To Perform with Berklee Ensemble at New York's Blue Note Club May 17

BOSTON, May 10, 2004 — Berklee College of Music student Nir Felder '05, from Katonah, New York, has been awarded this year's prestigious Billboard Endowed Scholarship Award. One student is selected each year to receive the Billboard award based upon their outstanding musicianship and strong academic record at Berklee, as well as the probability of success in their pursuit of a performance and recording career.

Press: to inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us. Student Nir Felder '05 (center) recieves the prestigious Billboard Endowed Scholarship, presented by Billboard President & Publisher John Kilcullen (left) and Executive Vice President Gary Burton (right), during the commencement concert. Photo by Phil Farnsworth

The Billboard Endowed Scholarship Fund was established at Berklee in 1995 with a major gift from Billboard Magazine. The funds established a permanently endowed trust from which an annual scholarship is awarded, enabling the student to continue studies at Berklee College of Music in the Performance Division. Previous Billboard recipients have been Vincent Bourgeyx in 1996; Leo Blanco in 1997; Jaleel Shaw in 1998; Bob Reynolds in 1999; Patrick Cornelius in 2000; Alisa Miles in 2001; co-recipients Hiromi Uehara and Walter Smith in 2002; and Rafael Alcala in 2003.

A guitarist, Felder will represent Berklee later this month at New York's Blue Note Jazz Club. He will also perform with the Berklee Rainbow Band throughout the summer, including the JVC Jazz Festival in New York in July, as well as the Caramoor Jazz Festival in Katonah, NY in August.

Born in New York, Felder has been fascinated by music since age thirteen, when he first picked up the guitar. After years as a self-taught player, he enrolled at Berklee and seriously began studying jazz improvisation and composition. Entering his fourth year, Felder has had the good fortune to play and study with such legendary musicians as John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, and Hal Crook. Felder is a past recipient of the Stephen D. Holland Award, and recently, the Jimi Hendrix Award from Berklee's Guitar Department. He will be performing with four other Berklee students as a member of the Berklee Scholarship Jazz Ensemble, on Monday, May 17, at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York.

The famed Blue Note Jazz Club is located at 131 West 3rd Street, in New York's Greenwich Village. Directed by Percussion Department Assistant Chair Yoron Israel, The Berklee Scholarship Jazz Ensemble will play their own original compositions plus jazz standards, in two shows, at 8:00 and 10:30 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Blue Note Jazz Club at 212-475-8592, or visit the Blue Note's website at www.bluenote.net. There will be a reception at the Blue Note that night for Berklee alumni and guests beginning at 6:30 p.m. To register for the alumni event, please contact Adrian Ross at aeross@berklee.edu.

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 over 70 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 about Nir Felder (including digital photos) or the Berklee Scholarship Jazz Ensemble, please contact:

Nick Balkin
617-747-2750
nbalkin@berklee.edu