CHOWDER OR PAELLA? BERKLEE STUDENTS GET THE CHOICE

By Jenny Speer

BACK BAY – After nurturing the careers of musical innovators such as John Mayer, Melissa Etheridge and Quincy Jones, Berklee College of Music hopes to inspire new legends. But now, they may be from abroad.

Berklee, once one of Boston's smallest schools, has grown into the world's largest music college and is expanding its global influence from the Back Bay to Valencia. Berklee Valencia, Spain. Berklee Valencia, slated to open in 2011, will be the world's largest offshore American music college, offering classes and programs that students cannot find at the Boston campus.

"We're doing something entirely new here," said Allen Bush, Berklee's director of media relations. "Students will be able to come here to supplement their semester here or get a master's degree, which is not an option at Berklee Boston."

Berklee Valencia will hold seats for 1,000 students, with 200 reserved for Berklee Boston students studying abroad. The rest will come from Spain, Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The curriculum will offer five primary tracks of study: music for film and integrated media, electronic production and design, global music and entertainment management, symphonic band studies, and Mediterranean music.

The college is a joint venture with Sociedad General de Autores y Editores – the Spanish creators' rights organization – and Valencia's local government. The Sociedad will send many of its prominent members to the Back Bay campus to hold residencies, workshops and clinics to bring Berklee students an international experience whether they choose to study in Valencia or not.

"There'll be some very distinguished visitors [in Boston] sooner than later," Bush said. "Maybe even as early as next semester, but we're not sure. We're still in the planning stage."

Though Berklee president Robert H. Brown hosted a ceremony to lay the first stone in Valencia on Oct. 16. the project began three years ago when Berklee first introduced international programs to students. The college offers programs in Athens, Greece and Frelberg, Germany, both of which have increased in popularity since their start in 2005. Thirty students participated in these programs during the fall semester.

"There's definitely been a rise in demand [to study abroad] over the past couple of years," said Danielle Cruz, a representative of Berklee's office of international programs. "There's a smaller amount of students there, so it allows teachers to concentrate and structure their curriculum around the students more. A lot of students want that."

Some students are intrigued by the idea of spending a semester – or more – in Spain at a school bearing the Berklee name.

"I don't know what I'm doing after I graduate yet, so that's an option," said Matt Aylward, 22, a graduating senior at Berklee studying guitar in the college's strings program. "Performing in front of a Spanish audience would be unreal."

The 1,000-seat outdoor concert hall beneath the 25-story "Tower of Music" planned for Berklee Valencia would afford students an opportunity to perform. The innovative facilities and new programs are already gathering attention from musicians worldwide.

"I think this college will be a great bridge between American and Europen and African music," said Gianluca Sgalabro, a Rome-based drummer who blogs about drumming and broader musical issues, in an e-mail. "It may become the center of an international music movement where tradition and innovation could lead music in new directions."

Some students are unsure of what the new college's curriculum will entail.

"I need to learn more about it," said Jenna Petrigno, 22, a graduating senior majoring in vocal performance. "I think it's great for the school, but I want to develop a little more here before I start thinking I can hold my own somewhere else."

Though the programs at Berklee Valencia are still in their developmental stages, Bush is confident that the new college will emobody the standards Berklee Boston has established over the past 63 years.

"At Berklee Boston, we reject 70 percent of applicants," he said. "A lot of people want to come here. As bad as it sounds, we're hoping that Berklee Valencia will reach that level someday."