Hamlet Meneses

Hamlet Meneses was born and grew up in Guatemala and settled in Chicago in 1990. Endowed with an artistic spirit, he sang in choirs as a teen and young adult but did not begin formal guitar studies until 2005, when he entered Chicago’s famed Old Town School of Folk Music. There, he learned flamenco fundamentals with the school’s flamenco and dance accompanist, Mehran Jalili, and bossa nova with Paulinho Garcia. These styles have greatly influenced his music. He subsequently became a Hola Wiggleworms teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and his musical contributions there continue to this day. Hamlet’s life has been marked by challenges. Raised by his grandmother, he grew up without parents, was hit by a car at the age of 11, became a gang member and lived on the streets of Guatemala City as a teen, and was the target of gunfire as early as age 16. Rescued from the streets by a Presbyterian church, he completely turned his life around and went on to become a successful graphic designer, musician, and visionary. The challenges did not stop, however, for the same year he arrived in Chicago, before he could even speak English, he broke his back, was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down, and spent eight months in a wheelchair and walker while attending physical therapy to learn to walk again. Then at the age of 44 he was stricken with cancer, which later spread to his lungs. Hamlet survived all this, surmounting these obstacles with a strong determination to make the world a better place. In addition to his work with children in his GoCreative Programs, he recently founded the BeingBilingualRocks Foundation with the intent of bringing concerts to underserved communities. The change in the US political dynamic after the November 2016 presidential election spurred Hamlet to move forward with even greater determination to be a positive advocate for kids and families, teaching love and acceptance through well-produced, flavorful bilingual music, his GoCreative Programs, and his new BeingBilingualRocks Foundation.