Berklee Welcomes SGAE Scholars

As part of a cultural partnership between Berklee and the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE), Berklee has chosen three SGAE scholars to study at its Boston campus.

Amparo Edo Biol, Sergio Jiménez Lacima, and Guillermo Marin were awarded the full-tuition SGAE-financed scholarships. Of the pool of 320 applicants, Berklee auditioned 120 in Madrid; SGAE members and their families were eligible. Criteria included outstanding composition and/or songwriting abilities. Meanwhile, Berklee awarded scholarships to 11 other students who were auditioned.

Berklee Valencia, which will focus on contemporary music, international business, and cutting-edge music technology, will open in 2012.

Hailing from Valencia, Spain, Amparo Edo Biol plays the French horn, and earned a performance degree and is pursuing a composition degree from Joaquin Rodrigo's Musical Conservatory in Valencia. An aspiring composer, she has extensive chamber ensemble, philharmonic, and orchestra experience, and had been commissioned to write arrangements for a range of musical styles. In 2007 she was awarded the International Composing Competition's "Salvador Segui" for her piece "Juego de Niños," which was performed in 2008 by international pianist Leonel Morales.

"There are new kinds of music, systems, and feelings that are still unknown to me and I realize I need to know them," says Edo Biol. "Berklee offers a variety of music styles, teachers, and facilities. For these reasons, Berklee has acquired a big prestige, but also because of the great people who compose the Berklee community. This is why I wanted to come to Berklee."

Sergio Jiménez Lacima, from Zaragoza, Spain, a highly accomplished classical pianist/composer who has garnered several national and international composition awards, has his sights on studying film scoring. Jiménez Lacima, who has earned superior degrees in piano and orchestral conducting, has performed with such pianists as Almudena Cano, Eva Alcazar, and Ramón Coll and has conducted orchestras, ensembles, and wind orchestras.

"My background has been mainly classical and now I would like to study some about jazz music," says Jiménez Lacima. "But the most important reason why I am here is because I would like to study film scoring and Berklee is one of the best centers in the world to study that. I love film music and I know that some of the greatest film composers have studied here at Berklee."

Guillermo Marin, of Zaragoza, Spain, is a pianist/composer who recently released his first solo album, Despertar, featuring a blend of ballads, rock, Latin jazz, and British sounds. Composer, arranger, and producer for all of the album's songs, Marin worked with an impressive roster of Spanish professionals. He also works as a composer for other artists, arranging, recording, and mixing tracks. At Berklee, he plans to continue his studies as a music producer and sound engineer by majoring in music production and engineering.

"Berklee has been a dream for me since I was a kid," says Marin. "But I didn't have the money to come and study here. Now that I was blessed with this amazing opportunity I'm sure I won't let anyone down, especially myself. I'm going to work hard."