The Boston Arts Academy has named Krystal Prime Banfield as vice chair of its board of trustees. Banfield currently serves as the Berklee College of Music vice president for Educational Outreach and Social Entrepreneurship and brings her extensive experience in music education and community educational programming to her new role. An accomplished soloist and chorister, Banfield has also previously served as director of education for VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum, as well as dean of Berklee City Music.
In 2016, Banfield was awarded the Amtrak Pioneer Award, created in celebration of Black History Month to honor African American leaders who have made impactful contributions to the city of Boston and the greater community. That same year, she received the New England Women’s Leadership Award from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, which has been celebrating inspiring women for the past 25 years.
Prior to coming to Berklee, Banfield was a voice instructor at St. Paul Conservatory of Music and an adjunct voice professor at the University of St. Thomas, and has performed as a soloist and chorister at the American Embassy in Havana, Cuba and in Bavaria, Germany.
A Detroit native, Banfield holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Howard University, a Master of Music from Indiana University-Bloomington, and a Doctor of Education with concentrations in curriculum development, critical pedagogy, and educational leadership from the University of St. Thomas-Minneapolis.
