Alumna Fabiola M. Mndez Receives Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship

Alumna Fabiola M. M ndez Receives Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship M ndez is one of four musicians to be awarded the $25,000 grant for the 2022-2023 season.

By

Media Relations Staff

August 18, 2022

Fabiola M. M ndez

Image courtesy of the artist

Berklee alumna Fabiola M. M ndez B.M. '18 is one of four musicians that were awarded a Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship for the 2022-2023 season. A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, M ndez was the first student to graduate from Berklee specializing in the cuatro, a string instrument that functions like a guitar but is closer in shape to a violin.

Whippoorwill Arts fellows each receive a $25,000 direct-to-artist grant to conceive, develop, create, and present a music-based project of their choice, to be completed in a year's time. In addition to the grant, the fellowship program includes a weeklong retreat to Puerto Rico in February 2023; a featured performance at the Whippoorwill Arts Festival in October 2022 in Tacoma, Washington; and the opportunity to attend four virtual gatherings throughout the year to connect, exchange ideas, and get creative.

As an independent artist who works under many umbrellas within the music industry, it is sometimes challenging to find ones artistic north, said M ndez. This fellowship provides an opportunity to concretize what that next step looks like [and] brings me back to the core of my identity...a return to my Puerto Rican folk roots, to explore how all these sounds, rhythms, and frequencies connect us all, and to implement those elements into the creation of new artistic work.

Fellowship recipients are nominated by past fellows, in addition to members of the Whippoorwill Arts staff and board. The final four artists are determined through a committee selection process. Molly Tuttle '14, a Berklee alumna, is a 2018 fellow who was part of the organization's first cohort.

My partner Jim Nunally and I are working musicians ourselves, said Hilary Perkins, cofounder of Whippoorwill Arts. We have experienced firsthand both the joy and the struggle of making a life in music sustainable. We created the fellowship program for working musicians to nurture their creativity, celebrate their talent and dedication, and, honestly, to put money directly into their pockets. We decided to translate our passion for music into a tangible way to respect the people who make it. We hope this program inspires many others to find creative ways to support the working musicians who literally make this world a more beautiful place.

Related Categories

News

Most Popular

Image collage by Kelly Davidson

What Are the Best Video Game Soundtracks? Faculty from Berklees game and interactive media scoring (GAIMS) program pick their favorite video game music, from Mega Man to God of War.

Latest

Joni Mitchell with jazz legends Herbie Hancock (left) and Wayne Shorter (right) at a ceremony in Santa Monica, California, where she was presented with an honorary doctorate from Berklee.

Image by Kelly Davidson

Berklee Presents Honorary Doctorate to Joni Mitchell The legend was celebrated with a musical tribute under the direction of multiple Grammy Award-winning musician Terri Lyne Carrington.

From left: Sofia Carson; Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy; and Valentina Garc a attend the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Sofia Carson Prodigy Scholarship ceremony on August 11, 2022, in Miami, Florida.

Image by John Parra/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Valentina Garc a Receives the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundations Sofia Carson Scholarship The 19-year-old Venezuelan vocalist will pursue a bachelors degree at Berklee this fall.

Fabiola M. M ndez

Image courtesy of the artist

Alumna Fabiola M. M ndez Receives Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship M ndez is one of four musicians to be awarded the $25,000 grant for the 2022-2023 season.

Read All

Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.

LINK:	https://www.berklee.edu/berklee-now/news/berklee-alumna-fabiola-m-mend...
	See more stories from berklee

North America Stories