A Frost School of Music alumnus was awarded one of the Latin Grammys’ most important prizes on Thursday, while other alumni shaped the Person of the Year gala, one of Latin music’s most important gatherings. Latin music pioneer and Miami icon Gloria Estefan, a Frost School alumna, supporter, and collaborator, gave a knockout performance on the telecast and was honored for her latest album, “Raíces,” celebrating her 50 years in music.
Argentine producer and songwriter Federico Vindver, B.M. ’08, tied for Producer of the Year with Rafa Acaute, primarily for his work on “Papota,” the high-impact album by Argentine alternative hiphop duo CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, which was nominated in multiple categories. Vindver, who has worked with a long list of top mainstream and Latin artists, also won for Best Alternative Album for “Papota,” and for Best Alternative Song and Best Pop Song for tracks on the same record.
Fellow alumnus, songwriter and producer Danny Flores, M.A. ’22, shared in the Best Alternative Album award as another producer on “Papota” with the duo Coast City. And Julio Bagué, M.M. ’93, a composer, producer, and executive with music publisher peermusic who is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board, shared in the Best Folkloric Album win for Kerreke and Daniela Padrón’s “Joropango,” which he produced.
Gloria Estefan, who, with her longtime husband and musical partner Emilio Estefan, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board with an honorary doctorate from the Frost School, has become an ardent supporter, was emotional as she thanked the audience at the MGM Grand Garden Arena after winning the Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Album for “Raíces.”
The heartfelt recording commemorates the 50 years in music she and Emilio have made together, their Cuban roots, and their family. Gloria thanked Emilio for writing and producing “Raíces” and for “50 years of making music together that still feels like the first day.” The couple, whose explosive crossover success, starting with 1980s hits like “Conga,” did much to pave the way for today’s Latin music industry, was received with warm applause. Gloria, resplendent in a red gown, also gave a dynamic performance of “La Vecina” and “Chirriquí Chirri” from “Raíces” during the show.
Frost School artists and alumni were central to the Person of the Year (POTY) gala, a glamorous fundraiser held the night before the awards, which attracts a who’s who of artists, executives, and Latin music industry players. Flores was the event’s musical supervisor. Carlos “Carlitos” Lopez, a triple Frost School alumnus with degrees in production, classical composition, and classical conducting who is making an impact by bridging Latin pop and classical music, was the musical director for the gala, which this year honored iconic Spanish singer Raphael.
Lopez made waves by organizing and leading the Philharmonic Orchestra Project (POP), a classical orchestra filled with Frost School students and alumni, on urban Latin superstar Bad Bunny’s 2024 tour. He brought POP back for the POTY gala, with 23 musicians that included four Frost School alumni, trumpet professor Craig Morris, and current student Annabella Paolucci, arranging and directing them to accompany a host of Latin stars. They included Miami salsa legend Willy Chirino (with whom Frost School ensemble Café con Leche has performed), Elena Rose, Pepe Aguilar, Gaby Moreno, Fito Páez, and many more.
The POTY gala benefits the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation, which for two years has held its annual scholarship awards ceremony at the Frost School’s Knight Center for Music Innovation. This year, the Frost School sponsored a scholarship with the foundation, for singer and songwriter Irenda Arano Diaz.
Paolucci, an accomplished classical violinist and a master’s student in Media Scoring and Production who is being mentored by Lopez, was thrilled to combine her two passions at an event that is at the summit of the music world, where she hopes to build a career as a producer and studio musician.
“I am just so incredibly excited and honored,” Paolucci said. “Performing in a show for a room filled with all of my absolute idols doesn’t feel real. The musicians that I have had the opportunity to play with are some of the best in the world, and getting to know them and learn from them has been so inspiring.”
She credited Lopez, who has brought her on as an intern for recordings with the Palm Beach Symphony and top Latin pop artists. “He is so kind, encouraging, and inspiring to work with, and I have never learned so much,” Paolucci said. She also praised Flores as warm and encouraging. And she was enormously grateful for what their help represented for her choice to study at the Frost School.
“Knowing that the Frost alumni network is so strong and supportive means everything to me,” Paolucci said. “The music industry can be brutal. Knowing that there are successful, and above all, kind and encouraging alumni like Carlitos and Danny giving incredible opportunities like this to students and alumni is so special.”
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