
Ron Savage Named Executive Director of Berklee College of Music An acclaimed drummer and community leader, Savage will oversee all academic programs, facilities, operations, and faculty and staff at the college.
By
Alicia Taylor Bard
November 4, 2022
Ron Savage
Ron Savage has been named the inaugural executive director of Berklee College of Music. Savage, who graduated from the college in 1984, previously served as dean of the Professional Performance Division (PPD), where he championed successful initiatives on hiring diversity, new curriculum development, and student recruitment. He is also the chair and cofounder of the Black Scholars Initiative (BSI).
Ron has distinguished himself over a nearly 30-year career at Berklee, making him uniquely qualified for this position, said Berklee President Erica Muhl. Ron will be instrumental in promoting the importance of music, arts entrepreneurship, and arts and technology education as a tool to help foster a more just world, promote the growth and development of young people, and articulate the ideals and heritage of our cultural resources.
Savage will report to David Bogen, Berklee's executive vice president and provost, and will have responsibility for oversight and direction of all academic programs, facilities, operations, and faculty and staff for the college's three divisions. He will join Berklees core leadership team, which is involved in formulating strategy across the entire organization. This includes the development of new models for education, new academic programs, career development efforts, student success, community outreach to aspiring musicians in underserved communities, and more.
I am humbled and honored to serve as the first-ever executive director at Berklee College of Music, my alma mater, said Savage. My Berklee education provided me with the foundation to accomplish my childhood dreams, establish a successful career, and become a productive, contributing member of my community. I look forward to working with President Erica Muhl, Provost David Bogen, and our entire village' of educators to ensure current and future generations of aspiring musicians have the necessary skills to pursue their creative artistry for life.
Prior to becoming dean of PPD, Savage served as chair of the Ensemble Department for 17 years. In that role, he significantly increased the musical diversity of Berklee's ensemble offerings to include acoustic blues, neo-soul, women in rock, heavy metal, dub reggae, and more.
An acclaimed drummer with a special focus on jazz and blues, Savage has performed in 48 U.S. states and 46 countries around the world with a wide array of artists, including James Moody, Clark Terry, Curtis Fuller, Mulgrew Miller, and Nnenna Freelon. He also has extensive professional experience in television, theater, studio recording, film, and music therapy. A passionate community advocate and leader, he received the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Community Service Award from the NAACP chapter of the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2018. He serves as president of the All Dorchester Sports and Leadership program and as a board member for the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge. Additionally, he founded the Cambridge Jazz Foundation, the Johnny Hodges Scholarship Fund, and the Ron Savage Music Academy, which provides underserved youth with affordable music instruction and instruments.
Savage assumed his new role on November 1.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Image courtesy of Lena Glikson
Stranger Things Music Editor Lena Glikson on Creating Iconic Moments The 2015 alum reflects on her recent Emmy win, scoring for TV versus film, and her journey from performing to music editing.
Latest
Lizzy McAlpine '20 performs with Tiny Habits at NPRs Tiny Desk. Left to right: Judah Mayowa, Maya Rae, Lizzy McAlpine, Cinya Khan.
Image by Bob Boilen/NPR
Lizzy McAlpine Taps Berklee Band for Tiny Desk Harmonies The 23-year-old Berklee alum appeared with buzzy vocal trio Tiny Habits in her first performance on NPRs stripped-down concert series.
John Abercrombie
Image by Roberto Masotti/courtesy of ECM Records
Berklee Establishes John Abercrombie Scholarship The tuition-based scholarship will enable jazz musicians to pursue their creative and career goals.
Left to right: Berklee Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs David Bogen; BMI Senior Director of Creative, Film, TV, and Visual Media Reema Iqbal; student award winner April DiDomenico; composer Alan Silvestri; Screen Scoring Assistant Chair Esin Aydingoz; and Screen Scoring Chair Sean McMahon
Image by Elizabeth Friar
Berklee Celebrates Annual BMI Day with Acclaimed Composer Alan Silvestri Silvestri and BMI executive Reema Iqbal presented the BMI Film Scoring Scholarship to student composer April DiDomenico.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
14/03/2025
BURLINGTON, Mass. Avid has expanded its executive leadership team (ELT) with the appointment of three experienced executives: Tom Sharma as chief technology off...
14/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. TVU Networks, a pioneer in live video production and a leader in cloud-based media solutions, is marking its 20th anniversary at the 2025 NAB ...
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....