Music professor Javier José Mendoza and his students at Florida International University (FIU) have received a Grammy nomination for their collaboration on Yandel’s “Sinfónico (En Vivo)” album. Mendoza learned of the nomination from his colleague, Dr. Jaime Ousley, while in his office at the Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts.
“It was my colleague, Dr. Jaime Ousley, who texted me,” Mendoza said. “I couldn’t believe it. I had to look it up myself.” He shared the news with others in the building, noting that “everybody was ecstatic.” Later at home with his wife, he celebrated and described feeling “sheer happiness” as reality set in.
The 2026 Grammy nomination highlights FIU’s evolving music program, which has sought to broaden the role of a university orchestra by integrating classical music with popular genres and Latin traditions under Mendoza’s direction over the past eight years.
“The orchestra as an ensemble has approximately 300 years of history,” Mendoza explained. “But if it’s going to survive, it must evolve. We’ve used the orchestra as a vehicle to present popular music that has wider appeal to modern audiences.”
The nominated project involved FIU Symphony Orchestra students performing live with reggaeton artist Yandel during his Sinfónico USA Tour 2025, including a show on campus at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center that filled the venue to capacity. The performance recorded for the album is now recognized in the Best Música Urbana Album category.
Mendoza emphasized how this experience placed students at the center of a significant musical achievement: “This recognition allowed the students to see the fruit of their labor,” he said. “They’ve become even more motivated and more dedicated. It’s re-energized them as we prepare for Celia Sinfónica and reminds them that hard work pays off.”
Recently, Mendoza led another major project—Rubén Blades’ “Maestra Vida”—which required students to master new rhythms and orchestration styles associated with salsa music.
Looking ahead, FIU Symphony Orchestra is preparing “Celia Sinfónica: A Symphonic Tribute to the Queen of Salsa,” celebrating Celia Cruz’s centennial in partnership with several organizations including Celia Cruz Entertainment and FIU CasaCuba. Under Mendoza’s leadership, students will reinterpret Cruz’s well-known songs as symphonic works.
Graduate student Gianluca Nagaro reflected on participating in these projects: “It’s an honor to be part of something this meaningful,” Nagaro said. “I grew up hearing Celia Cruz at home, and now I get to reinterpret her music with a full orchestra. Dr. Mendoza always reminds us that performance is half about the music and half about what the audience experiences.”
Beyond local performances, FIU Symphony Orchestra is set for international exposure; they have been invited for a fully hosted performance at Madrid’s National Auditorium in June 2026 by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Centro Superior de Investigación y Promoción Musical—a rare opportunity indicating increased global recognition for both FIU and its orchestra.
“We serve as a laboratory,” Mendoza said. “Some of the projects we incubate here continue beyond FIU, like Yandel’s Sinfónico tour, which is now international. That’s powerful for our students, for FIU and for the future of orchestral music.”
Mendoza expressed hope that this work will help establish FIU among top collegiate orchestras nationwide: “My hope is that we will be perceived by this generation as one of the best, if not the best, collegiate orchestras in the country.”
