CDI's 20th Anniversary Celebration Featuring D-Nice Packs the House!

More than 500 members of the NYU community and the music industry gathered at 74Wythe in Brooklyn on April 11 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.

Two decades of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and industry partners—including Grammy-nominated alums Madison Love, Marc Soto, and Kaleb Rollins, Amazon executive Rosa Asciolla, Beastie Boys manager John Silva and Def Jam’s Riggs Morales—attended the celebration.

“For the past 20 years the Clive Davis Institute has fostered some of the industry’s most exciting new musical artists and creative business minds,” says Tisch School of the Arts Dean Allyson Green. “Our outstanding faculty, leaders, and staff cultivate an exciting learning environment that allows for both the freedom to experiment and the tools to navigate the competitive music world.”

Love, who was honored at the Tisch School of the Arts Gala on April 8, was in attendance, as were Noah Yoo and Sedona Schat, who make up the duo Cafuné, recently signed to Elektra Records. Spotify, Def Jam and Atlantic were among the major music companies represented. 

Although unable to attend, founder and supporter Mr. Clive Davis sent a congratulatory video message that was screened at the event.

“It’s incredible to see how far the program has come and how successful the students have been,” Davis said. “There are students winning Grammy Awards in major categories, actually dominating the Billboard charts, and occupying major positions at record labels, agencies and management companies.

“I hope students continue to find success and emerge as the leaders in the 21st century music business,” he said.

Nicholas Sansano, the institute’s chairman, described the event as a thank you to the community.

“Our goal was to give back to our community, for all that they have accomplished and for how well they’ve represented CDI,” Sansano explains. “From our alums and their families, to our students, and so many people within the industry that have supported us over the years, we just wanted to celebrate and say thank you. We weren’t asking anyone for anything other than to come and be a part of our celebration."