FIU Music Festival: Ruben Blades Maestra Vida

Rubén Blades’ Maestra Vida comes to the FIU Music Festival 2025 in a rare live performance that blends salsa, narrative and social commentary. Described as a salsa opera, the work follows a story of love, hardship and resilience, using infectious rhythms and poetic lyrics to reflect on Latin American life.

First released in 1980, Maestra Vida is considered a cornerstone of Latin music, notable for expanding salsa into a vehicle for storytelling and cultural expression. The evening features a full Latin orchestra and vocalists bringing this landmark work to the concert stage. Blades, a Panamanian singer-songwriter, actor and activist, is recognized as one of salsa’s most influential figures, with a career that spans Grammy-winning recordings, film roles and political service in his home country.

FIU Music Festival 2025: Ruben Blades Maestra Vida takes place Saturday, November 1 and Sunday, November 2 at the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center.