Theater News

Rita Moreno to Receive Honorary Doctorate from Berklee School of Music

Moreno has been the recipient of Oscar, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy awards.

Rita Moreno will be honored with an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee School of Music.
Rita Moreno will be awarded an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College of Music.
(© David Gordon)

Berklee College of Music President Roger H. Brown will present Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner Rita Moreno with honorary doctor of music degrees at Berklee's commencement ceremony on May 7. Moreno will also serve as this year’s commencement speaker.

Musical siblings Ronald and Ernie Isley; chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, Lucian Grainge; and Milton Nascimento, one of Brazil’s most influential singer-songwriters will also be given honorary doctorates at the event. This year's honorary doctorate recipients are being recognized for their achievements and influences in music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture.

Rita Moreno's credits span more than six decades, beginning with her Broadway debut at age 13 in Skydrift. Her Broadway credits also include Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Ritz, and The Odd Couple, among others. In 1961, she played the role of Anita in the West Side Story film. In recognition of her impressive career, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, and the National Medal of Arts in 2010, a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2014, and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2015.