Berklee College of Music Makes a Splash in the Mediterranean, Launching Its First-Ever Master’s Degree Programs in Valencia, Spain This Fall!

Boston’s very own Berklee College of Music is making a splash in the Mediterranean Sea, celebrating the launch of the college’s first ever master’s degrees at its new campus in Valencia, Spain. On September 17, Berklee College of Music president Roger H. Brown will give the welcome speech to the college’s first masters class. Berklee’s graduate programs offer degrees in Contemporary Performance; Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games; and Global Entertainment and Music Business.

The master’s programs at Berklee in Valencia have attracted applicants worldwide, spanning many of the world’s countries. The first-ever Berklee master’s class includes 23 students from Europe, 22 from the US, 14 from Central and South America, and students from Canada, Mexico, Asia, Africa, China, India, Russia and the Virgin Islands.

The Berklee community is a special one to be able to call yourself a part of. The fact that the first master’s program includes 10 students who have chosen to continue their individual journeys as a part of the Berklee community after completing their undergraduate degrees at Berklee’s Boston campus speaks to this. Guillermo Cisneros, Vice President for Global Initiatives for Berklee and Executive Director for Berklee in Valencia says that the students offer, “a rich cultural mix of music and backgrounds” that “sets the stage for some interesting musical fusions, the pushing of new boundaries, and a rewarding year for all.”

On top of launching the new master’s program at the campus, Berklee in Valencia already has a few other programs in place. In January 2012, the college launched a study abroad program known as the Global Studies Program for undergraduate students from the Boston campus.  For students that are not yet part of the Berklee community but are looking for a specialty program, Berklee in Valencia also offers a number of Summer Programs.

Having been to visit the Valencia campus myself – although it was still under construction when I was there – and knowing some of the first undergraduate students to attend the Global Studies Program and some currently enrolled in the master’s program, I can surely say that the Berklee in Valencia program has a lot to offer. The experience of living abroad in the first place really reminds us that the world is so much bigger than the city we grow up in or go to college in. The industry Berklee students are going into is far from small.

Berklee is and continues to be a leading innovator in music and education and continually gives its students opportunities to challenge themselves in environments they wouldn’t otherwise explore. Everything that I have heard about the Berklee in Valencia program has been positive, and come on – you get to experience Spanish culture, which is overwhelmingly beautiful and inspiring, while learning all at the same time.  

The Berklee in Valencia campus is located in the iconic building of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain. The magnificent 3,600 square meter campus has been renovated specifically for music and is equipped with state-of-the art technology including classrooms, ensemble rooms, rehearsal space, tech labs, four post-production studios and a professional recording studio designed by the prestigious consultant company Walters-Storyk Design Group. The building also includes a live recording area of 80 square meters, high ceilings, walls and floor with variable surfaces for different acoustic configurations and two isolated iso-overdub rooms as well as a 46 square meter control room.