Roberta Flack, Usher, and kora player Sona Jorbarteh will receive honorary Doctor of Music degrees at Berklee College of Music’s 2023 commencement ceremony. The awards are given annually to artists who have “achieved outstanding career achievements in the arts, and who exemplify the college’s educational merits and commitment to the highest standards of musical and creative endeavors.” , scholarship, and civic engagement,” according to Berklee’s website. The ceremony will take place this Saturday, May 13, at 10 a.m. Eastern at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.
Last year, Joni Mitchell was one of the honors. Missy Elliott, Pharrell, Sheila E., Justin Timberlake, Nile Rodgers, and Imogen Heap have also received honorary music doctorates at the college in recent years.
Read about Flack “Compared to What” in Pitchfork’s feature on “The Soundtrack of the Abortion Rights Movement, Then and Now“: