February Events at Berklee Performance Center

Wednesday / February 5, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

The New World Jazz Composers Octet Live

The widely acclaimed New World Jazz Composers Octet has been together for the past 12 years. The band has released three CDs, which have been highly praised in Jazz Times, DownBeat, Cadence Magazine, AllAboutJazz, and many other international publications.

The band's most recent CD, Breaking News, was selected on AllAboutJazz as one of the top 10 new releases. The band performs new music written by Ted Pease, Ken Schaphorst, Bob Freedman, Mike Abene, Berklee chair of contemporary writing and production Matthew Nicholl, Edgar Dorantes, Richard Lowell, Jack Walrath, and many others.

New World Jazz Composers Octet was founded and is led by saxophonist and Berklee associate professor Daniel Ian Smith and features associate professor Tim Ray, Felipe Salles, Walter Platt, Tony D’Aveni, assistant professor Ernesto Diaz, Keala Kaumeheiwa, and Grammy Award-winning professor Mark Walker.

Admission: $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

Thursday / February 6, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

The Clark Sisters: Africana Studies Gospel Concert

The legendary, two-time Grammy Award-winning gospel group The Clark Sisters perform their greatest hits with 12 Berklee students and will be interviewed by Gospel Today magazine founder Dr. Teresa Hairston, in an event presented by Berklee’s Africana Studies Program.

Berklee alumnus Rashad McPherson serves as musical director. McPherson, who hand-picked some of the best student vocalists and musicians to perform in this very special concert, is a gospel recording artist, currently director of music services, Bethel AME Boston, and working on his Master of Divinity degree at Boston University.

The Clark Sisters are the daughters of legendary gospel musician and choral director Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. They are credited for helping to bring gospel music to the mainstream and are considered to be pioneers of contemporary gospel.

Some of the Clark Sisters’ greatest classics dominated Billboard's R&B and gospel charts during the '70s and '80s, paving the way for newcomers to continue to take gospel mainstream. The group's 16 albums have sold millions, making them the largest selling female gospel group in the history of gospel music. 

Admission: $18 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $22 day of show, reserved seating.

Monday / February 10, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

Faculty Singers Night

Voice faculty come together to perform original and classic songs in styles ranging from jazz to R&B to pop/rock to Broadway. This is a rare opportunity to hear Berklee faculty singing in concert. Led by associate professor and singer-songwriter Jeannie Gagné, the concert also features the talents of a world-class student and faculty ensemble.

Admission:  $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

Tuesday / February 11, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

Jacinta Clusellas and Tomás Latorre

Berklee Students Tomas Latorre and Jacinta Clusellas, two young composers from Argentina, will present their original compositions and arrangements in the style of Argentine folk, South American fusion, jazz, and more. The concert will feature Tiago Michelin on drums; Josh Plotner on alto saxophone, clarinet, and flute; alumna Lihi Haruvi on alto saxophone and soprano saxophone; Jacinta Clusellas on guitar, voice, and compositions; Tomás Latorre on bass, guitar, and compositions; and special guests.

Admission: Free

Wednesday / February 12, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

Heavy Rotation Records Epic Event

Berklee's student-run Heavy Rotation Records presents its 14th annual epic event and album release concert, showcasing artists from Dorm Sessions Volume 9. The compilation album and concert will both unfold like multi-genre musical journeys.

Heavy Rotation Records was developed for Music Business/Management majors at Berklee to gain hands-on experience in running a record company. Under the guidance of faculty advisor Jeff Dorenfeld, former manager of the band Boston, the staff oversees all aspects of the label’s functions, including A&R, marketing, sales, touring, web development, media, and accounting.

Admission: $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

Thursday / February 13, 2014 / 8:00 p.m.

Newport Jazz Festival: NOW 60

Fireworks are sure to fly when some of the most ferociously talented musicians to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival share the stage. The lineup includes Anat Cohen (clarinet), Karrin Allyson (voice), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Mark Whitfield (guitar), Peter Martin (piano), Larry Grenadier (bass), and Clarence Penn (drums).

Admission:  $60, $52, $44, reserved seating

Saturday / February 15, 2014 / 7:00 p.m.

Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella: Northeast Quarterfinal 3

The Varsity Vocals International Championship of A Cappella is the only international tournament that showcases the art of student a cappella singing. Through these competitions, young vocalists have the opportunity to showcase their talent to an international audience and develop relationships with each other, cultivating the art of a cappella singing and a lifelong love of music.

This tournament will feature performances by: Dominance, Five Towns College; Golden Notes, The College of Saint Rose; Harmogeddon, Lesley University; In Achord, Boston University; Pitch Slapped, Berklee College of Music; Pitch, Please!, Northeastern University; The Blend, Wheaton College; The CharlieChords, Berklee College of Music; The Y Chromotones, Berklee College of Music; and Veritones, Harvard University.

