Berklee to Open Campus in Spain This Summer

Berkee College of Music is known as one of the best music schools in the world. And now, they’re going global.

 This summer the college will open its first international campus – a graduate school in Valencia, Spain, in the city’s modern looking Palau de les Arts, an iconic opera house complex designed by Santiago Calatrava.

Berklee plans to invest $3.5 million for state-of the-art technology and equipment. Berklee Valencia, a 38,000 square foot campus, will house 220 students, and includes spaces for classrooms, practice rooms ensemble rooms, a library, black box theater, and recording space.

Culture and tradition

Opening an international campus is a part of the music school's 2015 vision to be a  "the world's leading institute of contemporary music....and produce tomorrow's leders of the global music community," said Guillermo Cisneros, vice president of global initiatives and executive director of Berklee Valencia.

And that means being close to a place steeped in music and tradition.

Spain, a safe country with modern infrastructures and communications, great health care, good weather, friendly people, and 53 million visitors a year, fit the bill. Spain also has valuable ties to the European Union, Latin American and Spanish speaking countries, and links to North Africa, the Middle East, and Arab countries, Cisneros said.

"Valencia is the Spanish region with the strongest musical tradition" he said. "Half of the Spanish musicians are in Valencia, the symphonic bands are part of the culture, there is no place like that for music in Spain." 

The region's government was also very supportive, and helped secure Berklee's home in the Palau de les Arts.

Programs

Berklee will launch an introductory program in April, followed by short-term programs in the summer.By the spring of 2012, undergraduates from Boston will be able to study abroad, and in the fall of 2012, the graduate courses will be in full swing.

The master degree programs include: Scoring for Film and Multimedia: Electronic Composition and Audio Design; Global Entertainment and Music Business; Symphonic Band Studies; and Studio Performance.

Berklee Valencia will also have an International Career Center for undergraduates, including those in Boston who want to study abroad.