Meet the Directors

Gael Hedding

Director of Berklee Abu Dhabi Center

A prominent music producer, Gael Hedding B.M. '05 is a Grammy and Latin Grammy recipient. He is a former faculty member at Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain, where he lectured on the subjects of music production, sound recording techniques, and mixing and live sound at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has also given master classes throughout Latin America at colleges like Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Universidad La Salle.  

Hedding created Sandia Sound Studio and Sandia Live, both ventures in Cancun, Mexico, devoted to music production in the studio and on stage. He is also a founding member and the secretary of the Circle of Producers and Engineers at the Latin Recording Academy, and actively serves as an advisor of foundations devoted to the improvement of culture and the music industry.

Mayssa Karaa

Artistic Director

A Grammy-nominated, Lebanese American singer-songwriter, Mayssa Karaa B.M. '12 has performed internationally with a musical message that focuses on empowerment and overcoming adversity. She has appeared on soundtracks for Bollywood and Hollywood films, including American Hustle, and sang the seminal Arabic version of the alphabet song that was featured on Sesame Street and is known throughout the region.

In many ways, Karaa embodies the spirit behind Berklee Abu Dhabi as she was raised in the Arab world and was able to discover and develop her talent at Berklee's Boston campus.