Berklee College of Music president Roger H. Brown will present Julio Iglesias, Doug Morris, Harvey Mason, and Dee Dee Bridgewater with honorary doctor of music degrees at Berklee’s commencement ceremony, Saturday, May 9, at the 7,000-seat Agganis Arena at Boston University.
More than 900 Berklee graduates, their parents, and invited guests will be in attendance.
This year’s honorary doctorate recipients are being recognized for ‘their achievements and influences in music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture’.
Past recipients include Duke Ellington (the first, in 1971), Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Page, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, Loretta Lynn, David Bowie, Juan Luis Guerra, Annie Lennox, Paco de Lucia, Carole King, Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, George Clinton, Plácido Domingo, and A.R. Rahman.
On commencement eve, May 8, as is Berklee’s tradition, students will pay tribute to the honorees by performing music associated with their careers at the Agganis. The concert and ceremony are not open to the public.
Julio Iglesias is the most celebrated figure in Latin music history and one of the top 10 best-selling artists in the world, with over 300 million records sold during a career that has spanned almost five decades. He has set two Guinness World Records: the first in 1983 for having sold the most records in the most languages in history, and the second in 2013 for being the best-selling male Latin artist.
Doug Morris (pictured) is CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, the world’s second largest music company and home to a broad array of international stars, including Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Daft Punk, Justin Timberlake, P!nk and One Direction.
He also is the founder of Vevo, the world’s leading all-premium music video and entertainment platform. Over his career, he has served as CEO of all three major music companies. Prior to joining SME in 2011, he spent 16 years as Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group. Previously he served as Chairman/CEO of Warner Music U.S. and the Atlantic Recording Group. Before that, he was founder and owner of Big Tree Records, which was later acquired by Atlantic. A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, his songwriting and producer credits include the Chiffons’ “Sweet Talkin’ Guy” and Brownsville Station’s “Smokin’ in the Boys Room.”
Harvey Mason is among the most recorded drummers of all-time. A multi-Grammy nominated session drummer, producer, composer and recording artist, he has worked with a pantheon of musical giants, including Barbra Streisand, James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Bjork, Carlos Santana, Michael Jackson, John Legend, Carole King, James Taylor, George Benson, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer, a Tony Award-winning stage actress known for her role as Glinda in the Broadway production of The Wiz, the host of National Public Radio’s syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, as well as a United Nations Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization.Music Business Worldwide
