stephen webber

Berklee Performs for Internet Company in China

On November 5, 2012

The following post was written by music production and engineering professor Stephen Webber, who is among the faculty, students, and Office of Admissions staff traveling in China to promote Berklee’s auditions and interviews. This marks the first time Berklee has sent a student ensemble to China.

Today we left the hotel at 6:15 a.m. to pick up the equipment at Dulwich College, Shanghai (where we presented workshops yesterday), and made our way to the campus of Alibaba, China’s largest internet company. We played a show for the employees, who were ready to rock out and have a good time. Later we toured the facility, and were amazed at how this company has transformed e-commerce not only in Asia, but around the world!

Student Aries Deng and professor Stephen Webber

Student Nick Zeigler and Berklee instructor Raydar Ellis

Ambassadors Scratch the Surface in China

Posted by jcamelio

On November 4, 2012

In Admissions, Berklee on Tour, Chinese, Faculty, Global Initiatives, Staff Experience

By: Jason Camelio, director of international programs

One of the most exciting developments in recent years in live performance for me is the mash up between electronic and live musicians. Being on stage with turntablists, electronic musicians, emcees and acoustic musicians playing arranged tunes or improvising opens up a range of possibilities and heightens the interactive dynamic of the moment. We had this in mind when we asked Stephen Webber to pull together the Scratch Ambassadors for Berklee’s first official concert tour of Beijing and Shanghai.

Berklee Scratch Ambassadors perform a showcase at Alibiba outside of Shanghai.

The Ambassadors, comprised of instructor Brian “Raydar” Ellis, Yaxin “Aries” Deng, Nick “Iron Fist” Zeigler-Heil, saxophonist/vocalist Vanessa Collier and professor Stephen Webber, were supported by associate director of admissions Alexia Rosari and a host of institutions and individuals in Beijing and Shanghai. In just under 10-days the group presented clinics, master classes and concerts at a number of venues, including; concerts and clinics at Dulwich College (Beijing and Shanghai) as part of the Diversity Project program and in honor of Daniel Pearl World Music Day for the U.S. Department of State, concerts and a video shoot for the Communications University of China, clinics and a jam with a Mongolian ensemble at the University of Culture, clinics at the Central Conservatory of Music and a concert at the campus of Alibaba outside of Shanghai.

Take a moment to check out the CTV YouKu video from Alibaba and photos from the Scratch Ambassadors Tour for more details.

As a follow up to the Berklee Scratch Ambassadors’ tour, dean of admissions Damien Bracken, professor of guitar Jim Kelly and I traveled to Beijing and Shanghai to conduct auditions and interviews and to support the Dulwich College Music Festival. The Festival was held at the Dulwich College Shanghai Campus in Pudong where they hosted students from a number of their campuses in the region, including Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul and others. Students were combined into a concert choir, symphonic orchestra, big band and small rock bands. They worked with instructors and the Berklee team for three days and then presented two nights of concerts.

Late fall on the Great Wall in mid-November.

In the fleeting moments between clinics, concerts, meetings, and auditions and interviews members of the Scratch Ambassadors and our team did manage to take in a bit of the culture. Some of the locations included getting out to the Great Wall, visiting the Drum and Bells Towers in Beijing, taking a quick walk on the Bund and visiting Jinling Street (music street) in Shanghai. Jim even got the chance to sit in with an excellent pop cover band at the Nashville located on Lucky Street in Beijing.

The life and rich culture of China, which is moving ahead at light speed, would need a life time to truly experience. To be honest, we barely scratched the surface.

Berklee Sends First Student Ensemble to China

Posted by Lesley Mahoney

On October 18, 2012

In Berklee on Tour, Faculty

Music production and engineering professor Stephen Webber is accompanying the Scratch Ambassadors to China, marking the first time a Berklee student ensemble has traveled and performed there. The group, along with other faculty, students, and Office of Admissions staff, will be promoting Berklee’s auditions and interviews in China. Student Aries Deng, who hails from Beijing, is among the students featured in the ensemble. The following is a post penned by Webber.

This morning the Scratch Ambassadors (aka Berklee Turntable Crew) performed for my Intro to MP&E class in recital hall 1W—it should be a good warm up concert for our tour of China! We leave super-early on Friday morning (6:00 a.m. flight).

