Berklee Artists to Perform at Major Festivals Across North America
Brandon Harris, a BPMI artist who will appear at Osheaga later this year, performs at the annual Epic Event showcase in March.
Image by Christopher Beyer
This summer and fall, the Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI) is sending six up-and-coming artists from the college to perform at seven popular music festivals across North America. The institute's BPMI Live course guides students through every step of going from the classroom to the stage, serving as important preparation for a career in live music, whether as a performer or an industry professional.
Throughout the academic year, students in BPMI’s A&R group reviewed hundreds of artist submissions and narrowed the field through a combination of factors that included recordings, videos, and social media presence. The A&R group also considered the artist’s style of music for genre-specific festivals such as Inkcarceration (metal) and Faster Horses (country).
This year's artists include:
- pop/R&B singer Aiida, performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois (July 28–31);
- metal/prog-rock band Among the Stars, performing at Inkcarceration in Mansfield, Ohio (July 15–17);
- hip-hop duo Awfbeat, performing at Music Midtown in Atlanta, Georgia (September 17–18);
- soul-pop and R&B artist Brandon Harris, performing at Osheaga in Montreal, Canada (July 29–31);
- rock, country, and disco artist CHARLEY, performing at Faster Horses in Brooklyn, Michigan (July 22–24), and Sound on Sound in Bridgeport, Connecticut (September 24–25); and
- folk/pop artist Matilda Marigolds, performing at Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky (September 15–18).
Many of these artists performed at BPMI's 20th annual Epic Event at Brighton Music Hall earlier this year.
“Being a senior can be daunting, but being selected for BPMI has given me confidence and opened up opportunities to pursue my career as a musical artist after graduation,” said CHARLEY, who will perform at two festivals, Faster Horses and Sound on Sound, later this year.
While most Berklee classes take place over the course of one semester, BPMI Live runs on a three-semester, full-year cycle. In the fall semester, the class selects the artists and splits up into management teams. In the spring, students work on artist development, marketing, digital presence, budgets, merchandise, sponsorships, and advancing their assigned festival, in addition to organizing a spring musical showcase at a local venue. For the final semester, during the summer and early fall, teams rehearse with the artists to prepare them for the festival stage—a vastly different experience than a club show—and accompany them to each festival to handle on-site promotion, production, and tour management.
“I’m so proud of all the hard work and effort by the students in BPMI Live and our roster of artists as we prepare for a busy festival season,” said Morgan Milardo, managing director for BPMI. “This course is so important for both artists and students as they learn to navigate the ever-evolving music industry, especially as live events have changed throughout the past two years. It’s going to be an incredible learning experience for all, filled with exciting performances that only come as a result of hard work and dedication. I’m also incredibly grateful for our generous partners at Live Nation, Danny Wimmer Presents, Evenko, and Founders Entertainment that make the BPMI experience a reality.