Berklee in Puerto Rico Program to Host 30th Anniversary Concert The event will feature Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning artist Miguel Zen n BM '98, cuatro player Fabiola M ndez BM '18, and other musical guests.
By
Colette Greenstein
April 23, 2025
Students performed at the Berklee in Puerto Rico concert in 2024.
Image courtesy of Make Music Happen
The Berklee in Puerto Rico program will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a concert headlined by Berklee alum and Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow Miguel Zen n 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 lvarez '83, founding president of Make Music Happen, the concert will be led by Berklee alum and musical director Edmar Col n BM '15, MM '16. It will feature a host of Berklee alumni, including cuatro player Fabiola M ndez BM '18, who recently performed with Bad Bunny on NPR's Tiny Desk concert series; multi-percussionist Marcos L pez BM '11, who is currently on tour with Marc Anthony; composer, arranger, and producer David Antonio Rosado Ortiz BM '24; electric bassist Aldemar Valent n 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 lvarez '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 Zen n. 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. Im 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 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 Berklees 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 didnt even know I had, said Fabiola M ndez. Being a cuatrista and growing up with traditional music, I didnt 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.
lvarez, 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, lvarez 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 Col n. I can attest to how transfo
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
01/06/2026
Designed to solve a common problem in broadcasting, the automated workflow detects, identifies, removes, and documents copyrighted music
AudioShake has introdu...
01/06/2026
The sports-analytics company combines its data with proprietary AI to help leagu...
01/06/2026
Category line-up & sponsors announced
Photo: Paul Clarke
The Production Music Awards (PMA) have announced that submissions are now officially open ahead of...
01/06/2026
New hybrid sample/synthesis instrument revealed
Excite Audio have just released the latest instalment in their Evolve series, which has been developed in co...
01/06/2026
Latest TONEX expansion captures three rare vintage amps
The newest addition to IK Multimedia's ever-growing TONEX line-up introduces a set of three incr...
01/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
01/06/2026
SBS confirms its broadcast sponsors for FIFA World Cup 2026
1 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has secured Hyundai, Hisense, Macca's, Rexona, bet365, Com...
01/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Satellite Industry Days 2026 guided by the motto From Earth to ...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Marshall Electronics is showcasing a comprehensive lineup of next-generation POV cameras, purpose-built to power today's connected AV environments, at InfoC...
01/06/2026
Adobe Announces Concept to Vector
Deepa Subramaniam June 1, 2026
0 Comments
One of the biggest frustrations we hear from designers is how difficult it...
01/06/2026
Vampire Feature Night Patrol Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton June 1, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist shapes dark, gritty tone for horror thri...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Mardi 2 juin 14h00
FilmLight (ARRI), 10 rue Ren Boulanger, 75010 Paris
Rejoignez-nous pour d couvrir comment FLAPI (l'API FilmLight) peut transformer e...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
31/05/2026
Olivia P rez-Collellmir to Premiere Original Work at Gaud Centennial in Barcelona The Berklee graduate and faculty member will debut her choral symphony with...
31/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Wins 15 Awards at the Canadian Screen Awards - See Pho...
31/05/2026
Taiwan is home to more than 500 NVIDIA ecosystem partners. More than 1 million N...
31/05/2026
As factories move from isolated automation to plant-wide intelligence, manufacturers need AI systems that can connect live machine signals, quality systems, wor...
31/05/2026
The NVIDIA AI Cloud ecosystem is accelerating the global buildout of AI factory infrastructure. Partners are expanding capacity to meet growing demand from ente...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
Berklee in Puerto Rico Program to Host 30th Anniversary Concert The event will feature Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning artist Miguel Zen n BM '98, cuatro player Fabiola M ndez BM '18, and other musical guests.
