Kevin Haden Announced as Dean of Music for Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Kevin Haden begins his appointment as Boston Conservatory at Berklee's dean of music on July 1.
Photo by De'Lon Grant
Innovative educator and accomplished musician Kevin Haden will join Boston Conservatory at Berklee as dean of music starting July 1.
With more than 25 years of experience spanning higher education and the performing arts, Haden comes to Boston Conservatory from Curtis Institute of Music, where he served as senior associate dean of strategic engagement and institutional excellence. While at Curtis, he developed strategies to advance the institute’s artistic and educational programming and led initiatives celebrating community values, access, and inclusion.
Prior to his work at Curtis, he was dean of the school of music and associate professor at University of the Arts (UArts) for two years, and before that, he served at New York University (NYU) for 22 years in various roles—most recently as director of academic operations for the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, one of the largest and most complex departments at the university.
“It is an honor to announce that Kevin Haden will be joining our Boston Conservatory community as the next dean of music starting in July,” said Michael Shinn, executive director for Boston Conservatory at Berklee. “Kevin’s experience in the performing arts is tremendous, and his care for his students and community resonates in all that he does. Kevin is a phenomenal artist, educator, and administrator, and he brings a tremendous amount of artistic versatility and dynamism to his professional work.”
A classically trained musician with degrees from NYU in composition and theory, Haden also maintains a vibrant career as a multihyphenate artist, working as a singer, songwriter, recording artist, arranger, music director, and equity actor. His discography includes numerous record label and independent releases as a solo pop/folk/soul artist and electronic dance music vocalist, and his voice and vocal arrangements can be heard on top international dance labels such as Defected, Soul Heaven, D4 D4NCE, Glitterbox, 925 Music, and Isolation Nation. Active in the theater world as well, Haden has music directed works in the New York Musicals Festival and performed in off-off-Broadway and regional musical theater productions. He has also written, arranged, and recorded music for theatrical productions at regional theaters across the country.
Haden will report to Boston Conservatory at Berklee Executive Director Michael Shinn and will lead the school’s dynamic Music Division alongside chairs Matthew Marsit (Instrumental Studies), Isaí Jess Muñoz (Vocal Arts), and Mischa Salkind-Pearl (Composition, Contemporary Music, and Core Studies).
