Summer 2024: Ivanna Cuesta

at Mission Hill Arts Festival

Presented in collaboration with Mission Hill Arts Festival, as part of the Summer 2024 Festival: Elements.

“Being an artist to me means having the power to change a person's mood, day or even life.”
– Ivanna Cuesta

Ivanna Cuesta is a talented and versatile Dominican drummer and composer. A Berklee College of Music alumna, she completed a double specialization in Performance and Writing/Contemporary Translation. During her time at Berklee, she had the opportunity to work and be mentored by Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Neal Smith, and Esperanza Spalding, among others.

Cuesta, a continually evolving artist, collaborates with world renowned artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Aaron Parks, Kandance Spring, Concha Buika, Kris Davis, Aaron Goldberg, Leo Blanco, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Nando Michelin, Tia Fuller, and Alisa Amador, to name a few. She has performed in numerous important events such as the Monheim Treinnale Festival, Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center, and often appears at other noteworthy international festivals.

In 2019, she won first place in the “Hit like a Girl” contest; she is endorsed by the world-renowned Paiste Cymbals company and, in 2022, Cuesta was selected to be part of the apprenticeship program “Next Jazz Legacy” for women and non-binary improvisers in jazz, chaired by NEA Jazz Master and Next Jazz Legacy’s Artistic Director, Terri Lyne Carrington.

Cuesta is also working on her career as an independent music composer for film, radio, TV and media, collaborating with Droid Mafia, an Electronic Record Label and Music Production House that works with the Discovery Channel and major TV networks worldwide.

About A Letter to the Earth

In 2024, Cuesta is releasing her debut album as a band leader, A Letter to the Earth, featuring Grammy winner Kris Davis on piano, Ben Solomon on saxophone, Max Ridley on bass, and Paulina Camou on vocals.

The album seeks to encourage a deeper awareness and understanding of the relationship we have with planet earth. Through the electronic elements and free improv of the 6 songs, Ivanna aims to describe her admiration, feelings, and respect for planet earth and the beings that inhabit it, giving her album a unique and remarkable touch.