Alum Notes: Class Connections

Summer is generally a busy time for musicians, so there are only two recent alumni events to report on in this column. On August 19, a group of 35 turned out for the second dinner and meeting of the newly formed Korean Berklee Alumni Association. The event was held at the Nolboojib restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. After a traditional Korean meal, chapter president Hoon Seok Lee '90 discussed plans for the fledgling chapter and the upcoming launch of a Web site that will help Korean alumni to stay informed about future club happenings.

A number of those who attended are prominent Korean musicians, including jazz pianist and television show host Kwangmin Kim '89, guitarist Sangwon Han '89, and pianist Won Young Chung '89. Producer Byung Chan Kim '89 and engineer Hoon Seok Lee '90 are partners in NanJang Music Ltd. recording studio and record label. Their latest release Kim Duk Soo with His Friends has sold two million copies in Korea. MTV producer Ahyoung Kim '95 and chapter secretary/treasurer Kyu Jeong '95 were also there.

Also spotted in the crowd were two current Berklee students home for the summer: Yuseok Noh, president of the Berklee Korean Student Association, and Yeun Joo Chi. Yeun Joo Chi served as interpreter for Toni Ballard of Berklee's Office of Public Information. Many alumni in attendance are on the faculty of the Seoul Jazz Academy, where Berklee Inter-national Network scholarship auditions and clinics were held later in August.

Closer to campus, 70 Boston-area alumni gathered on September 9 for a tour of the John Singer Sargent exhibition at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Everyone gathered at Berklee for a reception and presentation by Professor Henry Augustine Tate prior to heading over to the museum. Introducing Tate, Boston alumni chapter president Jeannie Deva '75 noted that he remains one of the most popular instructors at the college. Exhibiting characteristic humor and insight, Tate provided guests with some background about the highly acclaimed exhibition.

Future alumni events in various areas are listed in the events section of the Alumni pages of this web site.