Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Fabiola Méndez
Fabiola Méndez
Berklee's first-ever Homecoming Block Party brings alumni back to Boston on Saturday, September 19, for a daylong celebration of the music that started here. Our Homecoming Artist Spotlight series introduces the alumni taking the stage, including their favorite Berklee memories, the lessons they carried out into their careers, and what "coming home" means to them now.
Fabiola Méndez, a Puerto Rican cuatrista, singer, educator, and Emmy-nominated composer from Caguas, made history in 2018 as the first student to graduate from Berklee with the Puerto Rican cuatro as her principal instrument. Blending folk, jazz, and Afro-Caribbean traditions, she has performed at NPR's Tiny Desk, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and collaborated with artists including the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Pedro Capó, and Danny Rivera. She was named Latin Artist of the Year at the 2023 Boston Music Awards, has received honors including the Quincy Jones and ASCAP Foundation Lucille and Jack Yellen awards, and earned a 2023 Children’s and Family Emmy nomination for her work on PBS Kids’ Alma’s Way.
Berklee's first-ever Homecoming Block Party takes place Saturday, September 19, from 1 to 6 p.m. Learn more and get your tickets.
To come back home and perform—not as a student, but as a professional musician this time around—feels surreal and I couldn't be more excited.—
Berklee is celebrating its first-ever Homecoming this year. What was your reaction when you were invited to be part of it?
I'm super excited to be back at my alma mater and to perform after many years of growth and musical experiences around the world!
Looking back, what's one Berklee memory that still makes you smile or has stayed with you throughout your career?
I remember one time at Berklee that one of my guitar professors encouraged me to play around with the tuning on my cuatro. It felt like a crazy idea, but it made me think outside the box. Nowadays, a lot of my original music is an exploration of how the cuatro can sound in a variety of harmonic influences.
How did your time at Berklee shape the artist, or person, you are today?
So much of my time at Berklee shaped who I am as an artist. The way that I approach my compositions and my playing is influenced by the genres of music and composition techniques I was exposed to at Berklee. I was very blessed to have been the first Puerto Rican cuatro player to graduate from Berklee, which has had its own positive impact on my career because of the historic weight that achievement entails for the Puerto Rican community and for traditional instruments in general. The connections I made while at Berklee have stuck with me and have opened doors in the national and international music community.
Watch Fabiola Méndez's Tiny Desk Concert:
Homecoming is all about reconnecting. What does "coming home" to Berklee mean to you at this stage of your career?
It's a reaffirmation that the work and journey thus far haven't gone unnoticed. To come back home and perform—not as a student, but as a professional musician this time around—feels surreal and I couldn't be more excited.
What advice would you share with current Berklee students who are just beginning their own journey?
Every stage, no matter how big or small, becomes your presentation letter. Honor each and every stage you step on and the audience that comes to support you. A lot of the small gigs become the pathway for bigger opportunities. It only takes one presenter or one audience member to speak positively about your work. That will open the next door, and the next, and the next, until you look back and realize how much of your growth comes from the community that has supported you along the way.
