The word Convocation drips with ceremonial seriousness, but when the Berklee community gathers to usher in each fall semester, it begins the evening not with a solemn procession but usually with something more like a New Orleans second line. This year, a Boston-based band of Berklee alumni called Made in the Shade opened the event by strutting down the aisles of the Berklee Performance Center, mixing Dixieland with flashes of funk in a spirited set of traditional tunes.

As the 850 members of the class of 2003 settled into their seats, they looked up at the stage to find three veteran musicians who know plenty about what it takes to forge a successful career in music: composer/saxophonist Benny Golson, trombonist Curtis Fuller, and educator Robert Morgan. Each man received an honorary doctor of music degree and, in turn, addressed the first-year students.

"I want to encourage all of you to keep moving ahead," said Golson, creator of several jazz standards, including "I Remember Clifford" and "Whisper Not." "Always moveforward. Never walk through anything. Look at John Coltrane. He played like his life depended on it. We did lots of dreaming, John and I. Dream imperial dreams."

Each of the honorees have essentially made their dreams come true, but they did it with a mix of hard work, pragmatism, and adaptability. Golson put aside his saxophone in 1967 for nearly a decade of

 
Benny Golson (left) and President Lee Eliot Berk.
Photo by Bob Kramer
film composing in Hollywood. Fuller's versatility landed him gigs with musicians ranging from Gil Evans to Stanley Clark. And Morgan switched career tracks when his trumpet-playing chops gave out, and went on to build one of the country's strongest jazz education programs, at the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Bethune encouraged the class of 2003 to apply a similar openness and flexibility toward their music studies. "Berklee is a crucible of musical ideas. All music is welcomed here. Don't close up; open up. Pursue your dream with your mind, ears, and heart wide open."

Remaining open to one's own musical vision was the central theme of a dynamic and humorous speech delivered by student Chris Opperman. He began his talk by contrasting Frank Zappa's comments on music with a dictionary definition, and later stated that a Berklee student's "life experiences can also been seen as musical experiences . . . if all we all ever do is sit inside and practice our scales, then how much of life are we truly experiencing?"

Berklee students performed for the honorees at the Convocation Concert.
Photo by Bob Kramer
 
When the speeches ended, the Performance Center crew removed the chairs and lectern from the stage and opened the curtains for a 10-song tribute to the honorees, performed by students and directed by Berklee's Yo Team. The eclectic concert featured compositions by artists ranging from Golson and Fuller to R. Kelly and the Beatles, with a succession of powerful lead vocalists, including Bethany Wright, "We Can Work It Out"; Kevin Bachelder, "Come Together"; and Julie Mahendran, "I Remember Clifford." Members of the 15-piece Jazz Rock Ensemble, including saxophonist Bob Reynolds and trombonist Karin Harris, stepped up as soloists on Golson's "Stablemates" and "Killer Joe," and Curtis Fuller's "The High Priest."

Vocalist Michael Harris ended the night with an uplifting performance of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly," singing lyrics that fit the night perfectly: "There are miracles in life I must achieve/But first I know it starts inside of me." Berklee's entering students might have been saying the same thing to themselves as they left the Performance Center, contemplating the year of study ahead.




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