Alumni Spotlight – Dan Moretti
Dan Moretti
Q. What has your degree meant to you personally and professionally?
A. My degree has opened the doors for my current position as a Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I am now in my 20th year at Berklee. It also allowed me to create and realize my own path in the music world with 17 CD’s released internationally as a jazz saxophonist and composer and producer.
Q. What quality do you admire most about your alma mater?
A. Union Institute & University recognizes that life experience counts.
Q. If you could give advice to a Union student, what would it be?
A. Try to conceptualize your success first, and then discover the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals. Those steps should be incremental and with a clear understanding you should be able to find the faculty and degree program that can facilitate those steps.
Q. What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment?
A. Being able to write, record and perform my original music throughout the world and play with some of the icons of the music industry. Partial lists of people I have performed alongside include Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Kid Rock, Stevie Nicks, Ray Charles, Temptations, Four Tops, and many more. Feel free to visit my web site and learn more about my career at www.danmoretti.com.
Q. What is your passion away from work?
A. Practicing the saxophone and surfing.
About Dan Moretti
Dan is a 1977 graduate of Union Institute & University. He is a professor in the Contemporary Writing and Production Department at Berklee College of Music. In 2006, he was awarded the Curriculum Development Award for the on-campus version of the Arranging Contemporary Styles course. Moretti is a saxophonist and flutist, composer, producer, and audio engineer. He has produced and recorded 17 world releases as a leader. His last five CDs have been in the top 40 charts in the United States.
In addition, Moretti is a MacColl-Johnson Fellow, awarded in 2010 for “The Journey,” a recording of his original music that he produced with the Piccola Orchestra La Viola. He has toured throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa, presenting educational seminars and performing as a leader and a sideman. In 2015, he toured again with Nile Rodgers, the legendary producer and guitarist whose credits include Daft Punk, David Bowie, Madonna, and Duran Duran. His influences, ranging from jazz and classical to funk and Latin jazz, come from his experience performing and recording with artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, the Temptations, Mike Stern, Dave Samuels, David Liebman, Marvin Stamm, and the Crusaders. (Source: Berklee College of Music)