The College Launches into it's new Alumni Grant Program

BOSTON, December 5, 2002 — Berklee College of Music President Lee Eliot Berk announced today that the college has awarded grants to four alumni in support of their efforts to promote music education and community outreach initiatives in the community. The grants, which total $50,000, have been presented to Catherine Goldwyn '78, Kendrick Oliver '95, Hans Schuman '90, and Juri Shigeta '02.

With the awarding of these funds, the college has launched its new alumni grant program, which will provide seed money for initiatives that foster the creativity of the college's alumni, further Berklee's mission of contemporary music education, and help improve society through music. The grants were established by the college's Board of Trustees, with funding from endowment income. A review committee will award new grants annually; all Berklee alumni are eligible to apply.

Juri Shigeta, Lee Eliot Berk, Kendrick Oliver, and Hans Schuman

"I am pleased to recognize and support the good work of these four alumni, whose creativity and compassion make Berklee proud," President Berk said. "So many of our graduates have undertaken work of significant social value. The alumni grant program is just one way the college hopes to reward those who have given so much to their alma mater and their community."

All four of these inaugural grants will help support education projects spearheaded by Berklee alumni. Sound Art, led by Catherine Goldwyn '78, provides music education to students from the South Central district of Los Angeles. Kendrick Oliver '95 leads his New Life Jazz Orchestra in conducting educational clinics in the New York City area. Hans Schuman '90 helps direct JazzReach, a performance-based group educating public school youngsters about jazz. And, Juri Shigeta '02 works with juvenile offenders in the Boston area and Washington state.

Catherine Goldwyn '78, of Santa Monica, California, received a $25,000 grant. Goldwyn is the director of Sound Art, a nonprofit organization that offers musical training and exposure to inner-city youths in Los Angeles. The grant will help provide up to five portable recording studios, to be used by young people in public schools, after-school programs, and community centers in the L.A. area.

Kendrick Oliver '95, of New York City, received a $5,000 grant. Oliver is a tubist, composer, and conductor of the New Life Jazz Orchestra, a 19-member big band that features 15 Berklee alumni. The orchestra presents an educational program called "Sing, Swing, Stomp & Shout" in New York-area public schools. The grant will help offset the expense of these presentations.

Hans Schuman '90, of Brooklyn, N.Y., received a $15,000 grant. Schuman is the founder and artistic director of JazzReach, a nonprofit organization that promotes a greater awareness and appreciation of jazz through performance-based education programs. The grant will help increase the staff of JazzReach, enabling the program to reach a greater number of young people.

Juri Shigeta '02, of Boston, received a $5,000 grant. Shigeta recently founded Genuine Voices, a nonprofit organization that teaches music and sound sequencing to youths at juvenile detention centers. Through focused lessons and increased personal attention, the program aims to build musical skills and encourage young offenders to make positive decisions. The grant will help offset operational costs and provide a catalyst for others to contribute to the program.

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing 70 plus countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today — and tomorrow.

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Godcher Murphy
Publicist
Berklee College of Music
(617) 747-2658 or sgodcher@berklee.edu