TEDxBerklee Boston 2026

Name: TEDxBerklee Boston 2026
Start: 2026-04-25T11:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-04-25
Location: David Friend Recital Hall (DFRH)

Saturday / April 25, 2026 / 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (EDT)

David Friend Recital Hall (DFRH)

921 Boylston Street

Boston

02115

United States

(View Map)

Admission

Free

Interior of the David Friend Recital Hall

Striving to recreate the one-of-a-kind experience found only at TED, TEDxBerklee Boston provides a platform for inspiring guest speakers from the world of music to share their insights and ideas. This event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with a refreshment break in the middle.

What Is TEDx?

TEDx events are independently organized conferences that follow the TED format, short, impactful talks across a range of subjects. TEDxBerklee Boston creates a platform for students, faculty, and guest speakers to share meaningful ideas centered around a unifying theme.

It’s designed to spark curiosity, encourage dialogue, and inspire new thinking, bringing together bright minds, amplifying diverse voices, and creating space for ideas that challenge and connect our community.

This Year’s Theme: X = Talent

What is talent? Is it a spark you’re born with, a skill you refine, or the courage to keep creating when the world isn’t listening? In music, talent is the invisible equation that makes artistry possible, the mysterious X that turns notes into stories and practice into art. But talent doesn’t live in isolation. It grows through discipline, chance, identity, collaboration, and the moments that demand we play louder than our fear.

This year’s TEDxBerklee Boston invites everyone to explore their own equation: X = Talent. How do you define it? Where does it come from? What does talent make possible?

And if X = Talent, what lies on the other side of the equation? What becomes possible when you solve it?

For more information, contact tedxberkleeboston@berklee.edu.

Speakers

Tarra Ruchee Ajwani (Student Speaker)

Student, Music Industry Leadership and Innovation Major

The Outsider Advantage: Why Intersectional Identity Is a Creative Superpower

Tarra Ajwani challenges how we define talent in an increasingly global workforce. What if identity isn’t something to overcome in professional spaces, but something to leverage? Drawing from her experience living and working between India and the United States, she reframes intersectionality as a strategic superpower in the creative industries.

Tarra reflects on years of adaptive code-switching, only to realize that the outlier identity she once tried to downplay was her greatest professional advantage. She argues that living between cultures, disciplines, or systems builds a rare kind of fluency - the ability to translate, bridge, and innovate.

About Tarra

Tarra is an emerging music industry strategist working at the intersection of culture, storytelling, media, and marketing through a global lens. Raised in Mumbai, India, and driven by a desire to support artists through business strategy, she was led across the world to Berklee College of Music’s inaugural Music Industry Leadership and Innovation program.

Through internships spanning Paramount (Creative Music Strategy for TV and ads), Universal Music Group India (International Marketing), ATC Management (Artist Management), and more across Los Angeles, New York, and South Asia, Tarra discovered that her greatest professional strength was her diverse background: it gave her a distinct intersectional perspective in creative rooms. As the founding president of Berklee’s Marketing Club and a Lead Ambassador for the Recording Academy’s Grammy U, Tarra seeks to champion cross-cultural context as a strategic advantage in the creative industries. She has been the recipient of Berklee’s Music Industry Innovation Award (2024) and Marketing and Technology Award (2025), and strives to be a connector between artists, fans, geographies, and industries

Silvana Alvarez Albores (Student Speaker)

Student, Independent Recording and Production Major

Before Talent Had A Name

Before talent, there was the supernatural. Throughout history, when mastery defied explanation, we attributed it to forces like the Devil or spirituality. Today, we call it talent. But talent isn’t a gift—it’s a combination of passion, discipline, and resilience. This talk dismantles the myth surrounding talent and uncovers its core. By redefining talent, we reveal how our labels can limit human potential—and how, by questioning them, we can transform the way we see ourselves.

About Silvana

Silvana is a multidisciplinary music creator studying Independent Recording and Production, with a minor in Interactive Media and Game Scoring. Her work explores the intersection of music, technology, and storytelling, and is currently contributing to two video game projects and a short animated film as a composer. She has performed with an orchestra as both a soloist and choir member and brings a global perspective shaped by living in Mexico, the US, the UK, and Spain. Expected to graduate in 2027.

