By Nick Balkin
Berklee.edu Correspondent
August 7, 2006

	Summer school students perform at the scholarship concert.

Berklee marked 21 years of jazz education at the Umbria Jazz Festival, July 4–16, 2006, with the Berklee Summer School at Umbria Jazz Clinics, in Perugia, Italy. The class, as usual, was very diverse. It included a British saxophonist in her 40s making her third visit to the Summer School (she also made a trip to Berklee in Puerto Rico), a family of jazz musicians from Scotland—four siblings, all under age 12, each studying a different instrument—as well as a South African singer who came to Italy specifically for Berklee's gospel choir course.

By day, students immersed themselves in an intensive college-based curriculum of performance and theory classes. One afternoon they were treated to a master class by multi-Grammy-winning vibraphonist and former Berklee vice president Gary Burton. This year's faculty included Ken Cervenka, Ron Savage, Dennis Montgomery III, Donna McElroy, David Clark, Michael Williams, David Howard, Sheryl Bailey, Suzanna Sifter, James Odgren, and Larry Monroe, associate vice president of international programs. 

Each evening, students ventured out to catch performances from some of the biggest stars in jazz and pop—Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Eric Clapton as well as Berklee alumni Diana Krall, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Roy Hargrove, and others. At the James Brown concert on Saturday, July 15, a Berklee student proved anything is possible if you happen to be in the right place at the right time. Standing in the front row, saxophone in hand, the young musician caught Brown's eye and within seconds he was on stage with the Godfather of Soul himself, showing off his new and improved playing skills in front of thousands of people. 

The rest of the summer school students had their chance to shine on the last day of Umbria Jazz, performing with their ensembles at Piazza IV Novembre—one of the most heavily populated stages located at the heart of the festival. After the concert, assistant director of admissions Gojko Damjanic announced the scholarship recipients, who were met with cheers of support from their classmates as they took the stage to accept their awards. In total, Berklee issued 10 full-time scholarships worth $91,000 as well as four full-tuition scholarships to the college's five week summer programs. 

Thirty percent of students who are awarded scholarships go on to attend the Boston campus, resulting in young artists from all over the world going to Berklee when they might not have otherwise had the chance. Italians who got their start at the Summer School and then went on to Berklee and eventually bigger things include bassists Matt Garrison (solo, and with Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, The Gil Evans Orchestra, Chaka Khan), Marco Panascia (Ben Dixon, Joe Sample, Michel Legrand, Teodross Avery, Lewis Nash), and Verve recording artist Chiara Civello.

Dennis Montgomery III rehearses his gospel choir students. Gary Burton (left) and Luques Curtis '04 perform at Teatro Morlacchi. Members of Burton's band not pictured are Vadim Neselovskyi '04, and current students James Williams and Julian Lage. From left: senior vice president of academic affairs Lawrence Simpson, Herbie Hancock, president Roger Brown, and Brown's wife, Bright Horizons chair Linda Mason. From left: Linda Mason, Pat Metheny, and Roger Brown. Dennis Montgomery III (right) directs gospel choir students at the Scholarship Concert.

Photographs by Nick Balkin and Ian Barrett. To inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us.

Instructions for Photo Usage

Nick Balkin is a publicist in Berklee's office of public information.