Zaira meneses biography

&#;Finding Myself in a New Land&#;

It all started with my need to be and feel part of a country where I wasn’t born. I moved to Boston in at age 22 to give birth to a beautiful baby girl on March 17th—Saint Patrick’s Day—at Cambridge Hospital. That day remains the best of my life. We named her Raquel, after my middle sister. Raquel’s father wanted to honor her grandmother Ruth by using her initials: R.L.F. He didn’t want to use her grandma’s name, and the only two names I could think of that started with &#;R&#; were Rebecca and Raquel. We chose Raquel because of my sister and because it rhymes better with his last name, Fisk.

The hospital experience was lovely, and I was grateful to have the support of MassHealth. A few months after Raquel was born, we married at Boston City Hall. My mother flew from Mexico to attend the ceremony, and only the three of us were there. I only remember a few details; marriage was never on my bucket list.

Adjusting to Life in Boston

Life in Boston was a shock to me, starting with the prices. Each lemon cost the equivalent of three kilos of lemons in Mexico, and renting a small third-floor apartment in Brighton, Massachusetts, was comparable to renting a mansion in my hometown, Xalapa. It took me years to stop converting dollars into pesos and even longer—plus therapy sessions—to accept that labor work in Boston offered a better income than teaching music.

Despite the challenges, I was determined to continue my studies in Boston, partly to understand the culture and mainly to avoid depression. The best class I took was an English class with an excellent teacher from Greece, Ms. Kambouris, who had perfect grammar and a fabulous sense of humor. Thanks to her, I finished my Master’s degree in Music Performance at age 27 in My eight-year-old daughter was also studying piano at the time.

Finding a place where I could be myself was difficult. Thankfully, NEC Prep hired me right after I completed my degree

ARTIST BIO

Born in the province of Vera Cruz Mexico, Zaira Meneses began musical studies at the age of 7. Her unique talents led to participation in the chamber choir of the IPE conducted by Ana Elgarte and Jose Antonio Perez. She soon revealed an extraordinary double talent as singer and guitarist, and during her years of guitar study, she was the recipient of numerous prizes for guitar performances both nationally and internationally. Beginning in she participated in outreach concerts for children in Vera Cruz, Puebla, Villa Hermosa, and other cities in her native Mexico.

That same year she also won first prize in the Paracho Michoacán International Guitar Competition and honorable mention in the National Guitar Competition of Xalapa. One year later she won the Competition of Guanajuato, Mexico and in the same year, was awarded a scholarship to the &#;Paco Marin&#; International Guitar Competition. Zaira Meneses has participated in numerous international guitar festivals, participated in master classes led by Ivan Rijos, Roberto Aussel, Manuel Barruenco, Eliot Fisk, Kosta Kotfiolis, and Joaquin Clerch among others. She has distinguished herself not only as a soloist, but also as a founding member of the Orquesta de Guitarras of Xalapa with which she has toured throughout Mexico and abroad under the Baton of the legendary Alfonso Moreno. She performs widely as a guitar soloist and as a member of various chamber music to public and critical acclaim in both Europe and the America&#;s. Zaira performs with the Classical Guitar Strings – Light.

Zaira Meneses Mexican Classical Guitarist,

She is the first Mexican female artist to record a CD of 45 minutes with her own transcription for Guitar of Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor BWV by J S Bach originally for Violin. Her album called WunderBach was produced and distribute by one of the oldest independent recording company in USA - Centaur Records. In was invited to collaborate with legendary Cuban Composer and conductor maestro Leo Brouwer, performing together on stage: Elegíaco Concerto for Guitar and Orhestra. Few months later of their debut, she was selected by director Katherine Gavilan to be part of his new Documentary&#;: “El Origen del la sombra “ filmed in La Havana Cuba.

Meneses Was born in Xalapa Veracruz in

She begun her musical education in classical guitar at the age of 8 years old, giving her first performance appearance at age 12 year old. At 15 years old she was invited to be the founder member of the first Guitar Orchestra in Mexico ( Xalapa) with a full-time salary. The opportunity allowed her to travel internationally and attend Important Guitar Festival in Cuba and Spain. She was the winner of the well known competition Paracho Michoacán at 17 years old and the following year won the Competition in Guanajuato Guanajuato with the Aranjuez Concerto. In l was given a full scholarship to attend Paco Marin Guitar Festival in Grabada Spain, where he met his now husband Eliot Fisk. She immigrated to USA in , giving birth to her only child Raquel Fisk In Cambridge hospital in Cambridge Massachusetts. In she created in together with her husband Eliot Fisk the first International Guitar Festival in Boston Mass at the New England Conservatory where she obtain her Master’s Degree in

Soon after her graduation, she was invited to teach at the New England Conservatory as the first female guitarist in history at NEC Faculty and the first and only founder of the Guitar Performance Seminar Class.

In she creates the

Zaira Meneses, Mexican classical guitarist has been highly acclaimed by the international media. Of her work, The New York Times wrote, [she is] “an arresting performer full of colorful touches.&#; The Providence Journal referred to her as the &#;Mexican classical dynamo&#; and The Boston Globe called her [an] &#;eminent classical guitarist.&#;

Meneses has performed “Elegiaco Concerto &#; under the baton of world famous Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor, Leo Brouwer . In , Meneses was subsequently selected to perform Brouwer’s documentary film, “El Origen de la Sombra,” which was shot in Havana, Cuba. Brouwer composed and dedicated &#;6 preludes&#; &#; dedicated to Zaira Meneses. The music was supported by Augustine Foundation and Robert E. Davoli and Eileen L. McDonagh Charitable Foundation. Meneses sold out an independently produced album titled Latina, she was signed to a recording deal with Centaur Records, a 45 minute program of the music of , using Meneses&#;s own arrangements.

Meneses became the first Mexican female ambassador of the Son Jarocho dancer, singer, Jarana and requinto player in Boston thanks to the support of The Boston Foundation she is the grant recipient in and She obtained her Master Degree at New England Conservatory of Music in as a Performance Major in Classical Guitar. Since moving to the USA in , Meneses has built a stellar reputation for her warm sound, limpid technique, and superb natural musicality, performing in many of the great concert halls of the world, including Boston’s Jordan Hall, New York City’s Alice Tully Hall, 92nd St. YHMA and Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Pick – Staiger Auditorium and in Salzburg’s Wiener Saal.
Zaira Meneses is the Founder and President of non-profit organization, Latin American Music Festival, founder and ex president of Eliot Fisk Guitar Academy (EFGA) Co-Director of The Boston Guitar Festival for the past twenty years.

She continues performing guitar concertos with vari