Spring 2016 Entering Students Welcomed at Convocation and Concert

As snow fell lightly outside the Berklee Performance Center on January 12, incoming students and their families were treated to an evening of inspirational words and energetic music at the spring 2016 entering student convocation and concert. The event began with applause and music, first from a group of Berklee peer advisors who lined the hall to cheer as the new students walked into the auditorium and then from Bloco AfroBrazil, who played rousing rhythms as they escorted the speakers up to the stage along with the peer advisors and Mingus the cat, Berklee’s mascot. 

Betsy Newman, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, gave the first of several welcomes. She called Berklee a “community of unique elements,” emphasizing that everyone at the college has the ability to impact the world positively. She played on Berklee’s motto, Esse quam videri (to be, rather than to seem), calling the essence of the Berklee experience “to be, and to be more” before handing over the mic to the convocation’s student speaker, SaTarra Moore-Troutman ’16.

Songwriting major Moore-Troutman, who is minoring in music and society: Africana studies track, spoke eloquently of her joy at coming to her “musical Hogwarts.” She encouraged the new students to believe that they already belong at Berklee, saying, “You are enough as you are.” She emphasized the importance of practice, focus, and discovering your artist’s voice. Then, she implored, you must “use your platform” to speak up for what you believe, and lean on your “Berklee-built network” to help you succeed.

President Roger H. Brown welcomed students and their families, highlighting the vibrant, diverse Berklee community. If you want to learn about the world, he said, just “go to the caf and invite someone to tell you about their country.” With Berklee’s reputation for innovation and the increased opportunities that come with the forthcoming merger with The Boston Conservatory, he said, “We see ourselves as a laboratory for the creation of the music of the future.”

Citing alumni careers in fields like music therapy, law, and ethnomusicology, he emphasized Berklee’s ability to prepare students for anything. “You are not competing with one another; you are collaborating with one another,” Brown said.

Alumni speakers Ethan Schiff ’12 and Nick Susi ’12 are a perfect example of that spirit of collaboration. Cofounders of New Torch Entertainment, a music management company, they spoke about how they came to be the entrepreneurs helping to develop the careers of fellow alumnae Betty Who '13 and Alissia Benveniste '14.

Schiff credited his success to “being proactive about meeting like-minded people,” betting on himself, and being confident that things would somehow fall into place. Susi asked students, “Who’s an entrepreneur?” before explaining, “You are all your own creative business.” He said that through Berklee, students will find paths to careers they never imagined as long as they are “willing to be daring.”

Lawrence Simpson, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, spoke last, focusing on how thrilled Berklee’s faculty is to meet and work with these students. “Get to know your deans and chairs,” he said.

If the entering class engages with “vigor, passion, and commitment,” Simpson said, they’ll discover “the you the world most needs to know.”

Following the speakers, the students and their families were treated to 40 minutes of music showcasing two very different groups. First, the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Ensemble played a tight, impeccable set that moved from Ellington to a piece by Berklee’s own Joanne Brackeen. The musicians’ solos traded off with each other smoothly to enthusiastic applause. Next up, Berklee City Music All-Stars performed under the direction of Winston Maccow, an associate professor in the Ensemble Department. The group played a range of songs, from Chick Corea to Snarky Puppy, for a set that was by turns rocking and soulful as lights changed color and flashed along with the music. The event ended as appropriately as it had begun, amid loud cheers and joyful music.