BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC, Boston, Massachusetts

FACULTY PROFILES

Good profiles start with good research. The CV of Associate Professor Peter Alhadeff revealed an intriguing international background that set up my interview with him.

My research on Associate Professor Donna McElroy revealed an illustrious career. But it was seeing the teacher and mentor in action in one of her voice labs that pointed me in the direction her profile should take.

Professor Eric Reasoner spent much of our interview entertaining me with stories from the professional trenches. But what struck gold was when I probed him for a little-known fact about himself. The answer, a vivid Meredith Willson-esque picture of his youth, became my lead.

These interviews led to a project to write website profile pages for about 120 faculty members over a period of three years. I interviewed each one, then crafted three or more extended quotes from our conversations. Among those I interviewed were Esperanza Spalding, Mick Goodrick, Mili Bermejo-Greenspan, Joe Lovano, Andy McGhee, Danilo Pérez, Daniel Ian Smith, Livingston Taylor, and Phil Wilson—an eclectic line-up of performers that has kept me thinking, “I love my work.”