Fabricio Cavero Receives 2026 LEAD Graduate Excellence Award

UC Irvine Ph.D. candidate recognized for his commitment to integrating Indigenous and global music technologies

UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Music Ph.D. candidate Fabricio Cavero recently received the Graduate Excellence Award at the 9th Annual Latine Excellence and Achievement Dinner (LEAD). The event honors leaders, graduate students, staff and faculty who champion research and scholarship excellence in the Latine/x community at UC Irvine.

"This award is a great indicator, not just of personal achievements, but also of community support," said Cavero. "UCI has provided the resources to fulfill my artistic vision, and with this award, I realized that there is actually a community that cares about and celebrates my commitment to developing something special, which is such a privilege. My success shall be the benefit of my peers and the pride of my mentors. ¡Gracias Totales!"

Cavero is a composer from Cusco, Peru, whose musicianship synthesizes composition, performance and investigation across diverse musical languages, including traditional Andean music to popular, experimental and academic traditions. He earned degrees in Viola Performance and Composition from Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University (2007–2015) and later studied computer music and precolonial music instruments at UNTREF in Argentina (2020–2022). He is currently a student in the Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT) Ph.D. program at UC Irvine.

His work draws deep inspiration from Andean cosmovision and its convergence with other worldviews across the Americas. At UCI, Cavero focuses on integrating ancestral and Indigenous music technologies with modern and global practices to create multimedia performances that honor what he calls America's "Indigenous intellectuals" and celebrate the continent's rich cultural diversity.

To learn more about LEAD, visit inclusion.uci.edu.