering major Kundayi Musinami, who came to the U.S. with only $12 and the drive to come to Berklee. Since Musinami came to Berklee, he hasn't been able to go home to Zimbabwe because of political and economic reasons and had to grieve for the deaths of his grandmother and brother from Boston. Musinami credits Berklee for buoying him when he was down.

"In that hour of despair, embracing the underside of tragedy and anger, what kept my spirit uplifted and and what kept me revitalized is right here," he said. "From semester to semester, the faculty and staff have helped me stay above the water and keep my vision and spirit nourished."

Rob Hochschild, senior editor for the Office of Communications, spoke about the boost to the spirit he got while participating in Berklee's June trip to build houses in New Orleans's Musicians Village. "We worked with people from around the world, doing what we could to start to bring the city back a little bit," he said.

The experience of working in New Orleans served as a reminder of the importance of Berklee's mission: "Every day we help people give music to other people," he said.

Keynote speaker and honorary Berklee doctor of music recipient Patrice Rushen knows something about that. Rushen, who received the Presidential Tribute Award that morning, exhorted listeners at the Berklee Performance Center to "rekindle the joy" and "motivate [students] with our enthusiasm," bracketing her speech with pieces on solo piano.

In a conversation with her friend, percussion professor Terri Lyne Carrington, Rushen emphasized the importance of teachers supporting a range of musical interests. Whether she brought in Bach or Stevie Wonder, she said, her teachers "actively valued each component and helped me relate each to the other."

	Rob Lewis '94
	Photo by Phil Farnsworth

That open-mindedness led Rushen to achievements in the jazz, classical, and pop worlds. Musicians don't have to choose between commercial success and art, she said in response to a question from faculty member Prince Charles Alexander.

You can be "the great musician who has a hit record," she said. "You can be studied and have feeling."

After a barbecue break, the community reconvened at the Berklee Performance Center. The evening concert started with percussion ensemble Bloco AfroBrazil. Vice president for student affairs/dean of students Lawrence Bethune told the class to "hold on to your dreams and your passion." Senior vice president for academic affairs Lawrence Simpson assured them, "You are at the center of everything we do, and we are committed to your success."

President Brown asked the freshmen, "If you could improve 1 percent each day, after four years, how much better would you be?" The answer: "You'd be 2,078,007.24 times better than when you got here. So work hard, have fun, and get better every day."

Brown presented Berklee's distinguished alumnus award to Rob Lewis '94, a pianist/producer/musical director who has worked with Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Babyface, and Patti LaBelle, among others.

Lewis told the hall, "Your dreams got you here to Berklee to get equipped for your journey. You'll have to work hard to get to where you want to be. Your journey should be just as good as the destination."

After the stage was cleared, a 22-piece student band kicked off with a funky instrumental. Among the highlights of the one-hour show were Grace Taylor's sultry and soulful vocals on Peabo Brysons's "Feel the Fire" and Kevin Ross's rendition of the Earth Wind & Fire chestnut "In the Stone."

The house lit up when Lewis came onstage to sit in on piano. He began with a solo piano composition and then joined the band on a pair of tunes made popular by Eric Benet and Eric Clapton, with whom Lewis has worked. The concert ended with Ashley Rodriguez singing the Maroon 5 hit "This Love," officially ending the opening day festivities and launching the Berklee community into the new term refreshed and ready.

Students perform in the convocation concert. Photo by Phil Farnsworth

Danielle Dreilinger is a writer/editor in Berklee's Office of Communications. Berklee Today editor Mark Small contributed to this piece.