Admission: $12 in advance, $17 day of show or $10 in advance, $15 day of show with student ID, general admission

Tuesday / February 18, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

Dreams of Bosphorus and Giorgi Mikadze Group

Turkish Berklee student drummer Can Kemal presents his senior recital, performing compositions from both the traditional and modern Turkish repertoire in a contemporary group setting. Diverse musicians will accompany him from the Middle East and the United States. As a group, they will bring the sounds of Bosphorus, the body of water between Europe and Asia in the city of Istanbul.

Berklee student pianist Giorgi Mikadze and his group will perform both original and famous pop tune arrangements mixed with different genres, such as Georgian folk, jazz, and fusion.

Admission:  Free

Wednesday / February 19, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

Mili Bermejo and Sofia Rei in Concert

Berklee faculty members Mili Bermejo and Sofia Rei, two generations of singers who come from the soulful and passionate Latin American vocal tradition, join forces to present an intimate set of new originals.

Bermejo carries forward the Mexican and Argentine music inherited from her parents, giving "each song a reading so strikingly personal that it sounds as though she has actually lived the tales painted in the tunes' lyrics," according to Latino Magazine. Boston Magazine calls her music "part poetry-folk, part Sarah Vaughan sophistication." She performs with bassist Dan Greenspan, pianist Jiri Nedoma, and drummer Bertram Lehman.

Rei, one of the most charismatic and inventive vocalists on the New York music scene, brings her worldly sensibility and hauntingly melodic voice to the concert's second half. "Sofía's vocal prowess contains an emotional impact that leaves an audience gasping for air and begging for more," according to Latin Jazz Corner.

She will be joined by JC Maillard on guitar, Jorge Roeder on bass, and Tupac Mantilla on percussion. 

Admission:  $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

Thursday / February 20, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

Signature Music Series at Berklee presents

Sun Ra Cosmic Centenary

A self-proclaimed visitor from Saturn, as well as a composer and keyboardist, the visionary Sun Ra was the most eclectic and electric jazz musician and bandleader of the 20th century. His music ranged from keyboard solos to extravagant multimedia performances with his large Arkestra and touched on nearly the entire history of jazz. This concert, celebrating Sun Ra's 100th anniversary, features Arkestra members Marshall Allen, Charles Davis, and Danny Ray Thompson.

Admission: $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, reserved seating

Sunday / February 23, 2014 / 7:30 p.m.

Signature Music Series at Berklee presents

The Great American Songbook: Great Women Songwriters

Female composers have made an indelible mark on the Great American Songbook. Berklee students and faculty will showcase great songs from the pen of Aretha Franklin, Dorothy Fields, Bessie Smith, Carole King, and Billie Holiday, just to name a few. Vocalists Donna McElroy, Natalia Sulca, Jennifer Hoyt, Nigel Tay, Gabriela Carrillo, and Tickwanya Jones will present memorable performances of some of the best songs ever written.

Admission: $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, reserved seating

Wednesday / February 26, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

Write of Spring Concert

Berklee’s Jazz Composition Department presents the Write of Spring Concert, now in its 32nd year.

It will feature compositions by faculty members Jeff Claassen, Winnie Dahlgren, Ayn Inserto, Darrell Katz, Dick Lowell, Jackson Schultz, and Bill Scism. It will be performed by a dynamic faculty band that will include Daniel Ian Smith, Bob Patton, Scott Free, Bruce Thomas, Mark Poniatowski, and Bob Tamagni. Come join us for a night of exciting new music encompassing all realms of jazz that will leave you wanting more.

Admission: $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

Thursday / February 27, 2014 / 8:15 p.m.

The Precious Metal Project

This concert features original music, classic Caribbean, and creole jazz compositions performed by Berklee’s Contemporary Steelpan Ensemble, a rhythm section, six-piece horn section, and hand percussion duo. Performers will showcase professor Ron Reid's arrangements of compositions by Ray Holman, Luther Francois, and Robert Greenidge.

Admission:  $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission

Friday / February 28, 2014 / 7:30 p.m.

Commonplace Books Presents Welcome to Night Vale

Enjoy a live performance of “Welcome to Night Vale,” which is a twice-monthly podcast starring Cecil Baldwin. The performance takes on the style of community updates for the fictional small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the sheriff's secret police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. The podcast has drawn praise as “a geeky cultural gem” (CBC) and “incredible, spooky, funny, and monumentally charming” (BoingBoing).

Admission:  $25, general admission

Berklee Performance Center

136 Mass Ave., Boston, MA 

For tickets & more information, visit www.berkleebpc.com or call 617 747-2262