Rhoda Bernard (Staff Speaker)

Managing Director, Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education; Assistant Chair, Music Education Department

The Talent Whisperer

Meet Rhoda Bernard: Talent Whisperer. When she was young, Rhoda struggled to understand her authentic self and to uncover her talents. It was not until her graduate school years that she became a Talent Whisperer – first for herself, and then for countless others ever since, including hundreds of people with disabilities.

In this talk, Rhoda will unpack what it means to be a Talent Whisperer. You’ll learn about the relationship between talent, authenticity, and self-actualization. You’ll hear stories about people who discovered their talents by knowing and dwelling in their authentic selves. And you’ll find that – with the help of a handful of strategies – you, too, can come to embody your authentic self, and reveal your unique talents.

About Rhoda

Rhoda Bernard, Ed.D., is the Founding Managing Director of the Institute for Accessible Arts Education and Assistant Chair of Music Education at Berklee College of Music. She holds degrees from Harvard University, New England Conservatory, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her book, Accessible Arts Education: Principles, Habits, and Strategies to Unleash Every Student’s Creativity and Learning, was published in 2025.She is an internationally recognized expert in Accessible Arts Education and a sought-after speaker, presenter, and facilitator. Bernard regularly delivers keynotes and research at conferences across the U.S. and internationally, and leads professional development workshops for educators worldwide. Her work has been published in multiple book chapters and academic journals.

In 2025, she was awarded a Fulbright Specialist Residency in Dublin, Ireland. Her honors include the Irene Buck Service to Arts Education Award (2023), Berklee Urban Service Award (2017), and the Boston Conservatory Community Service Award (2011), among others. She is the immediate past chair of the Arts Education Advisory Council for Americans for the Arts and serves on its speakers bureau. A vocalist and pianist specializing in jazz and Jewish music in Yiddish and Hebrew, she performs regularly with klezmer bands and has recorded two CDs with Klezamir.

David Cardona (Faculty Speaker)

Assistant Professor, Electronic Production and Design (EPD)

Adaptive Talent and the Pursuit of Balance

In an age of unlimited access to resources and tools, talent is no longer just what we can do, but rather how we recalibrate, explore, and connect. In today’s landscape, talent is the continuous and resilient pursuit of balance.

About David

David is an educator, interdisciplinary media artist, and music technologist working at the intersection of interactivity, sound, graphics, computation, and accessible design. At Berklee College of Music, he teaches interactive systems, game audio, circuit bending, physical computing, and music production.

David has presented his work at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, MIT, Northeastern University, ACM SIGGRAPH, and at the AES AI Symposium. He is also a member of the Creative Advisory Committee for the Sound Scene Festival, and is a paper reviewer for the International Computer Music Conference. His creative practice spans interactive installations, immersive audio, responsive environments, real-time audiovisual systems, 3D graphics, and computer vision. He also releases electronic music under the artist name "28 Lines."

Juan Pablo Paredes (Student Speaker)

Student, Independent Recording and Production Major

The Illusion of Talent

What if talent isn’t the starting point of success, but the moment when years of invisible effort finally become visible? Drawing from his journey as a self-taught bedroom music producer stepping into world-class music environments, Juan Pablo Paredes questions the way we label ability and measure potential. As his story unfolds, a deeper pattern begins to emerge behind what we call "talent."

About Juan Pablo

Driven by a deep exploration of sound and story, Juan Pablo’s days unfold across recording studios, live production environments, and collaborative writing sessions alongside artists and industry professionals.

As a young artist fully immersed in the pursuit of his craft, he is guided by the belief that the most meaningful art emerges not from perfection, but from honest expression and human connection. As a proactive member of the Berklee community, Juan Pablo’s work centers on creating spaces where artists can fully explore their creative sound and identity.

Loren Benn (Faculty Speaker)

Assistant Professor, Ensemble and Voice Department

Micro-Talents: Why The World Needs You More Than Ever

Most people believe talent is something you either have or you don’t. We consider it visible, amplified, and applauded. But in the aftermath of the Los Angeles fires that stole my home and altered my life forever, I discovered a different kind of talent: micro-talents. These steady hands, patient voices and organizing minds, worked to stabilize my family & thousands more when everything familiar had burned away. At a time of intense crisis, talent eventually led me to a large stage like "America's Got Talent." But it wasn’t performance that became a true lifeline.

This talk is a powerful reframing of how we view talent, its real life-saving capabilities, and how micro-talents quietly hold the world together, even in the midst of fire.

