Tag Archives: international

Friendliness, Generosity and Kindness Abroad

Elena Bonomo (`14), drum set and professional performance major
Berklee International Network visit to Kuala Lumpur’s International College of Music (ICOM)

Guitarist and electronic production and design major Annie Grunwald (`13) and drummer and professional performance major Elena Bonomo (`14) back stage at KLPAC.

Having the chance to perform in Malaysia was one of the best experiences of my life! At the start of our journey, Annie (Grunwald) and I had no idea what to expect. Neither of us had ever traveled so far from home before! As soon as we were introduced to the students from International College Music (ICOM), we knew that this trip was going to be special.

Our first days were spent rehearsing with the girls for the Tribute to Classic Rock Concert. Annie and I were part of the “Women In Rock” portion of the show (the other two sets were tributes to American Rock and British Rock). The rehearsal process was one of the most intense that I’ve ever experienced. We ran through our set, performed numerous sound checks, learned the stage blocking, got fitted for costumes, ran dress rehearsals, and received notes from the directors and producers of the show. The attention to detail (from the monitor levels, to the video angles and lighting cues, to the stage blocking, to the sound in the house) was at a level that I never experienced before. Everyone who was responsible for producing the show really did an amazing job ensuring that every single aspect of the show was perfect.

I had such a fun time performing in the two concerts! The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center (KLPAC) was such a beautiful venue in which to perform. What really amazed me was the fact that everyone who performed in the show also doubled as a guitar tech, drum tech, etc. And many of them played multiple instruments during the show! It was hard to tell which one was their principle instrument, since they were all equally amazing on everything that they played. Many of the students also ran sound and lighting, which can be such a hard task, given that there were three different sets with multiple instrument changes. It was really an honor to share the stage with such talented musicians! We really appreciate that the students from ICOM let us be part of a show that was so special to them. They had been working on this show for 3 months before we got there.

Annie Grunwald (guitar – Left) and Elena Bonomo (drum set) performing at the 2013 ICOM Celebration Series – Classic Rock Showcase at KLPAC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Along with performing in the two tribute concerts, we also had some time to explore the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur. We visited the Batu Caves (and became best friends with the monkeys), shopped at Central Market, visited some malls, and ate a tasty banana leaf dinner in Bangsar Village. The girls had been telling us about how we just HAD to try banana leaf since the first day we got there — and wow, it was so worth it! It’s basically a ton of spicy chicken, lamb, fish, rice and vegetables that are served family style, on top of a banana leaf! And you’re supposed to eat it with your hands. It was definitely messy, but so worth it!

Traveling to Malaysia was one of the best experiences of my life, and I will remember it forever. In just a week, we made such close friends and it was hard to say goodbye. Even though we were halfway across the world, everyone that we met made us feel right at home. We were so humbled by the friendliness, generosity, and genuine kindness of everyone we met at ICOM. I look forward to working with all of these talented people someday in the future, and also seeing some of them at Berklee next year! I hope that someday we will get a chance to repay them for all that they did for us. Many thanks to ICOM president Miss Irene (Savari), ICOM vice president Dato’ Ravi (Savari), professor of music technology Mr. Nilesh (Thomas), Roger Brown, Tod Oliviere and the Scholarship Office, Jason Camelio, and everyone who made this trip possible! I am truly honored to have been part of such an amazing journey.”

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Berklee Student is World’s Fastest Pianist

The following blog post was written by Bence Peter, a third semester film scoring/EPD major from Debrecen, Hungary.

A crazy idea, long preparation, infinite hours of paperwork and organizing, hundreds of people included. This is how a Guinness World Record attempt looks like behind the scenes. I came up with the idea when I saw a Hungarian pianist’s CD with a golden sticker saying “The World’s Fastest Piano Player.” Since then, an Indian-American pianist also broke the record, so I had to overcome 669 piano hits in one minute. There was no problem with that; I hit 765 piano keys in a minute on one of the world’s most expensive pianos, the Bösendorfer 290 Grand Imperial (at midnight on January 14, 2012 at Kolcsey Convention Center, in Debrecen, Hungary). After a long process of authentication, this achievement has brought me the title of being the No. 1 Fastest Pianist and the nice and legendary Guinness World Records certificate. It took me two weeks of practicing “hitting the same note on piano the most times” and the risk of tendonitis, but it was worth it afterwards.

Bence Peter

On the other hand, it was a great opportunity for me to promote Berklee throughout my country and Europe as well. There were tons of articles, TV performances, interviews etc., even with MTV Hungary.

