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

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.