Gilberto Gil to Receive Honorary Doctorate at Berklee's Campus in Valencia, Spain

VALENCIA, Spain, March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Berklee President Roger H. Brown will present Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Gilberto Gil with an honorary doctorate at Berklee Valencia's commencement ceremony on Monday, July 5, 2021.

A two-time Grammy winner and seven-time Latin Grammy winner, Gil will be recognized for his extraordinary career accomplishments and the influence of his creative work and social and political activism on generations of musicians worldwide. The Valencia campus previously awarded honorary doctorates to Eddie Gómez (2013), John McLaughlin (2017), Al Di Meola (2018), Imogen Heap (2019), and Lila Downs (2020).

On commencement eve, Saturday, July 3, students will pay tribute to Gil, who will join them virtually to record a selection of his songs. The concert and ceremony, held at the Valencia City of Arts and Sciences, will stream on Berklee Valencia's social media channels; the events are not open to the public.

About Gilberto Gil

Gilberto Gil is one of the leading names in Brazilian music, with a career that has spanned more than six decades. He has won Grammy Awards for Best World Music Album (1998's Quanta Live) and Best Contemporary World Music Album (2005's Eletracústico), and has taken home several Latin Grammys, including three for Best Brazilian Roots/Regional Album (2001, 2002, and 2010) and one in 2010 for Best Brazilian Popular Music Album.

Gil began playing the accordion at the age of 8 and joined his first group, the Desafinados, in the mid '50s. Since then, he has recorded more than 60 albums, including Louvação, Expresso 2222, Ao Vivo, Doces Bárbaros, and Dois Amigos. He has collaborated with Caetano Veloso, Elis Regina, Jorge Ben, Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Pink Floyd, Yes, Rod Stewart, and others.

As a leader of Brazil's tropicália movement of the late 1960s, along with artists Caetano Veloso, Marcos Valle, and Gal Costa, Gil mixed native styles including samba, MPB (Música popular brasileira), and bossa nova with rock and folk instruments to become one of Brazil's—and the world's—most celebrated singer-songwriters.

The Brazilian military dictatorship, however, saw the Tropicália movement as a threat, and exiled Gil to the U.K. in 1969. But he would return to Bahia, Brazil, in 1972 and continue his involvement in social and political causes, later becoming a prominent spokesman for the Black Consciousness Movement in Brazil. In 2003, when Gil was appointed Minister of Culture, he created and sponsored new policies and programs and expanded Brazil's presence at forums and conferences around the world. He has won numerous awards, including France's Légion d 'Honneur and Sweden's Polar Music Prize, and has been recognized as a UNESCO Artist of Peace and FAO Goodwill Ambassador.

About Berklee

Berklee is the preeminent institute of contemporary music and the performing arts, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs at its campuses in Boston, Massachusetts, and Valencia, Spain, and through its award-winning distance learning program, Berklee Online. Dedicated to nurturing the creative and career potential of the world's most inspired artists, Berklee's commitment to arts education is reflected in the work of its students, faculty, and alumni—hundreds of whom have been recognized with Grammy, Tony, Oscar, and Emmy awards.

At Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, students explore interdisciplinary approaches to music, dance, theater, film, business, health care, education, technology, and more. Our pioneering youth programs reach underserved classrooms throughout the U.S. and beyond. With students and alumni from more than 100 nations and educational partners across the world, we are forging new connections among art forms, musical traditions, and technologies to build a dynamic, diverse, and collaborative global arts community. Learn more at Berklee.edu.

About Berklee's Campus in Valencia, Spain

Berklee Valencia is the college's first international campus and its first outside of Boston. Located in Valencia's iconic City of Arts and Sciences, the magnificent 3,600-square-meter campus has been designed specifically for music and is equipped with state-of-the art technology.

Berklee Valencia aims to provide a hub to launch careers across the globe for the most musically talented international students. Offering a unique curriculum, as well as an international career center to assist students in their transition from student to music professional, in 2012 the campus presented Berklee's first master's degree programs in scoring for film, television, and video games; contemporary performance (production concentration); and global entertainment and music business. A fourth graduate program was launched in 2013: music production, technology, and innovation.

In addition, the Valencia campus offers a summer performance program, study abroad opportunities for students from the Boston campus, as well as a new way for musicians around the world to join the global music community—as performers, practitioners, and leaders. More information can be found at valencia.berklee.edu.

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SOURCE Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus