Berklee in discussions to open Spanish campus

By Globe Staff

Berklee College of Music is in discussions with the government of Valencia, Spain, to open a sister campus in the coastal city on the Mediterranean.

The school would focus on contemporary music and music technology and would build on the college's international scope and reputation, officials said. Discussions began last May and could wrap up by year's end, Larry Monroe, Berklee's vice president for international programs, said today.

Valencia officials have already set aside land for the school, which would feature Berklee in its name. The cost of the project is undetermined, and the school would not open until 2010 at the earliest.

Berklee students and professors would enjoy an open exchange between the two campuses, Monroe said. "This is quite a grandious proposal," Monroe said. "Nothing of this size and scope devoted to contemporary music has been ever been built."

Berklee College of Music, founded in 1945, is the world's largest independent music college and the top institution for the study of contemporary music. The school, with 3,800 students and a faculty of 460, is located in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.

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