Phil Ramone was a child prodigy, who began playing the violin at age three and gave a command performance for the Queen of England at age ten. He studied classical violin at The Juilliard School of Music, and by the age of 18 was a working performer and composer in New York City. In 1961 Ramone opened his own recording studio, the now legendary A&R Recording in New York City, where his innovative techniques led to production opportunities with numerous talented musicians.

One of the most respected producers in the recording industry, Ramone has been awarded nine Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award. He has produced and engineered hit records for Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Elton John, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and many other top artists. The film and theatre soundtracks he has produced and/or engineered include works such as A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, A Star is Born, Chicago, Flashdance, Midnight Cowboy, Passion, Seussical, and The Wild Party.

Berklee President Lee Eliot Berk welcomed Ramone to the Berklee community, commenting, "Phil Ramone exemplifies the highest levels of achievement in contemporary music. His leadership as a Berklee trustee will be an inspiration to us all."

In addition to his breadth of production credits, Ramone has been associated with many technical innovations in music engineering. He was the first to use Dolby four-track discrete sound, Dolby surround sound, and digital live recordings, which helped pave the way for widespread acceptance of compact discs in pop music. He was also the first to use a fiber optics system to record tracks in real time from different locations around the world. Berklee honored Ramone for his contributions to popular music with an Honorary Doctorate of Music at its 1987 Commencement ceremonies.

"My experiences with both musical and engineering talents from Berklee have always been successful," said Ramone, "and I am happy to be able to contribute my efforts -- to give something back -- to one of the best training grounds in the country."

Founded in 1945, Berklee College of Music has been advancing careers in contemporary music for more than 50 years. The world's largest independent college of music, Berklee has a multicultural enrollment of more than 3,400 students, more than 30 percent of whom are international. The college's alumni include some of the most respected figures in contemporary music, including many multi-Grammy award winners.

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Media, for further information, contact:

Emily Singer
Berklee College of Music
617-747-2567
esinger@berklee.edu