Berklee Student Attends Elite Conducting Symposium in Japan

Alejandro Tavmed looks like an ordinary college student in an ordinary college dorm on our Zoom call, but the seventh-semester performance major is anything but. In August, he was one of just a handful of conductors chosen from across the globe to participate in Conducting Programs International’s (CPI) 2025 Symposium, a six-day program in Tokyo, Japan, that featured instruction and performance with renowned maestro Markand Thakar. 

This is just the latest in a string of prestigious accomplishments for Tavmed. He guest soloed on saxophone for the National Symphony Orchestra of Dominican Republic at age 14, Juan Pablo Duarte Symphony Orchestra at 16, and the symphony band from La Pampa, Argentina, in 2022. 

His Berklee journey began at Berklee in Santo Domingo, a six-day program for high school– and college-aged musicians from the Dominican Republic looking to advance their skills. The program—of which Tavmed was part of in 2023—is the result of a partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic, National Conservatory of Music in Santo Domingo (a Berklee Global Partner institution), AES Dominicana Foundation, and Itabo.

"Through [the Berklee in Santo Domingo] program, many can have their first international contact, which allows them to discover new ways of musical expression and how to successfully carry them out, through theory, direct mentorship from top-quality professors, and without a doubt, a space to enjoy making music alongside others who share the same eagerness to learn that you have or can develop,” Tavmed said. “I am very grateful for the program, as it can be a gateway to great possibilities for knowledge, international relationships, and solid musical foundations."

Tavmed is also a recipient of the Michel Camilo Scholarship, which was established with the generosity of Sandra and Michel Camilo, along with trustee emeritus Michael Dreeses, to support outstanding Dominican instrumentalists who could benefit from a Berklee education. A native of the Dominican Republic, Camilo is a Grammy, Latin Grammy, and Emmy Award winner who was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee in 2000.

“I feel proud that since we started the Michel Camilo Scholarship back in 2006, we have been able to help so much young talent make their dream of coming to study at Berklee a reality,” Camilo said in 2017.

Support to attend CPI Tokyo 2025 was also provided by the Dominican Republic with Conservatorio Nacional, Bellas Artes, and Fundacion Sinfonía.