Conversations with Sheila del Bosque Fuentes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheila del Bosque Fuentes.

Hi Sheila, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My story is one of love, resilience, deep commitment, and the pursuit of freedom. I was born in 1994 in Havana, Cuba, in Marianao, a very humble neighborhood. I came into the world amid the Special Period in Cuba when the economic and social situation faced a profound crisis.

I grew up as a happy child! I have always believed that children only need love to thrive in their growth. It never required much more. This is something I would love the new generations to remember. The most important and profound answers are found in the simplest things that we sometimes take for granted.

I often say that music came into my life at the age of 10 when I started at the Alejandro Garcia Caturla Elementary School of Music, but it came much earlier. In Cuba, music is an essential part of everyone’s life, linked to dance, listening, leisure time, family gatherings, and the concept of community.

But let’s say that I formally started studying music at the age of 10. I began studying the flute and have dedicated a significant part of my life to that instrument. I love it because there is a very special relationship between playing a wind instrument and the power of breathing to connect something within you with something external through the instrument.

In Cuba, I went through elementary school, conservatory, and university. From those years, I have cherished beautiful memories. I always say that music has saved me because, through it, I have known the most fearsome and the most beautiful things. Thanks to music, I first experienced the complex relationship with the audience, and the thwarted path of perfectionism, but I also owe it to the pursuit of emotional freedom, which is the other side of fear. I had incredible mentors, friends for life, and experiences that built and enriched my sensitivity.

I traveled across the world, professionally playing since I was 17 years old in orchestras and dance companies until one day I felt it was time to move. I always feel that necessary end-of-cycle every so often. I would have it 6 years later when I moved from Boston to Los Angeles. But back then, what I did was apply to Berklee College of Music. I received a full tuition scholarship, and with a lot of work, I came from Havana to Boston. The departure was tremendously difficult, saying goodbye to so many places and beloved people.

At Berklee, I studied for a bachelor’s degree in Film Scoring and performance, and a minor in conducting. Later, I pursued my master’s degree in Jazz Performance.

In this chapter, I discovered the beauty of feeling free and uncovering your truth and essence when playing music. From classical music, I transitioned to the world of jazz, Cuban popular music, electronic music, and many more influences that came to me from all around the world.

After completing my master’s, I moved to Los Angeles, where I am today. I am super excited about this new chapter in my life filled with creativity, sun, nature, and a lot of music!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t believe there’s a path that has been too easy and, at the same time, truly significant. When we set high goals that involve challenging beliefs and stepping out of our comfort zone, we face the inherent change in our way of thinking and acting. This, therefore, comes with accompanying obstacles.

I believe that regardless of the conditions in which you were born and raised, each person has obstacles to solve and mountains to climb. I’ve always believed that the level of each person’s problems is not comparable because, for each individual, their greatest problem will be the highest peak to conquer.

While I grew up in a country with very particular economic, political, and social conditions, I feel that my parents, family, and friends provided a strong emotional foundation that later served as support and guidance to face complex situations in life. I believe that the best gift you can give someone is the gift of contributing to their emotional independence and the ability to understand themselves and the world around them. Walking together so that one day they can fly.

I faced many challenges, from not having all the conditions to study music, playing with bad instruments for most of my life, the sacrifice of my parents to support a career that involved financial expenses, the difficulty of applying for international scholarships, obtaining my visa with an embassy closed by the administration of then-US President Donald Trump, having to leave my country in search of a better future, the cultural shock of coming from Cuba to the US, and the complex economic situation I faced in my first months in Boston.

However, I feel that all of this made me better, like all challenges experienced consciously. They are all great life teachers, so I try to always enjoy the good things and the supposedly not-so-good things. Behind each experience hides an opportunity for growth, so I embrace every day of my existence.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One of the things I most enjoy in life is exploring multiple paths simultaneously that eventually connect. I am a flutist, conductor, and composer. Today, I would like to talk about one of my most beautiful and inspiring projects: The New Way Orchestra.

I founded this orchestra a year ago when several things came together in my life. The need to make music and collaborate with people I admire, the love for orchestral conducting, and the desire to do something with orchestral music that would reach the audience in a new and fresh way.

Our first concert was dedicated to living women composers. I wanted to pay tribute to those women from various parts of the world who remain in anonymity. As a new generation, we are missing the opportunity to hear the music our composers are creating today, to learn from them, and to understand their vision. While things are changing, I feel we still need to find a better balance between playing music from the past and supporting the music of our present.

We organized a concert supported by a grant from the city of Boston and our main sponsors, David and Amy Abrams. Therefore, despite being free admission for the audience, I was able to pay the musicians, assistants, and the venue where we held the concert. I could support young musicians who were part of this, the composers who had a beautiful recording of their works, and the venue, which was not the typical hall or church but a cool independent music studio downstairs in Chinatown, Boston.

My vision now includes having this orchestra in California, featuring at least an annual season that provides a platform for minorities in orchestral music. We aim for quality representation of contemporary music, acknowledging its importance and giving it the respect it deserves.

I take pride in living each day, striving to contribute something meaningful to this world—whether through my music, or my roles as an educator, conductor, or composer. Music is a path I have discovered, or perhaps it discovered me, as a means to convey a message of humanity and love in a profoundly beautiful way.

I am proud of my optimism and energy, focused on recognizing opportunities in every challenge, showcasing my resilience, creativity, and the entire journey I’ve undertaken. I take pride in believing in the infinite possibilities that we, as human beings, can create, and in the power we possess for individual and collective creation. I believe in the transformative power of art to alter crucial social and political narratives, as well as its ability to heal, humanize, and unite us.

Often, many friends confide in me about the highly competitive nature of the art world and the immense pressure they feel as a result. Unfortunately, we have fashioned a world with limiting narratives and laws where opportunities are not evenly distributed.

I don’t believe in a competitive world; I believe in a collaborative one. If I witness someone playing the flute incredibly, conducting an orchestra masterfully, or conveying an important message to the world through their compositions, I admire and celebrate them. Then, I seek to understand what I can learn from that person. I don’t think personal growth driven solely by the desire to surpass another human being through ego serves us well.

Each human being is unique and irreplaceable. So, returning to the question: everything, absolutely everything, makes me unique. Being myself is already being unique. Every person has a completely different life experience with distinct values, experiences, and talents. In a world where globalization tends to homogenize us, being yourself and comprehending deeply what that entails is an act of courage.

How do you think about luck?
I still don’t believe I fully understand whether luck is a determining factor in life, or if everything unfolds solely due to it. I am more inclined to think that luck is a combination of various elements, encompassing emotional and cognitive preparedness. It involves being ready for the opportune moment, a moment for which you’ve been preparing, even when you believed opportunities wouldn’t arise.

By keeping your arms open to embrace what the world has to offer, you enhance your capacity to receive much more. Remaining open to possibilities, cultivating the ability to recognize the potential for greatness in every event, practicing gratitude for what you have, and diverting attention from what you lack are concepts that are easily expressed but constitute a lifelong pursuit, demanding daily effort for full understanding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sheiladelbosque.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheiladecuba/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheiladelbosquemusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheila-del-bosque-653803159/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sheiladelbosque
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwZFsrQHYkOwizIodgRLhCw

Image Credits
Kelly Davidson, Nacho González, and Ken Yin