Mattea receives Berklee honor

"Kathy is a great friend of Berklee, having visited the campus several times, providing valuable mentorship through workshops and master classes in both Boston and Nashville," said Berklee President Roger H. Brown, who presented the award. "Her warmth and expertise are on full display when she's with our students, and we are fortunate to consider her part of our extended Berklee family."

The award came during an annual trip by Berklee students to Nashville. After the ceremony, Mattea conducted a clinic with the students. "That the arc of my career, my triumphs and especially my regrets, might inform these young musicians, is a profoundly humbling experience," Mattea said. "I walk out of here high for days on the joy of our connection, one based on a mutual fire we all carry and recognize in each other: that drive to express ourselves deeply, honestly, in the world, through music."

"To have the opportunity to love on these kids, who have worked so hard and are on the brink of launching into their careers, is one of the greatest gifts in my life," she continued. "It's added layers of meaning to my own journey, and a perspective on my life and work that is unique and was totally unexpected."

Mattea's most recent release was "Pretty Bird," which details vocal issues she confronted in recent years.

For 34 years, a group of Berklee students has spent its spring break in Nashville, getting an intensive, in-depth look at the music industry and gaining insight through clinics and workshops with alumni artists, songwriters, producers,and engineers. This year, clinicians included Tom Hambridge, Jonathan Perkins, Vanessa Campagna, Craig Monday and Kyle Lehning, and alumni Matt Rollings and Liz Longley. The students also attended a recording session with alumnus Charlie Worsham at The Tracking Room, and toured Sound Emporium, Southern Ground, Ocean Way, Blackbird and Starstruck studios.