Celebrating the King

May 1, 2017

American Crew, a Revlon brand, sponsored Elvis Legacy Week at Berklee in early April to pay a special tribute to music legend Elvis Presley. The weeklong celebration included guest speakers and panel discussions by those who knew the King well, and included educational showcases, styling workshops, and film screenings. 

Boston Conservatory at Berklee student Zane Sipotz (left) confers with American Crew founder and celebrity fashion photographer David Raccuglia during a styling and photo session. Raccuglia and Jordan Holloway, global creative director for American Crew (right) worked with students during Elvis Legacy Week.

Vocalist Jonathan O’Neal (whose great-grandfather went to school with Elvis Presley) performs in the Singers Showcase concert during Elvis Legacy Week at Berklee in April.

American Crew partnered with the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE) to celebrate Presley’s life and legacy following the release last year of special-edition grooming products for men. Students were provided a special opportunity to learn styling techniques in a professional setting to help build their brands and images as artists.

The week culminated with the Singers Showcase concert, which featured the music of Elvis including many of his most popular tunes performed by the college’s top student vocalists and award-winning a cappella group Pitch Slapped. American Crew also established a generous scholarship fund at Berklee to support deserving students who are considered “original innovators” in performance, composition, songwriting, production, entrepreneurialism, or sound design.

“Elvis Legacy Week provided students with background of how and why the Elvis brand has remained so iconic 40 years after his death,” says Panos Panay, founding and managing director of BerkleeICE. “We’re also excited that Berklee student Jonathan O’Neal was chosen to perform at Graceland this summer.”

In August, O’Neal will sing at Elvis Week 2017 at Graceland in an event marking the 40th anniversary of Presley’s passing.

This article appeared in our alumni magazine, Berklee Today Summer 2017. Learn more about Berklee Today.
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