Berklee College of Music Video Services event recordings on tape, 1979-2005
Scope and Contents
Approximately 3,900 video recordings of Berklee clinics, concerts, and other special events on campus spanning 1979-2005 (with most recordings taking place 1985-2004). These recordings are primarily housed on VHS tapes; other formats include Beta and Umatic tapes. Highlights include: Singer Showcase concerts, commencement concerts, workshops, clinics, student recitals, commencement ceremonies, entering student convocations, and the dedication and grand opening of the Genko Uchida Building (921 Boylston St).
Dates
- Creation: 1979-2005
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1985 - 2004
Creator
- Berklee College of Music. Video Services Office (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research by appointment. Advance notice is required for access because materials are stored offsite.
The majority of recordings have not been transferred. Patrons may request viewing appointments; Berklee community members may request streaming access to digitized copies. Contact Archives staff for further information.
Berklee Event Recordings Access Policy
Streaming access to digitized recordings is restricted to the Berklee community with a Berklee OnePass login; viewing or listening requests from patrons outside the Berklee community will require an on-campus appointment. Berklee Archives can only grant personal copies of event recordings to event participants and reproductions are not guaranteed.
Administrative History
Berklee College of Music’s Video Services department records concert and other event performances throughout the college campus, headed by Reggie Lofton, Director.
Extent
115 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Approximately 3,900 video recordings of Berklee clinics, concerts, and other special campus events spanning 1979-2005 (primarily 1985-2004) recorded by the Berklee College of Music Video Services office.
Arrangement
Series 1: Visiting Artist Series, 1984-2004: contains concerts and clinics that were labeled as such by the Video Services department. Arranged chronologically.
Series 2: Faculty Artist Series, 1988-2004: contains concerts and clinics that were labeled as such by the Video Services department. Arranged chronologically.
Series 3: Major Residency Series, 1986-2002: contains concerts and clinics that were labeled as such by the Video Services department. Arranged chronologically.
Series 4: Commencement Ceremonies, 1986-2001: contains recordings of Berklee College of Music baccalaureate ceremonies, including speeches by Berklee faculty and honorary degree recipients. Arranged chronologically.
Series 5: Commencement Concerts, 1986-2003: contains recordings of the annual commencement concert, which feature original arrangements honoring the musical achievements of that year's honorary degree recipients. Arranged chronologically.
Series 6: Entering Student Convocation, 1987-2002: contains recordings of the welcoming presentation and concert given for new students. Arranged chronologically.
Series 7: Performances, Clinics, and Concerts, 1983-2004: contains recordings that do not fall within any of the previous series. Recordings include annual and biannual department concerts, student recitals, and faculty performances. The recordings were broken down into as many groups as possible, such as Fall Together and Songwriter's Night. Within these groups, recordings are arranged chronologically.
Series 8: Miscellaneous, 1979-2005: contains recordings that do not fit into any other series. Recordings include interviews, the 50th anniversary gala, and the dedication of David Friend Recital Hall. Arranged chronologically.
Digitized Materials
In 2017, the Berklee Archives received an eighteen month $13,000 grant from the GRAMMY Museum® to digitize a curated selection of video recordings from this collection (BCA-018). The 136 tapes selected feature Berklee commencement speeches, commencement concerts, as well as clinics by illustrious honorary degree recipients. All 136 digitized items may be viewed on-site and by appointment at the Berklee Archives, while the 33 commencement and convocation speeches have been excerpted and may be streamed online. [Note: this exhibit is temporarily down during a website migration. This guide will be updated with the new access link when migration is complete.]
Subject
- Berklee College of Music (Organization)
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- Berklee College of Music Video Services event recordings on tape, 1979-2005
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Amanda Axel; with Sofía Becerra-Licha
- Date
- 2018/11/30
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- The preliminary processing of this collection and the creation of the original finding aid were completed with support from a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
- Edition statement
- Third edition
Revision Statements
- 2018/11/30: Links to streaming and digitized items added (based on grant from the GRAMMY Museum® and digitization support from George Blood LP).
- 2016/10/05: Collection was reprocessed into series by Amanda Axel, Processing Archivist. Finding aid revised to include item-level inventory of contents.
Repository Details
Part of the Berklee Archives Repository