Julio Iglesias Scholarship Awarded to Mar Giménez Marín

Presented by the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, the four-year scholarship allows the vocalist and pianist from Zaragoza, Spain, to pursue a bachelor's degree at Berklee.

Media Relations Staff

June 9, 2020

The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation has named piano and voice student Mar Giménez Marín as winner of its 2020 Prodigy Scholarship. The four-year scholarship—cosponsored this year by Latin superstar Julio Iglesias—holds a maximum value of $200,000 and will allow Giménez Marín to pursue a Bachelor of Music degree at Berklee College of Music starting this fall.

A native of Zaragoza, Spain, Giménez Marín was selected by the foundation's scholarship committee from a highly competitive group of hundreds of applicants worldwide.

"It gives me great pleasure to award our sixth Prodigy Scholarship to a talented music student in order to cover the costs of a degree at Berklee," said Manolo Díaz, senior vice president of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation. "Thanks to the incredible generosity of a musical icon like Julio Iglesias, we can help foster the education of future generations of Latin music makers."

"Mar is an accomplished pianist and vocalist, and I am delighted to be able to help her accomplish her dream of pursuing a formal music education at such a prestigious institution like Berklee. Bolstering the talent of Latin music students, with the help of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, is something that I'm very proud of," said Iglesias.

From an early age, Giménez Marín has been composing original songs inspired by some of her favorite artists such as Chavela Vargas and Joaquín Sabina. As a student at the Escuela de Música Creativa in Madrid, she developed her talents as a professional singer and composer. She credits Spanish folk music as the driving force behind her decision to dedicate her life to music.

"I am immensely grateful to Julio Iglesias and the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation for giving me this great opportunity to become a skilled musician under the guidance of the best educators," said Giménez Marín. "I have a lot to give back to Latin music and I will do so through making creative and original music."

"Berklee is grateful for our partnership with the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation and Julio Iglesias on this scholarship," said Berklee President Roger H. Brown. "The support of Julio and the foundation gives a talented young musician the opportunity to study at Berklee, while at the same time strengthening the college's ties to Latin culture and music. We welcome Mar and look forward to following her progress."

To date, the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation has allocated $5 million in scholarships, grants, musical instruments, and educational events throughout the United States and Ibero-America. Past cosponsors of the Prodigy Scholarship include Enrique Iglesias (2015), Juan Luis Guerra (2016), Miguel Bosé (2017), Carlos Vives (2018), and Emilio and Gloria Estefan (2019).