Singer Alejandro Sanz Receives Honorary Doctorate From Berklee University

On Wednesday, Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.

According to news agency EFE, the renowned college, known to be arguably the most important music school in the world, gave the singer the doctorate for his role in contemporary music.

During the ceremony, Professor Javier Limón remembered Paco de Lucía, the first Spaniard to receive the Honoris Causa doctorate in 1999 thanks to his work on Mediterranean music.

"Fourteen years ago we gave Paco de Lucía the doctorate, thanks to which we created the Mediterranean Music Institute to promote flamenco and other Latin and Mediterranean music", said Professor Limón.

The doctorate given to Sanz is one of the most important awards the school gives and according to Professor Limón, the singer has a long career as a composer that helped him win the doctorate, and that he's stood out for his continuous support of flamenco.

"But beyond his musical contributions to the world, Alejandro is also a humanitarian person. He's known for his support of Medecins Sans Frontieres or Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children and Greenpeace, among others", added the president of Berklee College, Roger Brown.

Sanz showed his gratefulness during his speech and dedicated the award to his parents, his first musical instrument, his family and his native Spain.

"This moment of happiness I offer to my country. This other second is for my father and my mother, who always and never believed in me. In that order. The third second is for my children and my woman, who are my open wounds from which what I write will come out... To music, I dedicate the rest", the Spanish composer said.

The singer also offered a few words to students present at the ceremony, encouraging them to explore their emotions and stand out as musicians. Students thanked Sanz by performing a concert comprised of the singer's biggest hits and Sanz shared the moment with his followers through his Instagram account, alejandrosanz.