Agridulce (Bittersweet)

We are thrilled to share that Agridulce (Bittersweet), a new documentary filmed at Academia de Bachata, will make its world premiere at SXSW this week! Directed by Frank Pavich (Jodorowsky’s Dune, Cannes 2013), the film is a coming-of-age story set at our tuition-free music school in the Dominican Republic, where a group of aspiring young bachata artists search for answers to love and life through their music.

 The story features teacher Martires de Leon, who as the guitarist and arranger for Romeo Santos, shaped the sound of the Billboard #1 album Utopia, and facilitated collaborations with Justin Timberlake and Bad Bunny.

Agridulce will have its Latin American premiere in April at the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG).

VIEW THE TRAILER

VIEW THE SXSW SCREENING SCHEDULE

This premiere marks a historic moment for our students and the mission of Academia de Bachata. We invite you to join us in supporting the next generation of bachata musicians by making a donation to the Academia today.

DONATE TO ACADEMIA DE BACHATA

Visit agridulce.com to learn more.

Questions? Interested in connecting with us in Austin this week? 

Email miranda@academiadebachata.org

With gratitude,

Academia de Bachata Team

Major Update from Academia de Bachata

Academia de Bachata is proud to share an important organizational milestone: we became fully independent in January 2026! The Academia began in 2013 as a music program within the DREAM Project. Over the years, we have developed into a flourishing standalone music school, and in January completed the last steps to operate as a fully independent legal entity operated by the newly minted Fundacion iASO (DR) and iASO Cultural Foundation, a U.S. 501(c)(3). We invite you to view our newly redesigned website to learn more about the organizational structure, governance, and our leadership team.

 This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our students and community as we prepare to scale the Academia's mission significantly.

Click Here to Donate

Our vision includes:

• Building a new campus in the Dominican Republic for our flagship bachata program

• Expanding our new school for traditional Haitian konpa music in Cap-Haitien

• Offering traditional Caribbean music programs in schools in the U.S.

• ...and more!

While we celebrate this historic moment for the Academia, we look to our supporters more than ever as we seek to establish the infrastructure that will make it possible to extend our mission and advance on a path to sustainability and growth.Miranda, we need YOUR help. We ask you to make a tax-deductible donation today to help us invest in the future of our students.

Donate by Credit Card

Checks may be made out to iASO Cultural Foundation and sent to:

149 E. 63rd St.New York, NY 10065

We also accept donations by cash, direct deposit, and more.

Questions? Email hola@academiadebachata.org

Thank you for being part of this next chapter!

With gratitude,

All of Us at Academia de Bachata

From Academia de Bachata to University: Alumni Take the Next Step

Emely Díaz began taking classes at Academia de Bachata in 2010, studying

guitar, percussion, voice, and contemporary piano. Soon, she was attending

classes daily from 2PM-6PM. “It was the place where I found my Dominican

roots and saw myself as a girl on stage, something that… [I had been told]

wasn’t appropriate for me,” she said. “The Academia had a fundamental

influence on my path. It became my community, my family. Here, I can represent

my story and share it with others. And the discipline, the persistence that [my

teachers] taught me, I now bring with me. It’s all thanks to the Academia.”

Emely will graduate in April 2026 from UNPHU in Santo Domingo with a degree

in music composition, arrangement, and production. In December 2025, she

completed her thesis, titled “Analysis of the Musical Transformation of Bachata

in Four Representative Works of the Genre (1964-2002-2010-2021).” As part of

her program, she is now completing an internship at the Ayni Green School in

Ecuador, where she teaches music theory, arrangement, and production to

students ages 3-17. Emely’s students are preparing a performance of the Jungle

Book, The Musical for the end of December. We are delighted to share that

Emely will be returning to Academia de Bachata as an instructor in January 2026.

We are proud to share that Miguel Rivas, a longtime student and young bass

teacher of Academia de Bachata, has received a scholarship to study music at

Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU). Miguel will be the

seventh Academia de Bachata student to pursue higher studies in music at

UNPHU in Santo Domingo and the Conservatory of Puerto Rico.

Adriel Polanco began taking classes at Academia de Bachata when he was 12 years old, first picking up the bongó, güira, and tambora. “At first, it was something new and exciting,” he shared, “and then music gave my life purpose.” Today, Adriel is a complete percussionist. Adriel studied, and eventually taught, at Academia de Bachata for six years. In 2021, he earned a scholarship to study Jazz and Caribbean Music at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. Since beginning his studies at the conservatory, he has toured and performed in Chicago, Chapel Hill and Washington, D.C., as well as recorded original music and an album with a band that plays bachata, merengue and reggae. “Music makes me happy. You have to work on what you love,” Adriel shared. “I don’t know what my life would be without an instrument in my hands.”