Alumni Beat
From the left: Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff ’99, Eric Krasno ’94, Emily Elbert ’11, Berklee Student Orientation Coordinator Tamia Jordan, and Adam Deitch ’98 at the September Alumni Affairs information session during orientation week for entering students. Telarc recording artist Hiromi Uehara ’03 and Berklee’s Washington, D.C., Alumni Chapter Leader Alphonso Giles ’88 paused for a photo before Uehara’s performance at Jazz Alley. From the left: Brian Grzelak, Emily Dufresne, and Karen Bell ’90 from the Office of Alumni Affairs at a barbecue for entering students in early September.
October is here, and the autumn leaves have begun to fall. The campus is abuzz with students from the class of 2013 who are raring to go. As part of our newly established student programming efforts, staff members in the Office of Alumni Affairs make a point of introducing themselves to new students in their first semester and to connect students and alumni. (Berklee defines anyone who completes at least one full-time semester at Berklee as an alumna or alumnus.) The Office of Alumni Affairs is the central point of connection for alumni to their alma mater, to fellow alumni via alumni chapters, and to resources in the music industry.
To help members of the entering class look ahead to their careers and musical journeys, alumni Adam Deitch ’98, Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff ’99, Eric Krasno ’94, and special guest Luis Cato ’04—who comprise the funk band Chapter 2 and were founding members of the band Lettuce—visited the campus during orientation week in early September. Along with current student Emily Elbert ’11, members of the group participated in a panel discussion where they shared anecdotes and information with members of the entering class. Afterward, at two performances on campus, Chapter 2 proceeded to lay down the funk and was simply amazing.
In New York, the monthly alumni showcases known as the New York Alumni Circle are now being held at a new location at the Bowery Poetry Club. If you are interested in performing at an upcoming showcase, e-mail to Andrea Setaro ’07 at andreacsetaro@gmail.com.
At the end of July, alumna Hiromi Uehara ’03 spent time with members of the Washington, D.C., Alumni Chapter during a special reception prior to her performance at the club Blues Alley in Washington. A great time was had by all.
Last year, Berklee implemented a new process for selecting Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, and it proved quite successful. Via the alumni website, the alumni community submitted nominations, which three alumni committees in different areas then voted on. As a result, four alumni—Laurie Cohen, Norihiko Hibino, Panos Panay, and Victor Bailey—were selected to receive Distinguished Alumni awards this year. Now it’s time again for all alumni to submit nominations for the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award. Look for details and nomination forms on the alumni website (http://alumni.berklee.edu).
E-mail has increasingly become the major means of communication used by the Office of Alumni Affairs and the college as a whole. Be sure to go to the alumni website to share or update your e-mail address with us. You can do so easily in your profile in the online alumni directory. If you have questions or comments, we look forward to hearing from you at alumniaffairs@berklee.edu.
Until next time, take care.
Karen Bell, ’90
Director of Alumni Affairs
