BIMM University Berlin – Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony

In November 2021 we welcomed students graduating from the Music Production, Music Business, Songwriting and Performance courses and their family and friends to Meistersaal concert hall in Berlin to celebrate their graduation.

The Meistersaal is a historic venue that was also temporarily used as Studio 2 for the legendary Hansa recording studio. It’s where David Bowie recorded two albums of his iconic ‘Berlin Trilogy’ and has hosted recordings by many other artists such as Iggy Pop, Depeche Mode, Pixies and many more!

Valerija Kravale

The graduation was split into two ceremonies: one at midday and one in the afternoon.

First ceremony

For the first ceremony, we invited German music producer Moses Schneider as our industry guest. He gave an exclusive talk, which was led by BIMM University Berlin’s Head of Music Production Paul Williams. Moses Schneider worked as an assistant engineer at Hansa Studios from 1987 to 1989 and he is credited as being the engineer for the Pixies song ‘Bossanova’ during his time there. He then worked as a freelance producer working with bands such as Beatsteaks (with whom he produced the successful album Smack Smash), Tocotronic and AnnenMayKantereit. He was also nominated for Best Producer at the Echo awards in 2005 and 2007.

Paul Williams and Moses Schneider

Aside from listening to Moses share his insight into production, students also enjoyed a captivating live performance by BIMM University Berlin Guitar graduate Valerija Kravale.

Students then were given their certificates on stage by College Principal Anna Marks, who personally congratulated all 32 students for successfully completing their studies. Graduate Antonia Geitmann finished off the ceremony by giving a wonderful performance.

Antonia Geitmann

Second ceremony

Our second graduation ceremony followed a similar progression. The ceremony opened with an amazing performance by student Charlotte Colace. For our industry talk, Cian Walsh, BIMM University Berlin’s Songwriting lecturer welcomed Brazilian-born and Berlin-based singer-songwriter and pianist Dillon to the stage. Dillon’s debut album This Silence Kills was praised by media and compared her singing style to artists like Björk and Lykke Li. Her latest EP When Breathing Feels Like Drowning came out in 2019.

Charlotte Colace

Cian Walsh and Dillon

Dillon provided students with great insight into her work as a songwriter and artist and the music industry. After the 26 graduates received their certificates, the ceremony was closed with a fantastic performance by graduates Anna Kohli and Kiki Annette.

Anna Kohli & Kiki Annette

Following both ceremonies students celebrated with their friends, family and our academic staff over some drinks.

We congratulate all of our students on graduating and wish them all the best for their future in the music industry. We can’t wait to see what they do next!

Our next graduation ceremonies are not far away! Due to the pandemic, our Class of 2020 were sadly not able to have the ceremony they wished for as we were forced to reschedule. However, we are delighted to announce that their graduation ceremony will take place in 2022! The ceremony is happening on 18 June at 3 pm at Säälchen, a popular Berlin venue. The graduation for our Class of 2022 will then take place on 11 November at Heimathafen, a characterful ballroom in Neukölln, Berlin.