Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® Awards Sebastián Yatra Scholarship to Leo Luna Roblejo

The Foundation also awarded an additional 43 scholarships to music students worldwide

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Credit: John Parra/Getty Images for the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation

MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® awarded the Sebastián Yatra Scholarship to Cuban double bass player Leo Luna Roblejo during a special ceremony in Miami, hosted by award-winning journalist Pamela Silva, and sponsored by Loud And Live as part of their $1 million commitment over five years. Yatra, a Latin GRAMMY® winner and GRAMMY® nominee, performed alongside Luna Roblejo and additional scholarship recipients and alumni.

Also known as the Prodigy Scholarship, and sponsored annually by a Latin music icon, it was created ten years ago to support music education and Latin music genres. It holds a maximum value of $250,000 and allows Luna Roblejo to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Berklee College of Music in Boston, starting this fall. In addition, the scholarship supports the costs of tuition, room, board and wrap around services that include ongoing mentorship and learning opportunities provided in partnership with the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. Previous sponsors include: Nicky Jam (2023), Sofia Carson (2022), Juanes (2021), Julio Iglesias (2020), Emilio and Gloria Estefan (2019), Carlos Vives (2018), Miguel Bosé (2017), Juan Luis Guerra (2016) and Enrique Iglesias (2015).

Luna Roblejo, who resides in Miami, was selected by the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee from a highly competitive group of hundreds of applicants worldwide. Since its establishment, the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation has committed an extraordinary sum of more than $10 million in scholarships, grants, musical instruments, and educational programs throughout the United States and Ibero-America.

“It is with immense pride that we bestow our tenth Prodigy Scholarship as we continue to celebrate a decade of the Foundation’s unwavering mission to support and cultivate the next generation of Latin music creators,” said Raquel “Rocky” Egusquiza, Executive Director of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. “We are profoundly grateful for the generosity of respected artists such as Sebastián Yatra that provides these talented musical students the opportunity to follow their dreams and carry forward the rich legacy of Latin music.”

“Being a part of this incredible initiative alongside the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation, which supports young people on their journey to fulfill their dreams in music, is an honor,” shared Yatra. “Music has the power to change lives and unite cultures, and I am excited to see how these young people, like Leo, will carry forward the legacy of Latin music with passion and dedication. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to their education and artistic development,” he added.

“Music has been my calling and my passion ever since I was a young child, and to have the opportunity to pursue my dream thanks to the support of Sebastián Yatra and the incredible Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation is beyond anything I could have imagined,” said Luna Roblejo. “I am committed to making you all proud, and I will take full advantage of this opportunity, working hard every day to make the most of this gift.”

The Foundation also announced the recipients of its annual Gifted Tuition, Tuition Assistance, Bulova and Gibson Gives scholarships—with additional funds from First Horizon and the Arturo Sandoval Institute—that award 43 talented students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue an education at some of the most prestigious music institutions in the world.

Gifted Tuition Scholarship Recipients:

The following three students will each receive the Gifted Tuition Scholarship, with a maximum value of $120,000, which will support the tuition costs of four years of study at the university, college or music institution of their choice, and includes wrap around services provided by the Foundation:

Abraham Jiménez Sánchez, pianist from the Dominican Republic

Marcos Castilla Jiménez, pianist from Spain

Melany Fiorella Cisneros Fernández, bass player from Peru

Tuition Assistance, Bulova and Gibson Gives Scholarship Recipients:

In addition, the following 40 students will each receive the Tuition Assistance Scholarship, a one-time scholarship with a maximum value of $12,500 toward the tuition costs for the university or college of their choice, and includes wrap around services provided by the Foundation. Bulova will sponsor one Tuition Assistance Scholarship and Gibson Gives, Gibson’s philanthropic division, will sponsor three Tuition Assistance Scholarships of up to $12,500 each, in addition to a gifted Gibson or Epiphone instrument, for students pursuing a music education with electric or acoustic guitar as their principal instrument:

