Berklee in Puerto Rico Program to Host 30th Anniversary Concert

The Berklee in Puerto Rico program will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a concert headlined by Berklee alum and Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow Miguel Zenón BM ’98 on Thursday, June 5, at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferre in the Sala de Festivales Antonio Paoli in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Produced by Luis Álvarez ’83, founding president of Make Music Happen(Opens in a new window), the concert will be led by Berklee alum and musical director Edmar Colón BM ’15, MM ’16. It will feature a host of Berklee alumni, including cuatro player Fabiola Méndez BM ’18, who recently performed with Bad Bunny on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series(Opens in a new window); multi-percussionist Marcos López(Opens in a new window) BM ’11, who is currently on tour with Marc Anthony; composer, arranger, and producer David Antonio Rosado Ortiz(Opens in a new window) BM ’24; electric bassist Aldemar Valentín PD ’99, BM ’03; drummer David Rivera ’08; flutist Kalani Trinidad ’12; vocalist Jeremy Bosch ’12; saxophonist Mario Castro ’11, and percussionist Zayra Pola Ocasio ’13. The evening will also include a performance by a special surprise guest artist.

Listen to a playlist of artists performing at the Berklee in Puerto Rico 30th Anniversary Concert:

“With this magnificent concert, we are celebrating the virtuosity of these unique musicians and, most importantly, their commitment to becoming outstanding performers,” said Álvarez ’83, a former Berklee trustee and current vice chair of the Berklee Valencia Advisory Board. “They have become best-in-class with conviction, relentless resiliency, inexhaustible energy, and self-discipline. In doing so, they prove to the next crop of young artists that there are no limits to what can be achieved with energy and discipline. This is what we celebrate with the 30th anniversary concert of Berklee in Puerto Rico; this is how we make music happen.”

“I’m very excited to be part of the concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of Berklee in Puerto Rico,” said Zenón. “I was part of the very first class in 1995, and it’s been a real joy to see the program grow over the last three decades, becoming such an important platform for up-and-coming Puerto Rican musicians. I'm looking forward to the concert in June.”

Berklee faculty will also be well-represented on stage, including Fernando Huergo, professor of bass and the program’s academic director; Rebecca Cline, professor of piano and a 1997 Berklee in Puerto Rico alum; Yoron Israel, chair of percussion; Grammy Award–winning percussionist Eguie Castillo; Nadia Washington, assistant professor of ear training (vocal instructor); Jeff Claassen, professor of harmony and jazz composition (brass instructor); Lauren Sevian, associate professor of woodwinds; Jonathan Suazo(Opens in a new window) MM ’17, alumni artist (woodwind instructor) and a 2005 Berklee in Puerto Rico student; Caio Afiune, a Brazilian guitarist and composer and associate professor of ear training; and Jason Camelio, trombonist and assistant vice president of global programs and partnerships.

The concert will also feature Berklee in Puerto Rico legacy professors Ron Savage, an acclaimed drummer and vice president and executive director at Berklee College of Music; trumpeter Greg Hopkins, professor of harmony and jazz composition; and Oscar Stagnaro, a Grammy Award–winning bassist and Berklee professor. 

Since its inception in 1995, more than 4,000 students have participated in the Berklee in Puerto Rico program, which is anchored by a foundation in Berklee's core areas of music instruction, including music theory, ear training, improvisation, ensemble performance, and instrumental training. Over six days, Berklee faculty and special guest artists lead master classes in composition, arranging, and songwriting, while students also have the opportunity to audition for admission to the college and for scholarships to attend Berklee. All artists performing in the concert have participated in the program.

"The Berklee in Puerto Rico program changed my life. It opened a new door of possibilities and dreams I didn't even know I had,” said Fabiola Méndez. “Being a cuatrista and growing up with traditional music, I didn't think of myself as an instrumentalist who was capable of exploring other genres, studying with non-cuatro teachers, or expanding the harmonic and melodic language of my instrument. The program allowed me to challenge these notions about myself, to audition for Berklee and eventually earn a scholarship to attend the college, which then opened a multidimensional path of opportunities and growth that was totally unimaginable."

Álvarez, who has been instrumental in creating the program, is also a scholarship donor, supporting talented and deserving students in attending Berklee’s full-time programs. He has helped provide more than $350,000 in scholarships to the institution. In recognition of his significant contributions to the Berklee community, Álvarez will receive the Berklee Alumni Achievement Award at the 30th anniversary concert. This prestigious honor is presented to alumni for their outstanding accomplishments and lasting impact on the performing arts and beyond. Previous recipients include Abraham Laboriel Jr. ’94, Terri Lyne Carrington ’83, H ’03, and Juan Luis Guerra ’82.

“I owe a great part of my early musical development to the comprehensive work realized during my time at the Berklee in Puerto Rico program, which I had the opportunity to attend on three occasions,” said Colón. “I can attest to how transformative this program has been for me, and I am very grateful to have been a student, an alum, and now the musical director for the 30th anniversary concert. It truly is a full-circle moment.”

The 30th anniversary concert will be held on Thursday, June 5, at 8:00 p.m., at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferre(Opens in a new window) in the Sala de Festivales Antonio Paoli in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Admission is $125, $65, and $45. Tickets are available online(Opens in a new window).

Throughout its existence, Berklee in Puerto Rico has received the support of several entities that have allowed the program to continue its educational mission, including Fundación Banco Popular, Liberty Foundation, and the Municipio de Caguas. Other collaborators include Delta Air Lines, HUB International, ALFA 2.0, Good Bunny Foundation, Aireko Foundation, Cedrela Consulting Group, Supermercados Selectos, Rimas Music, Rimas Publishing, Departamento de Educación de PR, and PRLinks Communications.