Lee Eliot Berk

Who is Lee Eliot Berk?

Lee Eliot Berk was President of the Berklee College of Music from 1979 to 2004. Under the younger Berk’s leadership, the college underwent significant changes. Berklee expanded its curriculum to create new majors, including Film Scoring, Music Production and Engineering, Music Synthesis, Songwriting, Music Business/Management, and Music Therapy. Educational applications of music technology expanded, the college administration was reorganized, more student services were added, and non-music academic offerings increased. In 1992, he established the Berklee International Network that includes music schools with a shared mission around the globe.

Upon his retirement in 2004, Berk was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee. In addition, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan in 2004 for his contributions to strengthening cultural ties between the U.S. and Japan. He also received the President’s Merit Award for Outstanding Educational Achievement from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the 2004 NAMM Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Music Products Industry.