Introducing our 2026-2027 Fellows

Miquel Fuentes

Cello

Manuel Mendes

Violin

Manuel Mendes is a violinist whose artistry has been forged by two worlds, deeply human experiences, and a career-long pursuit of music as a force for connection. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Manuel began his musical journey through El Sistema, taking up the violin at four and developing his craft within that tradition for over a decade.

A formative milestone came in 2013, when Manuel was selected as a member of the National Children’s Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela for a performance at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. That experience crystallized his understanding of music’s capacity to transcend background, language, and circumstance. In 2014, he relocated to the United States, settling in Charleston, South Carolina, and committing fully to a professional life in music.

His performance work spans orchestral and chamber settings, with ongoing collaborations including the Charleston Symphony and the Mount Vernon Virtuosi. He has also performed with the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, and served as Concertmaster of the Conductor’s Institute of South Carolina in 2025, a role that reflects both his artistic leadership and his deep roots in the South Carolina music community. Additionally, Manuel has served as an ambassador for the Stringwood Chamber Music Festival, championing chamber music and its role in fostering meaningful artistic exchange.

Throughout his career, Manuel has been shaped by the communities and mentors who have surrounded him. His time within El Sistema instilled the conviction that music is a fundamental human necessity. His years in the United States, and the guidance of mentors such as Elmar Oliveira and Herbert Greenberg, deepened his belief that music can bridge the distance between people with nothing else in common, and serve as a tool for change, influence, and self-development. In an era increasingly defined by nonhuman intelligence, Manuel sees the violin not merely as an instrument of technical achievement, but as one of the most vital expressions of what it means to be human.

Manuel earned his Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, studying with Herbert Greenberg, and his Bachelor of Music from Lynn University, where he studied with Elmar Oliveira.

Outside of music, Manuel finds balance and inspiration in nature, running, and reading; pursuits that, much like his work at the violin, reflect a lifelong curiosity about the world and the people in it.

Rafael Méndez

Flute

Rafael Méndez began his flute studies in Barahona, Dominican Republic, and soon after continued his training under the guidance of Alaima González at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Santo Domingo. He later continued his education at the Frost School of Music in Miami, Florida, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2024, studying with Jennifer Grim. He recently completed his Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music under the mentorship of Tara O’Connor.

Rafael has received numerous awards, including First Prize in the NYFC Young Artist Competition (2026) and First Prize in the FFA Nancy Clew Ellert Young Artist Competition (2026). He is also a recipient of the Graduate Presser Award (2025), the Burkart Resona Piccolo Award (2022), and the Gemeinhardt Galway Crusader Silver Flute Award at the Galway Flute Festival (2019). Additional honors include First Prize in the Young Professional Category of the Young Musician of the Caribbean Award (2022) and First Prize in the Florida Flute Association College Young Artist Competition (2022). In 2024, he was a semifinalist in the prestigious Young Concert Artists Competition, and in 2026 he was selected as a quarterfinalist in the National Flute Association Young Artist Competition. He has further been recognized with the Mary Hilem Taylor Competition Scholarship, the President Scholarship at the Frost School of Music, and the Henry & Lucy Moses Fellowship at the Yale School of Music.

Rafael has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral flutist with ensembles such as the Yale Philharmonia, Frost Symphony Orchestra, Opera Naples, Festival Orchestra Napa, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of the Dominican Republic, with which he will make his solo debut performing the Concerto in E minor by Mercadante. His recent concerto and competition appearances further reflect his growing presence as a soloist. He has appeared in renowned venues including Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium with the Yale Philharmonia, and the Konzerthaus Berlin with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of the Dominican Republic in 2019.

As a chamber musician, Rafael has collaborated with a wide range of artists in diverse ensemble settings, including performances with Trio Ivy at Weill Recital Hall following their win at the Yale School of Music Chamber Music Competition in 2025, as well as a flute, viola, and harp trio with members of the Palm Beach Symphony. He has also participated in prestigious festivals such as the Galway Flute Festival, Festival Napa Valley, and the Oxford Summer Flute School. Upcoming engagements include the Aspen Music Festival (2026), where he will study with Nadine Asin.

Rafael is a Fellow of the OAcademy Conservatory (2026), where he works under the guidance of Leone Buyse. He will also join the Virginia Symphony Orchestra as a Flute Fellow.

He has further refined his artistry through master classes with distinguished flutists, including Nadine Asin, Silvia Careddu, Hélène Boulègue, Nicola Mazzanti, Robert Langevin, Lorna McGhee, and Lady Jeanne Galway, among others.

Rafael plays a Brannen flute with a Mancke headjoint.