![](//www.4rfv.com/images/no_image.jpg)
Jim McNeely and Miguel Zen n Named the 2024-2025 Ken Pullig Visiting Scholars in Jazz Studies The internationally renowned artists will instruct jazz composition students, lead ensembles, and teach master classes.
By
Colette Greenstein
July 18, 2024
Grammy Award-winning musicians Jim McNeely and Miguel Zen n BM '98 will join Berklees Harmony and Jazz Composition Department as the Ken Pullig Visiting Scholars in Jazz Studies during the 2024-2025 academic year. The program was established in honor of Ken Pullig, a former chair of jazz composition, who retired in 2012 after leading the department for more than 30 years.
I am thrilled to know that Miguel Zen n and Jim McNeely will be joining us for the 2024-2025 academic year as visiting scholars, says George W. Russell Jr., chair of the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department. I have the utmost confidence that they will impart loads of inspiration and information, along with integral building blocks for our jazz composition majors and the Berklee community at large.
Zen n, a distinguished saxophonist and composer, returns as a visiting scholar for the second straight year. I'm so excited to continue my residency with the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department, says the saxophonist and composer. I had such an amazing time last year and look forward to connecting further with the students and the whole Berklee community.
Miguel Zen n
Image courtesy of the artist
McNeely, a pianist and composer, is the third musician to be invited to hold the Ken Pullig Visiting Scholar in Jazz Studies position. Over his 50 years in jazz, McNeely has spent a large portion of his illustrious career working with American big bands (notably the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra) and European radio bands (Frankfurt Radio Big Band). The New York Times has called his writing exhilarating, and DownBeat has said that his music is eloquent enough to be profound.
To have these two titans of jazz, Jim McNeely and Miguel Zen n, engage with us is a rare and beautiful opportunity for the Berklee community, notes Ayn Inserto, assistant chair of the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department. Having seen them in action as performers and educators, we are excited about their prospective engagement with us.
As visiting scholars, Zen n and McNeely will be in residence for several days each month throughout the academic year, teaching advanced jazz composition students and providing their perspective on their work, collaborating with faculty, and offering master classes open to the entire Berklee community. In addition, the Ken Pullig Visiting Artist Scholar Ensemble will perform works by McNeely in a modern jazz setting at David Friend Recital Hall on the Boston campus on November 13 at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
I'm really looking forward to working with the students at Berklee, adds McNeely. It gives me the opportunity to pass on what I've learned in the last 50 years. And in turn I'll be inspired by their optimism, talent, and curiosity.
Jim McNeely
Image by Ben Knabe
About Jim McNeelyBorn into a musical family in Chicago, Jim McNeely started piano lessons at the age of 6 and at 8 he began studying with Bruno Michelotti, who taught him basic music theory as well as the piano. This was the beginning of his lifelong love of theory and, subsequently, composition and arranging. The young McNeely became interested in jazz around the age of 12 after hearing Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, and at the age of 16 he wrote his first big band arrangement. He attended the University of Illinois, largely on the strength of its big band, and studied theory and composition. In 1975, he received his composition degree and moved to New York City, to pursue a career as a jazz pianist. During the late 1970s and early 1980s he joined several groups including the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, and its successor, Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra, the Stan Getz Quartet, and the Phil Woods Quintet. Those years also saw him perform with countless other musicians on the New York scene, in formations ranging from duo to sextet.
As he began working with more and more artists and groups, McNeely found his career focus beginning to shift from pianist to composer. He led the Frankfurt Radio Big Band in Germany as its chief conductor from 2010-2022. That year, he released two albums: Rituals, with Frankfurt Radio Big Band featuring saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Potter; and Threnody, with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. His work has earned him 10 Grammy nominations and one Grammy win for his collaboration with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra on Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard in 2009. Teaching has also been an important element over the course of McNeely's career. He is professor emeritus in jazz composition at Manhattan School of Music, and has held positions at New York University and at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. McNeely has also held clinics and major residencies at dozens of institutions around the world including in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Egypt, to name a few.
About Miguel Zen nBorn and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miguel Zen n represents a select group of musicians who have balanced and blended the often contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences. As a composer, he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, the New York State Council for the Arts, Chamber Music America, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, the Hewlett Foundation, and many of his peers. He has given hundreds of lectures and master
More from Berklee
06/09/2024
Student Spotlight: Mateo Londo o The producer talks about leaving Berklee to grieve the passing of a close friend and fellow student and then returning to fin...
05/09/2024
Boston Conservatory Adds a Robust Roster of Artists to Its Faculty Nearly 30 new faculty across the Dance, Music, and Theater divisions bring industry experti...
05/09/2024
Why Music Educators Choose Berklee's Graduate Programs Explore Berklees flexible master's degrees and certificate in music education, and get advice f...
29/08/2024
Berklees Africana Studies Division Launches New Degree Program in Black Music an...
27/08/2024
Berklee's Signature Series Celebrates Brazilian Composers Caetano Veloso and...
23/08/2024
Karen A. Bell Named Chair of Performance Studies The associate dean will expand her responsibilities to manage performance studies courses and oversee departm...
22/08/2024
How Freedom by Beyonc Became a Campaign Anthem Emmett G. Price III discusses the history of political campaign music and what makes Freedom such a versatile ...
21/08/2024
Berklee Announces 2024 Fall Signature Series Lineup This season's performances celebrate musical traditions from country music to the music of Brazil and ...
20/08/2024
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Gets Serious About Clowning With the launch of its newest minor in fall 2024, Boston Conservatory brings circus arts to academi...
20/08/2024
Berklee and Spelman Colleges Student Exchange Program Returns for Fall 2024 The initiative celebrates Black music, culture, and the power of sisterhood.
