Berklee today is the official alumni publication of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a forum for contemporary music and musicians.
Issue link: http://berkleetoday.epubxp.com/i/827757
38 Berklee today 38 Berklee today ALUM NOTES Sara Rachele '14 Francisco Vielma '13 Maria Kowalski of Nashville, TN, traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, with the U.S. Department of State for a tour. Amy Mantis of Brighton, MA, and her band Space Between released their first EP, Where the Mountain Should Be, in March. It was recorded, mixed, and produced by Brian Packer '09, with drums and percus- sion played by Nate Laguzza, and bass, organ, and piano by Adam Popick '07. Visit spacebetweenmusic.com 2013 Pianist Yakir Arbib and drum- mer Roberto Giaquinto '13, both of Rome, Italy, released the duo album titled Sketches on the Radio, a col- lection of live, spontaneous impro- visations. The duo toured the East Coast of the United States in March. Arbib also appeared as the soloist in his own piano concerto with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and was the subject of a documentary that aired several times on Italian television. He also recently won the Montreux International Piano Solo Competition and has released his first solo piano recording. Francisco Vielma of Boston, MA, released his debut album, Tendencias, with the Venezuelan Jazz Collective. Michael Rodriguez, Miguel Zenón, Angel Subero, Luis Perdomo, Cesar Orozco, Roberto Koch, Pablo Bencid, Manolo Mairena and Jeremy Bosch participated in the project. Follow Vielma on Twitter: @ franvielmaperc. 2014 Sara Rachele of New York City released a new EP titled Change Your Mind in May on Angrygal Records. The songs were mixed by Kristofer Sampson. Visit sararachele.com. 2015 Mariko Horikawa of Los Angeles, CA, is working as a pianist, com- poser, arranger, and music copyist. 2016 Seokyung Choi of Brooklyn, NY, was selected as a finalist for her song "How" in the electronic category of the 2016 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, session one. Visit suzannechoimusic.com. Marcus Thorne Bagala '12 Yakir Arbib '13 Taking Flight by Elizabeth Fasana '20 Lessons in music theory and artistry transcend Berklee's class- room walls and sometimes beam across the musical spec- trum. With direct and indirect help from experienced and compassionate professors, Berklee alumni continue to find their niches in the music world. Two cases in point are Kevin Ross '09, and Alex Han '09, who are making their respective marks in different quarters of the music industry. After topping the adult r&b; charts with "Long Song Away," Ross, in a Billboard interview, characterized his fi rst number one hit as a "gift from God." The track is the lead-off single from his debut album, The Awakening. With his romantic lyr- ics, Ross is attempting to shift America's perception of hip- hop culture. In the liner notes of the album, in addition to thanking friends and family, Ross made special acknowledg- ments to his alma mater. "To Berklee College of Music," he wrote, "you gave me a sense of creative individuality in the midst of so much extraordinary talent. To Armsted Christian (RIP), Gabrielle Goodman, Donna McElroy, Bill Ban fi eld, Karen Bell, Ken Zambello, John Kellogg, Roger Brown, George Russell, Dennis Montgomery, Prince Charles, and Damien B.: each of you were extremely vital in my music journey." Jazz saxophonist Alex Han balanced his Berklee studies with performances with faculty members, including gigs at Carnegie Hall with Joe Lovano and in Poland with Terri Lyne Carrington. Attending Berklee on a presidential scholarship, Alex Han graduated in just three years. He is currently work- ing with bassist and jazz composer Marcus Miller. Han said that attending Berklee was "the right choice." It was evident- ly crucial to his connection with Miller, whom he met when Miller did a 2006 residency at the college. Han continues to tour internationally and is steadily gaining recognition as a ris- ing star among the jazz cats of his generation.