Applications Open for Berklee in Puerto Rico 2022

Berklee in Puerto Rico is now accepting applications for this year's program, to be held May 31 to June 5 at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Over the past 26 years, nearly 4,000 young Puerto Rican musicians have attended the weeklong program, which provides music theory, ear training, improvisation, ensemble performance, and instrumental instruction. A select group of students, for the fourth year, will have the opportunity to earn a college credit for completing the program. This year, the program will also offer a new songwriting and production track class, allowing a limited number of students to immerse themselves in the art of songwriting, performance, and production.

“Berklee in Puerto Rico is the result of the collaboration between the Make Music Happen PR team and Berklee, and has been the birthplace for great musicians such as saxophonists Miguel Zenón and Edmar Colón, the Puerto Rican cuatrista Fabiola Méndez, and the educator Rubén Amador,” said Luis Alvarez ’83, founder of Make Music Happen PR and a former Berklee trustee. “It’s the perfect opportunity for hundreds of young Puerto Ricans who dream of having a first-rate musical education.” 

The program, taught by Berklee faculty, takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, and culminates in a final showcase concert by the students on the last day. All participants will have the opportunity to perform in their ensemble group.

During the week, Berklee's admissions team will hold auditions for selected students who are interested in being admitted to the college's full-time undergraduate programs, while other students may qualify for scholarships to Berklee's summer program Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive. In 2019, when Berklee in Puerto Rico was last held, a total of $1.53 million in scholarship funds were awarded to students to be used for Berklee undergraduate, summer, and online programs. Alvarez, who was instrumental in creating the program, has donated more than $350,000 in Berklee scholarship funds.

Past participants in the program include Nannette Velez, a flautist and director of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, and Xavier Cintrón, who received the foundation’s Juanes Scholarship in 2020 and is currently studying contemporary writing and production and composition at Berklee. 

Tuition is $75 for the program's standard performance track, and $250, with limited space available, for the college-credit performance track and college-credit songwriting and production track. This year's program sponsors include Make Music Happen PR, Fundación Banco Popular Puerto Rico, and the Liberty Foundation.