WesFest 12 with Patrice Rushen and Friends

Wes Wehmiller '92 was a highly accomplished bassist, composer, athlete, and photographer who, after graduating from Berklee, went on to tour with Duran Duran from 1997 to 2001. An active member of Berklee’s vibrant L.A. alumni community, Wehmiller gave back to Berklee by returning to teach master classes with his bass faculty mentor, Danny Morris (“Danny Mo”). In January of 2005, Wehmiller passed away from thyroid cancer at the age of 33. Wehmiller’s family and friends established the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship, which is annually awarded to a continuing Berklee student who best exemplifies the excellence and grace Wehmiller showed, both as a bassist and as a human being.

2017 marks WesFest 12, which will be headlined by renowned jazz and R&B composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, music director, and music educator Patrice Rushen ‘05H, who will be joined by drummer Leon “Ndugu” Chancler and bassist Reggie Hamilton. This year’s WesFest lineup also includes Danny Mo and the Exciters with vocalist Kira Small B.M. '93, drummer John “JR” Robinson ’75, and guitarist Marty Walsh, assistant professor in Berklee’s Ensemble Department.

2016 scholarship winner Jonathan Elyashiv will also perform, and former Wes Wehmiller Scholarship recipients Hayley Jane Batt B.M. ’12 and Will Snyder B.M. ‘06 will also join as special guests. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship Fund.

At his memorial service, Wehmiller's aunt, the award-winning author, Harvard professor, and Berklee trustee Sara Lawrence-Lightoot, described him as a gentle and powerful listener who would be missed for “his extraordinary intensity, focus, drive, and fight.” The Berklee community continues to miss Wehmiller to this day and to celebrate the extraordinary adventure of his life. We hope you will join us.