Sunset Wednesdays
Fabiola Méndez
July 30, 2025
7:00PM – 8:00PM
Photo: NuttyMar Photography
PROGRAM
Selections to be announced from the stage
ARTISTS
Fabiola Méndez, vocals & Puerto Rican cuatro
Irisley Luis Gomez, electric bass
Nelson Matt Gonzalez, percussion
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Fabiola Méndez is a Puerto Rican cuatrista, singer, educator, and Emmy-nominated composer. Her artistic vision and original music focus on the exploration of her culture, her ancestry, and her identities.
Native to Caguas, PR, Méndez began playing the cuatro, Puerto Rico's national instrument, at the age of six. She received her early musical training at the Antonio Paoli School of Music in Caguas and her Bachelor in Music from Berklee College of Music, where in 2018 she made history as the first graduate to play the Puerto Rican cuatro as principal instrument.
Méndez's mission has always been to share and celebrate the cuatro, folk music, and collective storytelling. In doing so, she has had the honor of performing at venues such as the NPR Tiny Desk, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Celebrity Series of Boston, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fred Rogers Productions, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, among many others. She has also collaborated with many local and international artists, including the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Totó La Momposina, Pedro Capó, Andy Montañez, Danny Rivera, Chicago Philharmonic, and the Boston Landmarks Orchestra.
Her list of recordings include: Herencia Criolla (2009), Al Otro Lado Del Charco (2019), Afrorriqueña (2021), and Flora Campesina (2024). In 2022, she produced her first documentary "Negrura", showcasing Afro-Latinx stories in topics around colorism and discrimination within our own communities.
In recent years, Méndez has been recognized with such honors as the Quincy Jones Award, ambassador for the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York, the Brother Thomas Fellowship, the Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship, and the ASCAP Foundation Lucille and Jack Yellen Award 2022. She was also nominated for a Children's and Family Emmy in the category of Outstanding Interactive Media and won the "Latin Artist of the Year 2023" by the Boston Music Awards. Her music is featured on the film Beautiful, FL (Disney+), on the tv shows Alma's Way, Work It Out Wombats (PBS Kids), and Mecha Builders (HBO Max), as well as indie films, jingles, and TV commercials.
Ray Oladapo-Johnson, Executive Director
Gabriel de Guzman, Director of Arts & Chief Curator
Wave Hill’s Performing Arts Program is supported in part by the Bronx Delegation of the New York City Council and Council Member Eric Dinowitz; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the Cathy and Stephen Weinroth Commissioning Fund for the Arts.
Join us for more concerts in our Sunset Wednesdays summer music series through August 6th!