Fernando González is an independent arts writer, music critic, and editor. A musician by training, he has been nominated twice for a GRAMMY for his liner notes and is an EMMY winner for his work as Senior Editor and Writer on the documentary Notes from The Mambo Inn: The Story of Mario Bauzá (WGBH, Boston). His work appears regularly in the digital arts magazine Artburst Miami, in both English and Spanish, and on the music blog Jazz With an Accent®. Since June 2024, he has produced and hosted the weekly radio show Jazz With an Accent®, focusing on global jazz, on WDNA 88.9 FM, Miami. The program grew out of his ten one-hour program series of the same name, which he hosted and produced for the station in 2010.

He has been a member of the Miami Book Fair editorial team as an Associate Editor since 2019 and was a copywriter and translator for Miami Dade College’s Koubek Center (2019-2024) and the Museum of Art and Design. Previously, he was the Associate Editor for Print and Special Projects for The Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (Latin GRAMMYS, 2011-2019).

His past professional affiliations include serving as staff music critic and arts writer for the Miami Herald (1993-1999) and The Boston Globe (1988-1993), and as correspondent for The Washington Post (2000-2005). He was a feature writer and Managing Editor of JAZZIZ magazine (2003-2008) and served as chief editor of the pioneering bilingual web portal El Sitio (1999-2000).

Other professional highlights include writing about arts, culture, and technology for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s website, contributing commentary for National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, and writing features and columns for the music magazines Downbeat and Jazz Times. He has written program notes for major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, The Town Hall, New York City Center, and the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center (Miami), and events such as the Edinburgh International Festival, Scotland, and the Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata, Valledupar, Colombia.

In addition to his journalism, González has conducted workshops on writing and music criticism at Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus, Spain (2017-2019).

González was the Curator of Jazz Programs for the Arsht Center, then Carnival Center, Miami (2005-2007). He also translated and annotated Astor Piazzolla, A Memoir (Amadeus Press, 2001), wrote a children’s book about Cuban American singer Gloria Estefan, and curated, annotated, and produced the CD Universe of Rhythms: The GRAMMY Guide to Latin Music for the inaugural Latin GRAMMY Awards in 2000.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, González majored in math at the Universidad de Buenos Aires before pursuing music full-time. He moved to the United States to attend Berklee College of Music, where he majored in composition and film scoring. He later studied with composer and theoretician George Russell at the New England Conservatory and, independently, with guitarist and composer Ralph Towner. In 1987, he won a commission from the Massachusetts Council on the Arts New Works program to write a new musical composition.

He was a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (GRAMMY®) and a charter member of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Latin GRAMMY®).