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Schooled in Groove

To many musicians, the groove is the basis of all that we do. It’s the feel; the groove moves us. As we wrapped up the last day of the Berklee Groove School program at the new campus in Valencia, the groove was in full effect.

George Russell, Jr. wants you to feel the groove. So, get up and dance!

I do not think the students had any idea what pianist, composer and professor of harmony at Berklee George Russell, Jr. had in mind when he asked the group to get up out of their chairs and start to get their bodies in motion. The result put the icing on the cake of this 4-day program by making the students do what they had been studying over the long weekend. Shake it, baby! Continue reading →

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Ireland Gets the Presidential Treatment from Berklee

By: Jason Camelio, Director of International Programs

An exceptionally talented group of young musicians is en route to Ireland to present a series of master classes and concerts in Sligo, Cork and Dublin. The quintet, led by Berklee presidential scholar and native of Ireland Matthew Halpin, will also feature drummer Roberto Gianquinto, bassist Jared Henderson, pianist Christian Li (not in photo) and guitarist Mike Bono (also a Berklee Presidential Scholar).

Tenor saxophonist and composer Halpin has just completed his sixth semester at Berklee. His most recent project is one which includes four musicians who he has been working with and studying with in various scenarios since he began at Berklee in fall of 2009. Matthew states, “In that time this group has grown to be some of my best friends and musical connections. What we’ve been able to develop is something which I have not experienced before.”

Matt Halpin and Mike Bono lead their quintet on clinic and concert tour of Ireland in June.

Halpin describes this quintet as, “a group of musicians (that) are stand out players in their own right, most of them studying on full scholarships at Berklee College of Music. I’m currently composing a set of music specific to this group that I think will show off the highly interactive capabilities and the incredible soloing skills each musician has. What I am trying to make most prominent in the music is the enjoyment and humor that we find in playing together and which has always come naturally to us, while being true to the intensity and emotional depth of the music which we all love.

Halpin’s quintet will be performing at the Hawkswell Theatre and Sligo Jazz Project in Sligo, the International Bar in Dublin, at Berklee International Network partner institution Newpark Music Centre in Dublin and other locales. For mote details about their Ireland tour, please go to Matt and Mike’s web sites.

This is the first time that Berklee has sent a group co-led by Presidential Scholars on an international tour. The quintet will also be on tour in France in October as part of a student exchange program with Berklee International Network partner Music Academy International in Nancy, where they will be feature at the 2012 Nancy Jazz Pulsation.

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Generosity – Dominican-Style

By: Jason Camelio, Director of International Programs

As the last finalist walked from the recital hall at the National Theater in Santo Domingo, we on the audition panel turned to one another and shared a few smiles. On one hand, the easy part was done. Over the past day and a half we had auditioned 30+ talented young musicians that had been selected as finalists for the 2012 Michel Camilo Scholarship. The hard part was about to begin. We now had to select the one candidate to receive the presidential scholarship generously donated by Michel.

We had heard fantastic auditions covering various styles. From exceptional performances of classical piano repertoire, to stellar Jazz and Blues to even transcriptions of Michel’s work — the overall quality showcased made it clear that these young musicians are not messing around. Much of what they have accomplished is due to their individual commitment to music study. This is helped along my high level music education at places like the National Conservatory — where Michel studied.

The Conservatory now has a strong contemporary music program focusing on the Jazz tradition. One of the program directors and faculty is a Berklee alum Javier Vargas. Javier was extremely proud to have a number of his students selected as finalists for the competition.

2012 Michel Camilo Award Finalists

Director of scholarships Tod Oliviere, assistant vice president for international program Greg Badolato, Michel and I began our deliberations. Going back through the detailed notes we had taken from the auditions and interviews, names began to emerge. As with many awarding situations, Tod knew that there were many potential recipients.

In the end, one performance stood out. A student from the Conservatory and an exceptional young guitarist, Roger De La Rosa. In this moment, his life changed thanks to Michel’s gift, dedication and support of young Dominican musicians.

It is important to note that Berklee also awarded a number of partial-tuition scholarships as well as a couple of 5 week Summer Performance Programs Scholarships to the other fine talents in the group of finalists.

Also, we owe a debt of thanks to the National Theater for allowing us use of the space for this event, to Orange (telecommunications provider) for sponsoring this event and providing us with top-notch support. And extra special thanks goes to Herminio León who is not only an artist in the business world, but an award-winning photographer. He and his team made this event truly special for all involved.

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