By
...
09/08/2024
Flora Sullivan Named 2024 Jimmy Lyons Scholarship Recipient The Berkeley, California, native will perform at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival.
By
Cole...
09/08/2024
Leo Luna Roblejo Receives the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundations Sebasti n Yatra ...
09/08/2024
Watch Anita Hill Perform with Boston Conservatory Orchestra at Symphony Hall The attorney, scholar, and civil rights activist narrated the words of Martin Lut...
09/08/2024
Berklee City Music Awards Scholarships at Concert This year, 19 students received scholarships, housing awards, and aid to attend Berklee College of Music.
B...
29/07/2024
Berklee's Music Business/Management Department Hosted Summer Program with Po...
26/07/2024
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2024 Emmy Awards Twenty-one Berklee alumni received Emmy nominations this year for music composition, sound mixing, and sound editi...
23/07/2024
Alum Notes: Spring/Summer 2024 The most recent news from your fellow alumni.
July 10, 2024
Emily McGuire B.F.A. '18 of Glendale, CA, found a new love f...
18/07/2024
Faculty Notes: Spring/Summer 2024 Recent accomplishments, releases, and events by Berklee faculty.
July 8, 2024
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Assistant Pro...
18/07/2024
Jim McNeely and Miguel Zen n Named the 2024-2025 Ken Pullig Visiting Scholars in...
18/07/2024
Jim Lucchese Named Berklee's Fifth President A 20-year music industry veteran and a committed artist advocate with deep Berklee roots, Lucchese sets the t...
16/07/2024
Dr. Judith Christie McAllister Joins Gospel Performance Summer Program as Artist...
15/07/2024
Berklee Alumni Publications Win CASE Awards The magazine Berklee Today received a gold award and podcast Pass the Mic earned bronze from the Council for Advan...
11/07/2024
Berklee NYC Honors Largest Class of Master Scholars at 2024 Commencement Grammy and Tony Award-winning alum Charlie Rosen delivered the commencement address a...
09/07/2024
Legendary African Musician Youssou N'Dour Receives Honorary Degree at Berkle...
08/07/2024
Berklee City Music Celebrates Three Decades Empowering Young Artists The program has given generations of musicians-sometimes within the same family-the tools...
08/07/2024
Renate Rohlfing Awarded Mass Cultural Council Grant The music therapy faculty member will use the grant to help foster more opportunities to create in-person co...
06/07/2024
Berklee Online Offers Courses to Students in Juvenile Justice Centers To date, Berklee Online classes are offered at nearly 30 such centers across the United ...
06/07/2024
Working to Make Music More Accessible to All New technologies and changing attitudes mean more disabled musicians are playing instruments.
By
Adrian Ananta...
29/06/2024
Students Help Bring Nona Hendryxs Dream Machine to Life at Lincoln Center A group of electronic production and design majors created sonic landscapes for Hend...
28/06/2024
Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin Named Chair of the Ensemble Department A renowned vocalist, arranger, and educator, Robinson-Martin is known for developing innov...
26/06/2024
LGBTQ Student Group to Hold Inaugural Pride Music Festival Lavanda, founded by student Emma Whitney, will host Camp Fest, an outdoor music festival and commu...
15/06/2024
What Exactly Is Dad Rock? 21 Songs that Explain the Totally Not Embarrassing Gen...
14/06/2024
Dr. Lenora Helm Hammonds Named Dean of the Professional Education Division A renowned jazz vocalist, educator, and Berklee alumna, Hammonds is known for her i...
13/06/2024
Final Exams or NBA Finals? For These Boston Conservatory Students, It's Both Two commercial dance students joined the Boston Celtics dancers for a memorab...
05/06/2024
Taylor Swifts Global Popularity Explained (Berklees Version) Music business, songwriting, and live production faculty weigh in on what makes Taylor Swift unst...
05/06/2024
Professor and Two Alumni Receive Fulbright Awards Faculty member Stacy Mattingly and alumni Shanelle Villegas and Lili Chey Warren have been selected for Fulb...
05/06/2024
Music and Sustainability at Berklee and Beyond Integrating sustainability practices into music not only helps address environmental concerns but also contribute...
24/05/2024
Boston Conservatory Plays a Leading Role at the 41st Annual Elliot Norton Awards With six wins and eight additional nominations, the Conservatory's theate...
22/05/2024
Berklee's Summer in the City Brings Free Concerts to Boston Area The series will feature Berklee students, faculty, and alumni performing at popular venue...
21/05/2024
Dr. Ray Seol Awarded Grant for Creative Individuals from Mass Cultural Council The grant will expand his Seu Aprendiz project designed to help individuals bui...
15/05/2024
Berklee Artists to Perform at Major US Music Festivals this Summer and Fall The Berklee Popular Music Institute arranged placements at top festivals including...
12/05/2024
Berklee Honors Ledisi, Q-Tip, and Gilberto Santa Rosa at Commencement This years honorary doctorate recipients were recognized for their profound influence as...
10/05/2024
Berklee Announces 2024 Songs for Social Change Contest Winners Student songwriters shine in the annual contest that recognizes music with a socially conscious...
10/05/2024
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2024 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
10/05/2024
Berklee and Audio Engineering Society to Host Symposium on AI in Music The inaugural AES International Symposium on AI and the Musician will highlight excitin...
08/05/2024
Q&A with Visiting Artist Lei Liang The acclaimed composer discusses his collaboration with Boston Conservatory, his work as a research artist, and what it mea...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
02/05/2024
Two Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
By...
30/04/2024
Next Jazz Legacy Announces 2024 Cohort of Women and Nonbinary Awardees The program was created by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender J...
27/04/2024
Berklee's Music and Health Institute Launches Community Health Musician Cert...