Alejandro Sanz To Receive Honorary Doctorate From Berklee College Of Music

LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz will be presented with an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music on Wednesday, November 6, 2013.  Sanz, who has won a total of sixteen Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards, is being recognized for his achievements and influence in contemporary music and for his enduring contributions to international culture.  The President of the Berklee College of Music, Roger Brown, will present the degree to Sanz.  Past recipients include Duke Ellington, Chucho Valdes, Juan Luis Guerra, Paco de Lucia, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Sting, Gloria Estefan, and Willie Nelson.    Following the ceremony, Sanz will perform a career-spanning concert backed by Berklee students.

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"It is a great honor for me to receive this doctorate degree from one of the most prestigious music schools in the world. I will continue to work every day of my life to deserve this honor." said Alejandro Sanz.

At the concert, a 40-piece Berklee student ensemble will pay tribute to Sanz's musical legacy, with Sanz joining the students on select tunes. The concert is produced by bass professor Oscar Stagnaro with Matthew Nicholl, chair of contemporary writing and production, serving as musical director. 

Earlier this year, Berklee students in a course taught by Grammy-winning producer/artist Javier Limon, Artistic Director of Berklee's Mediterranean Music Institute,  created viral video for Sanz's hit "La Musica No Se Toca." Filmed in Boston and at Berklee's international campus in Valencia, Spain, the video features more than 60 students and alumni representing 20 nationalities. 

"I am excited to honor Alejandro Sanz for being one of the most important Latin artists and composers in the world, as well as for his contributions to flamenco music," said Javier Limon, Sanz's longtime friend and collaborator. Limon is executive producer of the event.

ABOUT ALEJANDRO SANZ
Alejandro Sanz is one of the most recognized Latin artists in the world. He is also the Spanish artist with the highest number of social network followers online: more than 9,700,000 on Twitter and more than 3,500,000 on Facebook. He has sold more than 23 million albums and has 19 Grammy Awards (16 Latin and 3 American). He has released 15 albums, all which have reached multiple-platinum sales, including his latest release "La Musica No Se Toca".

Sanz is currently in the midst of an extensive international tour which has taken him throughout Latin America, the United States and now Spain where it will run until the month of August. With this tour, he has performed in front of an audience of more than half a million people. Furthermore, he just finished an expedition of the Artic alongside Greenpeace, for which he is an ambassador, to witness the effects of global warming firsthand and lobby for its protection.

SOURCE ALEJANDRO SANZ