The
academic, industry-leading
Berklee College of Music of Boston has recently opened a new location on the site
of the historic Power Station Recording Studio (formerly known as Avatar
Studios). Music majors Vladimir De La
Cruz of Guttenberg, Jersey City residents Autumn Beam and Katja Larssen, and David
Cano, Elissandra De La
Cruz, and Alex Miranda of North Bergen attended Berklee’s inaugural masterclass
in songwriting and production.
Also, Elissandra De La
Cruz received the very first high school grant to attend Berklee's masterclass.
The Power
Station Recording Studio has hosted production of chart-topping and award-winning
albums by artists like David Bowie and Kanye West. Berklee director Ian Kagey helped to preserve
the iconic studio from demolition and the usual overreach of developers
insistent on realizing their gentrification plans.
“I hope [the
masterclass at Berklee] is the beginning of a new affiliation [with High Tech] that
could result in more affordable opportunities for our graduates to attend [Berklee
in Manhattan],” says Shepard, referring to the high cost associated with travel
to, and dormitory residence at, the Boston location.
