BERKLEE MILESTONES 2004—PRESENT
2004
ROGER H. BROWN NAMED PRESIDENT Berklee’s third president, Roger H. Brown.
Roger H. Brown is named the college’s third president. Brown goes on to dramatically expand Berklee’s presence in Boston, abroad, and online; increase scholarship support by 560 percent; improve gender diversity; and implement a more selective admissions policy.
2004
FIRST TURNTABLISM COURSE OFFERED
Adding a new chapter to its history of innovation, Berklee becomes the first music college in the U.S. to offer a course in turntable technique, attracting national attention and a visit from the Today Show’s Al Roker.
2004
FIRST ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS First accredited certificate programs are offered through Berklee Online. By 2019, more than 15,650 students enroll in Berklee Online certificate programs.
2006
AFRICANA STUDIES Bill Banfield, director of Africana Studies, meets with students in his office.
Berklee updates its mission statement to underscore the vital importance of the African cultural diaspora, and founds Africana Studies, a program focused on the study of black music and culture.
2006
CITY MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS
The Encore Gala annual fundraising event for City Music exceeds $1 million for the first time. City Music, the institution’s educational program for underserved youth, serves thousands of students through a network of more than 40 programs. The gala has raised $30 million for the City Music Scholarship fund, which provides financial support to students to attend summer programs and enroll full-time at Berklee.
2007
BERKLEE INTERNET RADIO
The Berklee Internet Radio Network (BIRN) hits the digital airwaves with four different channels streaming music, interviews, and in-studio performances. BirnCORE, the station’s record label, later releases live albums recorded at Berklee by Kaki King, Jesca Hoop, and others.
2008
RED ROOM AT CAFE 939 Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah B.M. ‘04 performs at the Red Room at Cafe 939.
Berklee opens the Red Room at Cafe 939, a student-run, all-ages music venue and coffeehouse. The 200-seat venue will go on to host shows by Leon Bridges, Betty Who, Hozier, the Lumineers, and Karmin, among others.
2008
FIRST EVER CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
The Giant Steps fundraising campaign kicks off with a goal of $40 million, and over 5 years, raises more than $54 million to support College initiatives.
2009
AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC
Berklee highlights roots music on campus as mandolin and banjo become principal instruments. The American Roots Music Program, celebrating bluegrass, folk, gospel, western swing, and other genres, launches in 2009.
2009
VIDEO GAME SCORING
In response to the booming video game market, Berklee develops curriculum for video game scoring and audio design. Today, Berklee offers minors in both audio design for video games and video game scoring.
2010
GLOBAL JAZZ INSTITUTE
Danilo PĂŠrez founds the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, which challenges students to explore their creativity, advance the social power of music, and connect music with nature. The institute launches a graduate program in 2015.
2010
EQUAL ACCESS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS Professor Chi Kim works with a student.
The assistive music technology (AMT) program is founded, empowering blind and visually impaired students to create and perform music at the highest levels.
2010
ACADEMIC MINORS A student conducts a recording session at Berklee.
Berklee introduces academic minors, allowing students to expand beyond their major into other subject areas of interest, including dance, conducting, writing for TV and new media, and instrument repair, among others.
2011
VALENCIA, SPAIN CAMPUS
Berklee opens an international campus in Valencia, Spain, offering the College’s first graduate programs in global entertainment and music business; contemporary performance; and scoring for film, television, and video games.
2011
GRAMMY AWARDS Esperanza Spalding
Berklee alumni are honored with 13 Grammy Awards, surpassing 200 total. By 2019, alumni have received 295 Grammys and 95 Latin Grammys, as well as 5 Tonys, 19 Emmys, and 5 Academy Awards.
2013
BERKLEE INDIA EXCHANGE The Berklee India Exchange establishes a platform for cultural conversation about Indian music through artist residencies, musical collaborations, and performances.
2013
FIRST MOOCs OFFERED
First MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) offered through Coursera and edX. Between 2012 and 2019, 2.6 million students are served. Stephen Webber
2014
ONLINE DEGREES
Berklee becomes the first nonprofit music institution to offer fully accredited online bachelor’s degrees—at less than half the cost of its on-campus degrees. Building on its success, Berklee creates online master’s degrees in 2018. Erin Barra
2014
INSTITUTE FOR CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP Berklee’s Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship is founded to educate and inspire the next generation of creative change-makers.
2014
160 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE 160 Massachusetts Avenue, Berklee’s first custom-built building.
Berklee’s first custom-built facility, 160 Massachusetts Avenue, boasts a 400-seat dining and performance hall, housing for 369 students, and a 10-studio recording complex that is among the largest of its kind in the U.S.
2016
BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE Berklee President Roger H. Brown and Boston Conservatory at Berklee past President Richard Ortner discuss merging institutions.
Berklee merges with Boston Conservatory, setting the stage to create the world’s most dynamic and comprehensive program for music, dance, and theater education.
2016
OPEN MUSIC INITIATIVE Berklee cofounds the Open Music Initiative, convening over 200 open music, media, and technology organizations and academic institutions to transform how music rights owners are identified and compensated.
2016
BERKLEE POPULAR MUSIC INSTITUTE The Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI) launches, taking students from the classroom to the stage of some of the world’s biggest festivals, including Lollapalooza, Osheaga, and Outside Lands.
2017
BERKLEENYC
Berklee finds a home in New York at Power Station Studios—where Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, the cast of Hamilton, and others recorded classic albums—revitalizing the historic facility and creating a host of new educational and career opportunities.
2017
HARVARD/ BERKLEE DUAL DEGREE
The Harvard/Berklee dual degree—a five-year program designed for exceptional Harvard student musicians that culminates in a Berklee master’s degree—welcomes its first class.
2018
ELECTRONIC DIGITAL INSTRUMENTS
Recognizing the key role computers play in contemporary music-making, Berklee adds the electronic digital instrument (EDI)—a computing device with user-configured software and performance controllers—as a principal instrument.
2018
JAZZ AND GENDER JUSTICE
Terri Lyne Carrington founds the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, an initiative that seeks to answer the question: What would jazz sound like without patriarchy? Terri Lyne Carrington
2019
SOUNDBREAKING CAMPAIGN
Significantly surpassing its $121 million goal, this campaign raises more than $160 million in support of scholarships, facilities, and the creation of institutes for musical discovery and artistry.
SCHOLARSHIP GROWTH
Scholarship support for students has increased by more than 570% since 2005, including increased support for Conservatory students since the 2017 merger. A recently launched program to provide additional scholarship support to high performing upper semester students is leading to improved retention and graduation rates.
ENDOWMENT GROWTH
Berklee’s endowment has grown 157% since 2004 through sound investment strategy, prudent operational management, and successful fundraising, exceeding capital campaign goals.