Lee Eliot Berk ’64

Lee Eliot Berk ’64, of Phoenix, Ariz.; Oct. 21. Son of the late Lawrence Berk, founder and first president of the Berklee School of Music, he was the institution’s namesake and second president. After graduating from Brown and Boston University School of Law, he began working at Berklee as bursar. His legal background  supplemented the courses he taught on music law and copyright issues, which were the first at the school and, in 1992, led to the establishment of a major in music business and management. He authored the book Legal Protection for the Creative Musician, which won the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Deems Taylor Award in 1971 as best book in music. From 1971 to 1979 he served as Berklee’s vice president and worked on acquisition of new properties for the school’s growing student body. He became the second president in 1979 and held that position for 25 years until his retirement in 2004, overseeing growth that was faithful to Berklee’s reputation for contemporary music education, and instituting new courses that included music production and engineering, music synthesis, and film scoring. In an interview posted on Berklee’s website, he observed: “The move into technology more than anything else has made Berklee become the college of the music industry.” He also established Berklee City Music to offer music education and scholarships to underserved youth, created the Berklee International Network—now called Berklee Global Partners—with music schools around the world, and was instrumental in the 1998 founding of the Boston Arts Academy. When asked in the same interview for a highlight of his career, he replied: “If I could mention only one, it would have to be when we gave Berklee’s first honorary degree to Duke Ellington at the 1971 commencement and then having him decide to sit down at the piano during the reception to play for the graduates and their families. I don’t think anything can top that.” Beyond Berklee, he played a pivotal role in the establishment of New Mexico School for the Arts and received numerous awards that included the President’s Merit Award for Outstanding Educational Achievement from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; the National Association of Music Merchants Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Music Products Industry; and the Hall of Fame Award from the International Association of Jazz Educators. In 2004, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan for strengthening Japanese and American cultural ties. He was chair of the New Mexico Music Commission and founded the Friends of Santa Fe Jazz and the Jewish Arts and Culture Group of Santa Fe. In 2014, after moving to a senior living community in Phoenix, he and his wife created a concert series and welcomed local and international jazz and classical artists. He is survived by his wife, Susan; two daughters and sons-in-law; and four grandchildren.