Berklee College of Music has a history of showing up and showing out at


Boston Calling


Now, current students are being allotted their very own platform.

The venue is being transformed into a jazz lounge. For freshman Su Yavuz, who has extensive performance experience in Boston, this will be an unfamiliar stage.

“I was absolutely stunned,” stated Yavuz. “This whole situation seems incredible and almost dreamlike, particularly since I’m currently a freshmen at Berklee. For someone at my level to have such an opportunity, it feels incredibly unreal.”

Introducing a wide range of music to the jazz lounge

Yavuz mentioned that she will present a range of genres across all three days of the festival.

“Kendrick, Dochii, I enjoy blending different styles by playing instrumentals, drawing inspiration from various sources, and selecting rap tracks—stuff along those lines tends to be quite intriguing as well as enjoyable to perform,” stated Yavuz.

She won’t be alone; Manuela Sanchez Goubert is also prepared to demonstrate her capabilities.

“It’s a validation of all the efforts I’ve put into my career,” stated Goubert. “Often as artists, we feel our creations fade away unnoticed, yet moments like these confirm that I’m heading in the right direction. It shows me that my musical contributions matter and make an impact.”

Only seven selected out of more than 100

That work is what set them apart during the initial search for talent. Just seven students were selected out of more than 100 applications.

“What made these individuals stand out is a little bit, I guess, diversity and genre. Berklee has a lot to offer as far as from the people who come here,” said Michael Borgida, director of concert and video production at Berklee.

Everyone contributes with their distinctive mix of sounds and styles.

As we’ve listened to earlier, we feature Latin jazz,” explained Borgida. “In addition, we blend in some soul music along with R&B infused jazz tracks. Thus, I believe the variety, combined with their expertise and my previous collaborations with them, assured me they’d make excellent additions.

Now, their names will fit right into Boston Calling history.

“I just love music festivals,” says performer Tiril Jackson. “It’s summer, everyone’s having a good time. We’re all gathered listening to music. It’s just like the best.”

Last year, Berklee alum Kieran Rhodes rocked the Blue Stage just one week after graduating. This year, fellow alumni and indie-pop band Lucius is on the bill.