Berklee’s Signature Music Series is Back, featuring Alejandro Sanz!

Grab your tickets for Berklee's Signature Music Series Presenting Alejandro Sanz, Guinga, a Tribute to Art Blakey, and the Berklee Singers Showcase 30th Anniversary!

Tickets, tickets, tickets. If you’re anything like me, a live show fiend through and through, you’re hovering over your computer screen five minutes before they go on sale, refreshing the page until the purchase option is live.

The Signature Music Series at Berklee starts up in October, and judging by the list of artists performing, tickets there are gonna go fast! This season presents performances of Spanish pop (Alejandro Sanz – famous in the US for recording with the likes of Shakira and Tony Bennett – will receive an honorary degree during his show), Brazilian fusion, jazz, and vocal performances by some of Berklee’s most talented student, faculty, and alumni as well as world-class musicians. Check out the series details below.

On Thursday, October 10th make sure to check out “Celebrating Blakey: A Jazz Messenger Reunion” featuring jazz heavyweights Ralph Peterson, Donald Harrison, Brian Lynch, Billy Pierce, Donald Brown, and Reggie Workman. The ensemble pays tribute to prolific drummer and bandleader Art Blakey. Tickets are on sale NOW and are $20 in advance, $25 day of show.

Then, on Wednesday, November 6th Berklee will present Alejandro Sanz with an honorary degree during a special show featuring a performance by the Spanish superstar himself alongside a 40-piece Berklee student ensemble. Curious to see what this Grammy Award winning Spanish popstar is made of and be there as part of this very special experience as he is presented with an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee. Javier Limon, Sanz's longtime friend and collaborator, is "excited to honor Alejandro Sanz for being one of the most important Latin artists and composers in the world, as well as his contributions to flamenco music," and will be the executive producer of the concert at Berklee. This will be a once in a lifetime event, to witness one of the greatest Latin artists and composers of our time, so make sure to get your tickets here.

If you’re a fellow planner, thinking ahead to December, make sure to pick up your tickets for the Berklee Singers Showcase 30th Anniversary Concert, which takes place on Thursday, December 5th. Singers Showcase is Berklee’s premier vocal event, offering a variety of styles and musical settings for some of the college’s exceptional singers. As a vocalist at Berklee, I can tell you that making it into this show is not an easy feat. Every semester, the outstanding lead singers are chosen from a pool of more than 100 students. The Singers Showcase has been a career launching pad for artists like Paula Cole, Lalah Hathaway, and Susan Tedeschi – I have to tell you, every time I go to one of these performances, I am always torn between completely giving up on singing (because these guys are THAT good) and being 150% inspired by their performances to lock myself in a practice room in hopes that maybe one day I would be able to perform in a showcase like that. Nonetheless, my point is that if you want to see some really phenomenal vocalists and witness some of Berklee’s premier talent, don’t wait. Get your tickets and prepare to be blown away. Tickets are $8 in advance, $12 day of show and are available here.

losing out the first half of the Signature Music Series on Thursday, December 12th is Guinga! Brazilian composer and guitarist Carlos Althier de Souza Lemos Escobar – aka Guinga – is known for incorporating musical styles in his compositions, including choro, samba, baião, foxtrot, blues, jazz, and classical. His works have been recorded by names such as Sérgio Mendes, Paulo César Pinheiro, Elis Regina, Cauby Peixoto, Lela Pinheiro, Turíbio Santos and others. Sure to be a phenomenal show you probably want to grab your tickets sooner rather than later to ensure you get a good seat. Tickets are $18 advance, $24 day of show and available now, here.

I promise you these are all shows you want to be front row in center for, so don’t hesitate – grab your tickets now and join Berklee in making the Signature Music Series a remarkable experience.

See you there?