Berklee Presents a Roots-Fueled Tribute to Bob Dylan

Berklee College of Music’s fall Signature Series continues with Watching the River Flow: A Roots Salute to Bob Dylan, a celebration of the inimitable singer-songwriter taking place Wednesday, November 5, at 8:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center. The tribute concert honors Dylan’s immeasurable impact on popular culture with performances from students, faculty, alumni, and visiting artists that highlight his deep knowledge and nuanced appreciation of roots and Americana music.

Coproduced by Matt Glaser, artistic director of Berklee’s American Roots Music Program, and Farayi Malek, assistant professor in the Ensemble Department, the program offers original arrangements of a rich litany of songs, from the well-known folk anthems “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’” to the early masterpieces “Chimes of Freedom” and “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding).” The latter rendition will be performed by a hand-selected ensemble of students, each of whom will each sing one of the song’s 20 verses.

“Bob Dylan has been a transcendent force in American and global culture for 60-plus years. The way that he has codified and transformed so many elements of world culture and American life into his music is an unprecedented achievement,” said Glaser, who performed with Dylan at Boston University in 2000. “He is a great template to help Berklee students understand what it means to be a creative artist with a sustaining vision.”

Notable guest artists that will perform include multi-instrumentalist bluegrass musician Tim O’Brien, folk singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky, banjo legend Tony Trischka, and more. Several of Berklee’s most accomplished current and former educators fill out the cast, including Berklee Online instructor Matt Rollings, a Grammy-winning producer, pianist, songwriter; Larry Watson, professor emeritus; Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin, chair of the Ensemble Department; Bruce Molsky, visiting artist and renowned roots musician; and faculty trumpeter Peter Kenagy, who will lead a Berklee faculty horn section.

“Bob Dylan is the central figure at the intersection of contemporary songwriting and the diverse and deep roots traditions of American popular music. His work has transformed those genres and redefined their relationship to modern culture,” said professor Mark Simos, who developed and teaches the course Songwriting and Tunewriting in Roots Styles. “He continues to exemplify for young artists how earlier musical forms can be reimagined to create something that still resonates today.”

In addition to the concert, two local Dylan scholars will receive honorary awards from the American Roots Music Program. Boston University professor Christopher Ricks (author of Dylan’s Vision of Sin) and Harvard professor Richard Thomas (author of Why Bob Dylan Matters) will be recognized at a pre-show reception. Novelist Tom Piazza, who Dylan solicited to write introductory remarks during the Kennedy Center Honors in 1997, will also share selections of his writings on Dylan throughout the program.

The Berklee Performance Center is located at 136 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston. This show will be seated. Tickets are available online and at the Berklee box office.