We’ll be spinning and scratching and blending and bopping our way from Beijing to Shanghai, performing and presenting workshop at two colleges, one university, and what I’m being told is the top conservatory in China!

We’ve got four turntablists, one rapper, and a singer who doubles on sax and Akai EWI (Electroninc Wind Instrument). I wonder what they’ll make of us over there? As far as I know, Berklee has the only college touring turntable crew in the world! I can’t wait to meet our audiences, and to play some uniquely American music—fusing hip-hop, jazz, funk, Latin, rock, and spoken word.

I’ll check in later from the road!

Stephen Webber and the Scratch Ambassadors

When LA and NYC Came to Valencia – Re:Tool 2012

Posted by jcamelio

On July 16, 2012

In Admissions, Alumni, Berklee on Tour, Concerts, Faculty, Foreign-Language Posts, Global Initiatives, Spanish, Student Experience, Summer Programs, Valencia Campus

By: Jason Camelio, director of international programs

There was a new sound echoing in the halls of the Berklee Valencia campus this weekend. First you felt the kick. Then you heard the snare. The bass hit you in the your gut and made you want to move. Rhymes flew by at light speed with tasty turntable fills and horn and synth lines filling the air. As you peeked through the doorway of B-81, Needle-Juice, Raydar, The One and Kai are “holding forth” in an epic scene that brings world class producers, DJ, MCs, composers, electronic artists together from Los Angeles, New York and Boston to teach a group of students from 13 countries to learn the craft of utilizing music technology in production and live performance.

For me, this is a long time coming. I have had the amazing fortune of knowing, listening to, learning from and performing with these amazing teachers and musicians. Having traveled with them separately to many places around the world, I thought it would be incredibly hip to bring them all together for the first time at the new campus in Valencia, Spain. Let me introduce this amazing crew of the 2012 Re:Tool program.

• Professor of Music Production and Engineering Stephen Webber (aka Needle Juice)
• Berklee Alum, Faculty Member in the Ensemble and Songwriter Departments and Artist in New York City Brian Ellis (aka Raydar)
• Berklee Alum, Assistant Professor of Electronic Production and Design Kai Turnbull
• Grammy Award Winner Producer, Berklee Alum and Artist based in Los Angeles Dawaun Parker (aka The One)
The experience levels of the students in the program have run the gamut for those just beginning to approach the world of technology in music to those that are working a DJs and electronic musicians. The students have been treated to an amazing series of lectures, master classes and a faculty showcase. The topics ranged from Listen Like a Producer to the Art of the DJ to production master classes where the faculty members listen too and critiqued student works. Stephen Webber also show a pre-pre-premiere of his truly innovative Stylus Symphony. Additionally, the attendees had the chance to get their hands dirty with some amazing new gear — both analogue and digital. Huge thanks goes to Stephen for working closely with Berklee Alum Tony Lamond and everyone at Numark-Alesis-Akai for sponsoring the program.

Raydar Ellis, Stephen Webber, Dawaun Parker, Jason Camelio, Carlos Ballester, Greg Badolato and Kai Turnbull (not in picture Sam Skau) - 2012 Re:Tool Crew.

Re:Tool is the last in the series of 4 programs produced by the Office of International Programs with the help of our colleagues in the Office of Summer Programs at the new campus in Valencia this summer. Most gracious thanks to all of the faculty members, artists and staff members that supported this event. It has been an amazingly collaborative experience.

Keep your eyes open for more International Programs coming up later this summer, fall and next spring. A few things are on the books, including Hong Kong, Helsinki and Sao Paulo. As detailed come available, we will blast them out. Be sure to connect with is on Facebook.”

Faculty Guest Post: We Should Listen to Emily White

Posted by Magen

On July 1, 2012

In Faculty

Berklee music production and engineering professor Stephen Webber weighs in on the recent debate regarding music ownership, piracy, and the generation gap – and an educator’s role in the conversation.

Following the back-and-forth prompted by NPR intern Emily White’s concise blog post has filled me with a combination of delight and dismay. Delight, because Emily is providing us an opportunity to advance the conversation into the actual present; dismay because some of the response has been to continue the emotionally blinded, one sided finger-wagging that has done nothing to address workable solutions to the challenges new technology has put before us.

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