The legendary balladeer Julio Iglesias can add a doctorate degree from Berklee College of Music to his long list of achievements.
Iglesias, along with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Harvey Mason, and Doug Morris, were presented with honorary doctor of music degrees at the 2015 commencement of Berklee College of Music in Boston on Monday.
President of the college, Roger H. Brown, shared tributes from Afo Verde, chairman and CEO of Latin America, Spain and Portugal divisions at Sony Music Entertainment, tennis player Rafael Nadal, and former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, to Iglesias and the Spaniard's prolific music career. Stating that he exemplified what it means to be a global music ambassador
“I am an artist that has sung in different languages, I’ve sung in a multitude of languages, and the most beautiful thing that has happened to me in my life as an artist is this honor from Berklee," Iglesias said, according to a news release from Berklee. "Yesterday, I asked the president how many students study at Berklee and where they are from, and he told me that 35 to 40 percent of the students are foreign. That means this open, global feeling instilled in all of you will help bring peace to the world."
Iglesias spoke in English and Spanish at the commencement to nearly 900 graduates and thousands of guests. Notably, his father Julio Iglesias Sr. also was Dr. Iglesias, a medical doctor.
Iglesias is most noted in English for a hit duet sung with country singer Willie Nelson, "To All The Girls I've Loved Before". Younger artists may be more familiar with his sons, pop artist Enrique Iglesias and entertainer Julio Iglesias Jr.
Berklee has graduated artists such as Juan Luis Guerra, Danilo Pérez, and Alejandro Sanz. The school’s alumni are winners of more than 300 Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.
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