NASHVILLE, TN - January 15, 2023 The 7695 Private Events Space kicked off the New Year, and showed off our brand new upstairs renovations hosting the Nashville Alumni Gathering for Berklee College of Music.
There were around 70 former students in attendance, ranging in graduation date from the 1970s all the way to the Class of 2022.
Hosted by 7695’s owner and Berklee Alum, hit songwriter-entrepreneur Amanda Colleen Williams, the event was the first official gathering for the College in Nashville since pre-pandemic days.
“We’re looking forward to re-energizing our Nashville Berklee community and to hosting more events here at The 7695,” said Williams.
Joseph Dreeszen, Interim Lead Alumni Affairs for Berklee and Boston Conservatory flew down from the Boston campus to greet attendees who were thrilled to connect.
The venue at 7695 River Road was designed to accommodate gatherings, especially ones that include music, once mentioned as part of Nashville’s “coolest music scene” in The New
York Times Style Magazine.
Here is a gallery of photos from the event. Feel free to share and tag these on your socials –
History
Amanda was excited to share some of the highlights of her Berklee College of Music experience with us for the blog.
As a graduate of ’99, she received her Music Business / Management Major / Vocal Performance Minor magna cum laude degree diploma from Honorary Doctorate recipients David Bowie and Wayne Shorter.
Prior to that, the Williams family hosted a Berklee Nashville Spring Break event at their Brentwood home with a songwriter round featuring Amanda’s Dad, Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame member Kim Williams and a couple of his hit songwriter friends, Aaron Barker and Dean Dillon followed by a student round.
After graduation, Amanda’s song “Low” was featured on the ‘02 Shekinah 13 Artists: Women of Berklee College of Music album release co-venture between Berklee’s in house record label Heavy Rotation Records and Epic Records, and helped coordinate distribution efforts of the album to Nashville’s Tower Records store.
In ’10, Amanda helped to re-establish the annual Nashville Berklee Holiday Party at SESAC, moving to their frequent event HQ Flyte in subsequent years.
Reinvigorating the Nashville Berklee Alumni Facebook Group Page was the focus of late ’22, with higher than average engagement leading to the first Official Alumni event since before the pandemic.
“If you’re a Berklee Alum living and working in the Nashville area, we want to hear from you!” said Williams who encourages everyone to connect with the Alumni Office to make sure you’re on the email and phone lists.
Conclusion
Whether you attended Berklee or another fine educational institution, we love hosting alumni groups at our world class facility in West Nashville.
Connect with us, and let us put together an all inclusive package to maximize your group’s engagement and enjoyment.
See you soon at The 7695.
Nashville is a home to songwriters and music professionals from around the globe, who flock to the Music City to pursue their dreams and livelihoods in this unique, supportive environment.
The 7695 hosts annual songwriter retreats and the Nashville Songwriting and Music Business Conference presented by Amanda’s songwriter and artist development company, Songpreneurs.
With two generations of hit songwriter experience in the industry as a 17 times multiplatinum awarded song writer and independent music publisher, talent scout for national TV shows including CMT’s Next Superstar and Can You Duet for USA Network, and arts-entrepreneurship program developer for the U.S. State Department, our track record of success speaks for itself.
Check out our continuing education programs and upcoming events at Songpreneurs.com
