MIAMI (JULY 9, 2020) — The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® announced today the recipients of its annual Gifted Tuition Scholarships and Tuition Assistance Scholarships, that will allow 43 talented students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue an education at some of the most prestigious musical institutions in the world. The recipients join the winner of the Julio Iglesias Scholarship, Mar Giménez Marín, who was awarded the Prodigy Scholarship last month to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Since its establishment six years ago, the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation has allocated more than $5 million in scholarships, grants, musical instruments and educational events throughout the United States and Ibero-America.
“We are extremely happy to bestow these scholarships to music students from all over the world who feel the same passion for Latin music and culture that we do,” said Manolo Díaz, Senior Vice President of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. “As we continue to work hard to accomplish our mission, we are grateful that we are able to provide support for the next generation of music makers thanks to our generous donors.”
Gifted Tuition Scholarship Recipients
The following three students will each receive the Gifted Tuition Scholarship, with a maximum value of $100,000, which will support a portion of the tuition costs for the university or college of their choice:
- María Bustos, flutist from Venezuela
- Diana Valero, pianist from Venezuela
- Aitana Poey Rodríguez, saxophonist from Cuba
Tuition Assistance Scholarship Recipients
In addition, the following 40 students will each receive the Tuition Assistance Scholarship, a one-time scholarship with a maximum value of $10,000 toward the tuition costs for the university or college of their choice:
Recipient |
Principal Instrument |
Country of Origin |
College/University |
Luis Anselmi |
Venezuelan Cuatro |
Venezuela |
Humber College, Canada |
José Alberto Aponte Trujillo |
Violin |
Mexico |
University of Houston, Texas |
Cristian Ávila |
Guitar |
Ecuador |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Daniel Ávila |
Electric Guitar |
Colombia |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Rafael Beck d’Ávila Mello |
Flute |
Brazil |
Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
Santiago Bertel |
Piano |
Colombia |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Ruvit Bracho Márquez |
Violin |
Venezuela |
Stetson University, Dilan, Florida |
Jimena Caballero |
Voice |
Mexico |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Bianca Cabili |
Upright Bass |
Argentina |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Gabriel Chakarji |
Piano |
Venezuela |
Manhattan School of Music, New York |
Herbert de Lima |
Saxophone |
Brazil |
Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
Arthur de Souza Lima Scarpini |
Guitar |
Brazil |
Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
Estefane de Souza Santos |
Trumpet |
Brazil |
Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
Daniel Duarte |
Piano |
Dominican Republic |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Maurizio Fiore |
Acoustic Guitar |
Venezuela |
Longy School of Music of Bard College, Boston |
Samuel Frois |
Violin |
Brazil |
The New School, New York |
Francisco Garrido |
Guitar |
Venezuela |
The New School, New York |
Facundo Goycoa |
Guitar |
Argentina |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Marco Grispo |
Guitar |
Argentina |
The New School, New York |
Alejandro Guillén |
Piano |
Venezuela |
Montclair State University, New Jersey |
Sofía Hernández |
Voice |
Peru |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Álvaro Huancahuari |
Saxophone |
Peru |
Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
Raúl Marcano |
Clarinet |
Venezuela |
University of North Texas, Denton |
Sebastián Marino |
Alto Saxophone |
Puerto Rico |
Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico |
Eduardo Mendoza |
Saxophone |
Bolivia |
Northern State University, South Dakota |
Pablo Muñoz |
Guitar |
Colombia |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Gabriel Nieves |
Flute |
Mexico |
Conservatorio de las Rosas, Mexico |
Marcin Patrzalek |
Guitar |
Poland |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Rubén Portillo |
Classical Guitar |
Paraguay |
Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University, Baltimore |
Ana Carmela Ramírez Contramaestre |
Voice |
Venezuela |
The New School, New York |
Isaac Romagosa |
Guitar |
Spain |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Oscar Rojas |
Piano |
Mexico |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Juan Felipe Rojas Triana |
Voice |
Colombia |
Full Sail, Orlando, Florida |
Orlando Salazar |
Oboe |
Venezuela |
Longy School of Music of Bard College, Boston |
Juan Sebastián Sánchez Duque |
Percussion |
Colombia |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
João Semedo |
Vibraphone |
Portugal |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Cristian Tamblay |
Drum Set |
Chile |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
Daniel Tenes de Oliveira |
Drum Set |
Brazil |
Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
Alonso Umaña |
Drum Set |
Mexico |
The City College of New York |
Ángela Varo Moreno |
Violin |
Spain |
Berklee College of Music, Boston |
The scholarship recipients were carefully selected by the Latin GRAMMY Foundation’s Scholarship Committee, which is tasked with meticulously evaluating a large and highly competitive pool of aspiring musicians based on a variety of skills and rigorous policies developed by the Latin GRAMMY Foundation. Additionally, the recipients of the Gifted Tuition Scholarship and the Julio Iglesias Scholarship are required to maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA and meet the standards of academic excellence set forth by the Latin GRAMMY Foundation and their respective institutions in order to qualify for renewal during their college tenure, which is assessed each semester.