NAME

INSTRUMENT

COUNTRY

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY

Andrés Felipe Palacios

Guitar

Colombia

Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University

Pedro Henrique Cheik Costantin

Guitar

Brazil

Faculdade de Música Souza Lima

Pedro Secco

Guitar

Brazil

Berklee College of Music

Adrian Delgado

Piano

Venezuela

Berklee College of Music

Alberto Barba

Piano

Spain

Manhattan School of Music

Andrés Guerra

Guitar

Venezuela

Mannes School of Music at The New School

Carla Chiang

Piano

Dominican Republic

Berklee College of Music

Carlos Chacon

Violin

Venezuela

Roosevelt University

Cobe Isai Banda Salcido

Guitar

Mexico

Tecnológico de Monterrey, México

Cristian Tamblay

Drum Set

Chile

New York University

Daniel Olivero

Voice

Venezuela

Art House Academy

Dora Oliva Devoghel

Violin

Venezuela

New England Conservatory

Eduardo de Abreu Moro

Guitar

Brazil

New York University

Estevan Olmos

Percussion

United States

University of Southern California

Filipe Gomes da Silva

Trombone

Brazil

Faculdade de Música Souza Lima

Franco Dilmé Romero

Saxophone

Cuba

University of North Carolina Greensboro

Guillermo Wan

Bass

Ecuador

Berklee College of Music

Héctor Moreno Guerrero

Piano

Dominican Republic

Berklee College of Music

João Vítor Aredes Martins Paulo

Drum Set

Brazil

Faculdade de Música Souza Lima

Juan Bautista Saus Ruiz

Saxophone

Spain

Eastman School of Music

Juan Diego Alvan Madueño

Piano

Peru

Los Angeles College of Music

Laia Martínez Gelabert

Bass

Spain

Berklee College of Music

Laura Victoria Arean

Piano

Cuba

Schulich School of Music, Canada

Lorenzo Curik

Drum Set

Argentina

Berklee College of Music

Lucía Gregorio

Voice

Spain

Centro Superior Música Creativa

Luis González

Cello

Venezuela

Roosevelt University

Manuela Sánchez Goubert

Voice

Colombia

Berklee College of Music

María Jose Insuasti

Voice

Colombia

Concordia University Irvine

María Medina

Piano

Cuba

Berklee College of Music

Marien Femerling García

Piano

Mexico

Manhattan School of Music

Marina Marchi Silveira

Voice

Brazil

Faculdade de Música Souza Lima

Murilo Reis Teixeira

Piano

Brazil

Faculdade de Música Souza Lima

Pau Jorba Bonastre

Saxophone

Spain

Mannes School of Music at The New School

Octavio Mujica

Cello

Venezuela

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Pia Ella Odar Ruiz

Bass

Peru

Berklee College of Music

Rafael Nocedo

Piano

Cuba

Berklee College of Music

Sergio de Miguel

Piano

Spain

Columbia College Chicago

Simón Martínez

Piano

Ecuador

Berklee College of Music

Sofía Almeida

Voice

Portugal

Berklee College of Music

Andrés Escalona

Bass

Colombia

Berklee College of Music

ABOUT THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION:

The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by The Latin Recording Academy® with the vision of becoming a global champion of music education and empowering communities through Latin music and culture. In 2024 the Foundation will celebrate its 10-year anniversary, and during the last decade it has fostered the next generation of Latin music creators through scholarships, education programs and grants that advance Latin music and celebrate its rich cultural heritage. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $10 million dollars with the support of The Latin Recording Academy’s members, artists, corporate sponsors and other generous donors. For additional information or to donate, please visit latingrammyculturalfoundation.org or our Facebook page. And follow us @latingrammyfdn on X and Instagram, and at Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation on Facebook and LinkedIn.

ABOUT SEBASTIÁN YATRA:

Sebastián Yatra is a leading force in Latin music today. The Colombian-born singer-songwriter has shown there’s no limit to his artistry and composition through his hits that explore sounds spanning the Latin genre, including pop, urban, and traditional music influences. Since launching with his debut album Mantra in 2018, Yatra’s songs have amassed over 37 billion combined streams across all digital music platforms and 26 RIAA certifications. In 2022, he won two Latin GRAMMYs®, including Best Pop Vocal Album for his third LP Dharma, which was also nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards®. That same year, “Dos Oruguitas,” the song Yatra performed for the Disney movie Encanto, was nominated for an Academy Award and saw him perform the single on the Oscar stage. His recent hits include “Energía Bacana,” which he performed at the 25th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards®, and “VAGABUNDO,” which is certified Latin Platinum in the U.S. The chart-topping talent has collaborated with a variety of peers including John Legend, Rita Wilson, the Jonas Brothers, Michael Bublé, Ricky Martin, Carlos Vives, Myke Towers, Manuel Turizo, among others, and is currently working on his fourth album.

Contacts

The Latin Recording Academy
Nathalie Alberto

[email protected]