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Global Graduation 2024: Honouring Music Production and Sound Engineering Talent at Abbey Road

We recently celebrated an incredible milestone! On Wednesday, June 12th, we held the Global Graduation Ceremony 2024 in the legendary Studio One at Abbey Road Studios.

Honoring Achievements Across Six Campuses

Students, their families, and friends from our six campuses in Miami, Paris, Sydney, Amsterdam, London, and Johannesburg came together to honour the hard work and achievements of our talented emerging producers, sound engineers, and artists.

A Magical Experience in Studio One

As graduates, their families, and friends entered Studio One, they were instantly enveloped by a magical feeling. The room, steeped in history, radiates a positive energy born from countless recordings that fill its walls with music, artistry, passion, and hard work. This year’s ceremony took place in Studio One, the world’s largest purpose-built recording studio, which comfortably accommodated over 350 attendees, including graduates, their families and friends, Abbey Road Institute international staff, and industry guests. Studio One, with its capacity to host a large symphony orchestra or chorus, was the perfect venue for an event of this size, making musical dreams a reality.

Global Attendees Gather to Celebrate

Attendees travelled from far and wide to be part of this special occasion, some coming from across the globe to support their loved ones. This inspiring venue has played host to celebrated classical recordings from Elgar and Prokofiev and iconic film scores from The Lord of The Rings trilogy, The Return of The Jedi, Skyfall, and Gravity. Recent films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Wonka, and Barbie have also been recorded here. Notable artist sessions have included Noel Gallagher, Little Simz, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Shygirl, Rudimental, Mabel, and Metronomy.

Inspirational Speeches and Heartfelt Recognitions

The main staff members of each institute greeted attendees, and the key staff members of the Global team and Abbey Road Studios gave inspiring speeches.

Abbey Road Institute CEO Luca Barassi kicked off the event with an inspiring speech:

“Each of you has worked incredibly hard to be here today. You have embarked on a journey of many challenges, growth, and creative development. We are here to recognize this accomplishment, celebrate your achievement, and welcome you to the professional music industry.
What you did is not easy, and we are very proud of you.”

Supportive Messages and Special Recognition

The welcome speeches were followed by supportive video messages from our international teams, including lecturers and guest lecturers from our Amsterdam institute, as well as friends of Abbey Road Institute, such as Nile Rodgers, Andrew Schepps, and other renowned engineers and producers. Furthermore, we celebrated the retirement of Lester Smith, the esteemed Abbey Road microphone custodian. Lester significantly contributed to our advanced music production diploma and sound engineering program. With over 50 years of experience at Abbey Road, his influence is invaluable. He received special recognition from Sir Paul McCartney for his invaluable service, who entered the stage with a heartwarming speech, creating a magical moment for our graduates, parents, and the entire Abbey Road Institute international team. This was also another highlight of the event.

Welcoming Speeches and Diploma Ceremony

Afterwards, a key member from each institute took the stage to give a warm welcome speech to the graduates and their families, and diplomas were handed out to the fresh graduates of each group. In the case of Amsterdam, our director, Jasper Derksen, delivered a touching speech, emphasizing the remarkable work the students had done and how they had developed throughout the course, with some even exceeding our expectations. Each student had their moment on stage for a picture, followed by a group photo that captured the magic of the evening and acknowledged their achievements.

Panel Discussion: Career Pathways in Music and Audio

The event ended with a panel discussion about the state of the industry and the available opportunities. Industry guests Marta Di Nozzi, Peter Walsh, Rafa Sardina, and Gili Portal discussed various career pathways in music and audio, including freelancing, studio work, networking, and building a client base. The title of the discussion was “Amplify Your Career: Professional Pathways In Music and Audio”. Attendees, graduates, and parents had the chance to ask questions to the panel, with the aim of inspiring new graduates about the possibilities in the industry and discussing insights into working in professional audio.

Exclusive Recording Workshops with Industry Experts

Following the ceremony, graduates engaged in exclusive recording workshops at Angel and Abbey Road Studios over the following days. At Angel Recording Studios, they were joined by Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, mixer, and producer Ricky Damian. Ricky began his career as the in-house audio engineer for Mark Ronson, working with artists like Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Miley Cyrus, and Dua Lipa. In 2016, he won a Grammy for “Record of The Year” for his work on the hit song ‘Uptown Funk.’ Since going freelance in 2017, Ricky has produced, engineered, and mixed for artists such as Jorja Smith, Sampha, Sam Smith, Ezra Collective, and Yebba.

Orchestral Recording Workshop at Abbey Road Studios

For the orchestral recording workshop at Abbey Road Studios, graduates worked alongside the esteemed Peter Walsh, Haydn Bendall, and the London Euphonia Orchestra. Haydn Bendall, a producer, engineer, and mixer, was a senior engineer at Abbey Road for over ten years and received the Audio Pro Industry Excellence Award for Best Studio Engineer in 2009. He has worked with artists including Kate Bush, XTC, Bonnie Tyler, Tina Turner, and Massive Attack. Peter Walsh, a multi-award-winning record producer and recording engineer, began his career at London’s Utopia Studios, working with Stevie Wonder, The Tubes, Spandau Ballet, and The Boomtown Rats.

Celebratory After-Party at Egg Music Venue

Following the graduation ceremony, all graduates and guests attended an exciting after-party at London’s renowned music venue, Egg, adding a memorable finale to our celebrations.

Relive the Magic: Photo Highlights of the Graduation

Check out some of our favourite moments below. The full photo gallery can be viewed and downloaded through the link at the bottom of this blog!

Congratulations Class of 2024

Once again, congratulations to the Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam Class of 2024 and all graduates of the institutes worldwide 🎉✨🎓⁠!

ARI Amsterdam Director Jasper Derksen gives a speech for the Amsterdam graduates and their guests.

Amsterdam graduates receiving their diploma from academic coordinator Anthony Maes and Director Jasper Derksen

All the Graduates of 2024 on stage

Congratulations to all our Amsterdam graduates, class of 2024!

The Amsterdam Class of 2024!

Would you like to see more?

You can access our entire photo library from this year’s Abbey Road Institute Global Graduation Ceremony on our Flickr account. More behind-the-scenes content coming soon!

Want to join the stage for your diploma?

Learn more about our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering