Berklee College of Music makes Jim Lucchese fifth president
Boston native and former music executive Jim Lucchese was named the fifth president of Berklee College of Music.
Lucchese will start his tenure at Berklee after around 20 years working in the music industry.
He most recently worked as CEO for the music event startup Sofar Sounds. He also led Spotify for Artists, a program helping artists access and maximize fan engagement.
He will replace David Bogen, who served as interim president for about a year.
“Berklee’s presidential search process was grounded in an extensive series of community listening sessions designed to provide a fuller understanding of the qualities needed in its next leader,” the college said in a statement.
In 1989, Lucchese spent five weeks in Berklee’s summer program, which influenced his progression in music. Over the past 15 years, he’s served on several of Berklee’s advisory committees — the President’s Advisory Council, the Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship; and the Pre-College, Online, and Professional Programs Advisory Committee.
“All of these talents and perspectives are central as we uphold Berklee’s mission, honoring the artistic traditions of the African diaspora and centering diversity in all its forms,” Lucchese said in the statement.
He graduated from Boston College in 1994 with Bachelor’s degrees in English and music, and completed his graduate studies in law at Georgetown University.
Berklee College of Music offers undergraduate and graduate programs devoted to student’s musical development with 15 majors and a student and alumni pool representing over 100 countries.
Previously, Lucchese worked as CEO of The Echo Nest, a musician-founded startup working in innovating artist optimizations to bring awareness to unsigned musicians. When Spotify acquired The Echo Nest in 2014, Lucchese led Spotify for Artists.
Lucchese’s tenure begins Jan. 1, 2025. Bogen will continue as interim president until January.
Auzzy Byrdsell can be reached at austin.byrdsell@globe.com.
