Fabiola Méndez's performance this Saturday, June 24, at the Cold Hollow Sculpture Park in Enosburg has been moved to the Meeting House on the Green in East Fairfield due to expected inclement weather.

Méndez, a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, is known for her virtuosity with the cuatro, a traditional folk instrument that bears tonal similarities to guitar, mandolin and banjo. The Berklee College of Music graduate first picked up the instrument when she was six years old, often hearing it around the holidays as her older relatives would play and sing folk songs.

"At first, I wanted to play the cuatro because I just saw people around me playing them," Méndez told Seven Days by phone from her current home near Boston. "But as I've grown up and matured, I came to understand the historical significance of playing something so intrinsic to my culture. Now I feel like the cuatro is a symbol of my identity, the sound of Puerto Rico and my heritage."



According to Méndez, the cuatro has historically been an instrument associated with rural folk traditions in Puerto Rico. Though its name means "four" in Spanish, the cuatro has 10 strings grouped in five pairs. The lowest two strings are usually tuned an octave apart, while the rest are tuned to the same notes.

"When I started playing it, I definitely felt the weird girl in school, playing an instrument for old people," Méndez recalled, laughing. "It's sort of like the banjo here in America: You don't see a lot of young people picking it up. But I think that's starting to change in Puerto Rico now. I see a lot of young people playing it and using it in a variety of genres, not just folk."

Part of the instrument's resurgence is thanks to Méndez herself. She's the first Berklee student to ever graduate playing the cuatro as her principle instrument. She has also recorded multiple records with it, the latest being 2021's Afrorriqueña. An album celebrating African roots in Puerto Rican music with lyrics written by Afro Puerto Rican poets, Afrorriqueña represented a chance for Méndez to continue her mission of giving the cuatro more exposure and to reckon with certain historical aspects of folk music.

"There was a time, back in the day, when I really just wanted to play music for fun," she revealed. "And I still do! But now I'm a lot more cognizant about the social implications of making music. Now I ask myself: How can I ignite change and provide space for people to think about something in a different way with my music? Folk music has that power; it can be nostalgic and modern at once."

One way she seeks to create change is through children's music. Méndez composes music for a variety of kids shows, such as the PBS Kids shows "Alma's Way" and "Work It Out Wombats," as well the "Sesame Street" spinoff on Max, "Mecha Builders."

"Oh, I love it," Méndez said of her work scoring kids' shows. "It comes so easily to me. I don't listen to a lot of children's music, but I love kids and I love imagining what I would like to hear if I was a kid, then making that."

The shows also give her a chance to let her cuatro shine. When the producers of "Alma's Way" brought her on board, they told Méndez they wanted the music in the show, which centers on a young Puerto Rican girl living in the Bronx, to have some authentic elements.
"I get to mix my cuatro in there, along with hip-hop and all sorts of other music," Méndez said. "We use a lot of Puerto Rican-style percussion as well. Between that and the cuatro, I hope people from Puerto Rico will hear those sounds and get really excited."

Méndez's performance this Saturday in East Fairfied marks her first concert appearance in Vermont. To register for this free event, visit fabiolamendezmusic.com.