Berklee Announces 2021 Fall Signature Series Lineup
Tina Turner
Image courtesy of Getty Images
Daymé Arocena
Image by Pablo Dewin
Miguel Zenón
Image by Noah Shaye
Left to right: Kris Davis, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Linda May Han Oh
Image by Kelly Davidson
Berklee has announced its fall 2021 Signature Series lineup, featuring special performances from students, faculty, alumni, and other guests at the Berklee Performance Center and the Red Room at Cafe 939. Running from October 19 through the end of the year, this fall's concerts will celebrate some of the biggest names in music.
Miguel Zenón Berklee Quintet
Red Room at Cafe 939
Tuesday, October 19, 8:00 p.m
Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow, jazz saxophonist, and composer Miguel Zenón B.M. ’98 leads a Berklee student ensemble in a concert featuring music from the last 10 years of his career, including pieces from Zenón's albums Awake, Esta Plena, Rayuela, and Identities Are Changeable. The student group includes Noam Tanzer on bass, Ray Logan on tenor saxophone, Naomi Nakanishi on piano, and Guilhem Fourty on drums. Selected by Edmar Colón, an instructor in the Woodwind Department, the students will rehearse with Zenón extensively in the beginning of the semester.
Daymé Arocena Meets Berklee
Berklee Performance Center
Thursday, November 18, 8:00 p.m.
Berklee welcomes renowned artist Daymé Arocena, who will perform her blend of traditional Santerían chant, jazz stylings, contemporary R&B influences, and Afro-Cuban music with a Berklee student ensemble. Recognized as "Cuba's finest young female singer" (The Guardian), Arocena has become the voice for a new generation of Cuban artists. She was highlighted on NPR's 50 favorite albums of the year list, featured on 2015's Juno Award–winning album Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, and was introduced to the world stage through Gilles Peterson's Havana Cultura Mix project. A celebration of the music of Cuba, the show features student performers as well as arrangements by student writers. The concert is produced by faculty bassist Oscar Stagnaro, with Matthew Nicholl, dean of the Professional Writing and Music Technology Division, serving as music director.
The Music of Billie Eilish
Berklee Performance Center
Thursday, December 2, 8:00 p.m.
In this career-spanning tribute to Billie Eilish, Berklee students will perform selections ranging from her early SoundCloud releases to her latest album, Happier Than Ever. Using new technologies and multimedia tools, the show will create a cohesive narrative by integrating video, theatrical skits, and immersive audio. Featured songs include “Lovely,” “ilomilo,” “Happier Than Ever,” and other chart-topping hits. After the event, the show will be post-produced for digital release.
New Standards: Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, and Special Guest Ambrose Akinmusire
Red Room at Cafe 939
Wednesday, December 8, 8:00 p.m.
Featuring songs from the forthcoming book New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers, this concert will showcase Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice students performing alongside Grammy-winning drummer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh, pianist and composer Kris Davis, and special guest trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. The institute's mission is to recruit, teach, mentor, and advocate for musicians seeking to study jazz with gender justice and racial justice as guiding principles. Founded by Carrington, who also serves as the artistic director, the institute seeks to engage itself and others in making an important and long-lasting cultural shift in jazz and other music communities.
Singers Showcase: Tina Turner—Simply the Best
Berklee Performance Center
Thursday, December 9, 8:00 p.m.
Join a global cast of students for an exhilarating evening of entertainment honoring the legendary singer, songwriter, actor, and author Tina Turner. Produced by Maureen McMullan ’09, the concert will showcase some of Berklee’s most outstanding vocalists, instrumentalists, arrangers, dancers, and track producers as they interpret Turner's most iconic songs, such as “Shake a Tail Feather,” “Proud Mary,” “River Deep, Mountain High,” “Nutbush City Limits,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” “Private Dancer,” and many more.
Berklee's Live Event Attendance Policy
Any member of the public attending a live, ticketed event at Berklee will be required to provide a government-issued photo identification and one of the following: proof of full vaccination (two weeks after the second of a two-shot vaccine or the first of a one-shot vaccine); proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the event; or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of the event.
Attendees may provide these documents in physical/paper form, by photocopy, or a photo on a phone as long as all information is clearly visible and readable. Photos of at-home tests must be time-stamped. Masks will be required indoors, regardless of vaccination or negative test status. Attendees must bring their own masks and wear them over the nose and mouth.