About Loren

Loren Benn-Nelson is a vocalist, educator, & cultural leader whose work sits at the intersection of artistry, education, business and economic sustainability in the creative industries. With over two decades of professional performance experience and more than 13 years in education, she has collaborated with internationally recognized artists including Kelly Clarkson, Leslie Odom Jr., James Blake, Debo Ray, Patrice Rushen, & Take 6, performing on stages such as The Blue Note New York, the Rose Parade, the Staples Center, and First Night Boston.

An Assistant Professor of Ensembles and Voice at Berklee College of Music, Loren is also the Director of Training and Development for the International Artists League Boston, mentoring and managing a roster of over 400 professional musicians. She sits on the board of the Boston Jazz Foundation and serves as the Director of Education where she develops financial literacy programming for creatives & helps to bring jazz to youth throughout New England. In 2018, she founded Benn & Co., a consulting agency focused on leadership, resilience, and long-term sustainability for those who share her passion to live full, rounded lives in both creative fields and entrepreneurship. Her work has been featured by CBS News, The New Yorker Magazine, Airbnb, and America’s Got Talent, positioning her as a compelling voice in global conversations on creativity, resilience, and systems for lasting impact.

Fernando Gabriel (Guest Speaker)

Co-founder and global CEO of StrmMusic

Is Old Music Better? Or Are Songs Just Time Machines for Our Emotions?

Drawing on psychology and neuroscience, as well as his experience helping artists connect with audiences worldwide, Fernando reveals how music taps into the deepest parts of our human experience. Rhythm resonates with life itself, beginning with the heartbeat in the womb. Melody shapes our identity and personal expression. Harmony creates familiarity and a sense of belonging, often predicting popularity. Lyrics become part of our sentimental heritage, linking songs to the moments of our lives.

Through live music, storytelling, and science-backed insights, this talk reveals that the songs we love are more than entertainment—they carry our emotions, memories, and identity, showing that music isn’t just something we hear, but something we become.

About Fernando

Fernando Gabriel is the Founder and CEO of Strm Music, an AI-powered platform revolutionizing music intelligence for artists and labels worldwide. With over 20 years of experience as a singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and investor, Fernando bridges the gap between technology and artistry, leading Strm with the “mind of an engineer and the heart of a musician.” His mission is to empower independent artists with cutting-edge tools and data, ensuring they thrive in an industry increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Founded in 2020, Strm Music is a pioneering Brazilian Music Tech company serving 50,000 artists across 13+ countries. Positioned as a “pocket record label,” Strm harnesses proprietary AI to provide musicians with career insights, financial support, and strategic intelligence—all while preserving artistic autonomy. Strm monitors the real-time performance of over 8 million artists and 150 million tracks, offering data-driven solutions to help musicians navigate an industry where AI often challenges human creativity. By blending market intelligence with technology, Strm democratizes access to investment and delivers artist-friendly solutions that rival those of major labels.

David Stewart (Guest Speaker)

Producer, Songwriter and Founder of 8IGHT Music

Moving Past Jaded

How many times can you get punched and get back up again?

In an industry built on constant rejection, uncertainty, and reinvention, resilience becomes its own kind of talent. This talk explores resilience as a lived, often messy process through David Stewart’s journey across the music industry — from session musician to artist, songwriter, producer, and now into publishing and label spaces. Along the way, he reframes adversity as a creative force rather than a stopping point, where each setback becomes a pivot and each “no” a redirection.

At the core of this talk is the idea of "moving past jaded": choosing growth over bitterness, adaptability over rigidity, and using resistance as momentum toward the next version of yourself. Through the concepts of thick skin, shape-shifting, and manifesting opportunity, David challenges the idea that talent is only raw ability. Because talent isn’t just what you have — it’s what survives everything trying to stop you.

About David

David Stewart is a powerhouse songwriter and producer who’s helped craft modern pop anthems like BTS’s “Dynamite,” the Jonas Brothers’ “What a Man Gotta Do,” and Jungkook’s “3D.” With a star-studded roster from Shakira to Jack Harlow, Cardi B, Ava Max, Kygo, Shania Twain and beyond, David’s signature touch has driven more than 20 million + records sold worldwide. With billions of streams and a flair for hits, he’s a defining force behind today’s sound.

Note: These descriptions were provided by the organizer and haven't been edited by the Berklee team.