Berklee College of Music Students, Recent Alumni Showcase Songwriting Talent in Boston Area Concerts -

By Anthony Curioso

Are you looking for new songs to add to your playlists?

Some students and recent graduates from Berklee College of Music aim to help you in your search by hosting short concerts in Boston and its suburbs. These concerts are an avenue to showcase each performer’s songwriting talents and wide range of musical abilities.

Many of these concerts are part of Berklee’s “Summer in the City” program, which offers free music at 14 venues around Boston and its suburbs. Other musicians I have seen or plan to see this summer have booked their concerts individually with the respective venues.

All of the performances discussed in this article, in the “Summer in the City” series or otherwise, feature past participants of Berklee’s “Aspire: Five Week Music Performance Intensive,” which I attended in person in 2019 and for part of the online program in 2020 before withdrawing from the latter due to since-resolved medical issues. Additionally, each performance discussed in this article features a healthy blend of the artists’ currently released music, upcoming releases to look forward to later this summer, and covers of extremely popular songs that most people should know.

The 2025 “Summer in the City” concert series began in early June; my first concert was on June 20 at Atlantic Wharf, just a three-minute walk from South Station in Boston. The performer was Jessica Woodlee, a 2020 Five-Week Music Performance Intensive participant who graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2025. Originally from New Jersey, she now lives in New York City. This concert was part of a summer tour, which included another performance in the series on July 1 at the same venue.

Woodlee’s original music can best be described as a combination of indie-pop, breakup music, and songs of hope.

Emily Sclar is a singer and violinist from Freeport, Maine. She participated in the Aspire: Five Week Music Performance Intensive at Berklee in 2019 and graduated from Berklee in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in music therapy. While studying abroad in Spain, she formed a band called “Emily and the Galaxy” with several classmates.

“Emily and the Galaxy” booked separate performances this summer instead of participating in a concert series. Sclar joined the band’s guitarist to perform as the “Galaxy Duo” at the WNDR Museum in Boston on June 28. The band played at the Irish pub, The Plough and Stars, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on July 11.

Sclar showcased exceptional singing and violin skills during both concerts and had a profound connection with her fellow bandmates. Also, the set lists included several of my favorite songs released by Sclar.

Furthermore, the concert at The Plough and Stars allowed “Emily and the Galaxy” to feed off the raucous energy of the packed pub. This concert featured one of Sclar’s cousins joining the band as a guest singer for Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie”, a clear fan favorite among many audience members.

Later this summer, “Emily and the Galaxy” will perform at The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge on July 17; at Aeronaut Brewery in Somerville, Massachusetts, on July 23; and at City Winery near Boston’s North End on August 11.

Julia Aronovich, originally from Brazil, is a rising senior majoring in songwriting at Berklee. She participated in the virtual Aspire: Five-Week program in 2020. On July 8, 2025, Aronovich performed at Lyrik, located just across the street from Berklee’s campus, as part of the “Summer in the City” series. She showcased her beautifully innovative writing, singing, and guitar-playing techniques during her performance, accompanied by another guitarist and a cellist. Aronovich will also perform for the “Summer in the City” series on August 5 at Atlantic Wharf.

Ohio-born singer-songwriter Lauren Jean, a 2019 Aspire: Five Week participant and 2025 Berklee College of Music graduate, has made waves since 2020 with an American Idol appearance, her debut EP, and performances with her all-female band in Boston and Ohio.

At her July 11 “Summer in the City” concert at South Boston Maritime Park, Lauren Jean blended R&B and soft rock, drawing inspiration from artists like Amy Winehouse, Lola Young, and Stevie Nicks. She also incorporated herself singing and playing acoustic-electric guitar alongside a bass guitar player and a percussionist who played a Peruvian box drum called a cajón.

Lauren Jean will perform again on July 24 at 6 p.m. at the Institute of Contemporary Art near the Boston Seaport as part of the “Summer in the City” series.

All the artists featured in this article have released music that one can stream on any mainstream music platform.