On May 11, 2018, Paquito D’Rivera received an Honorary Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music. The presentation was made during the school’s Commencement Ceremony by MSM President James Gandre and Interim Provost Joan Gordon.
D’Rivera was honored along with other luminaries including Placido Domingo, conductor Bernard Labadie, pianist Robert McDonald (DMA’90), and Luis Perez, founder and director of MSM’s Musical Theatre Program.
Previously, D’Rivera has received honorary doctorates from the University of Pennsylvania, Berklee College of Music, the State University of New York, and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
