Festival Miami Artist Bio Archive
Festival Miami
-
Ron Abel
Ron Abel, the multi-award winning composer, producer, arranger, orchestrator, conductor and musical director whose client list ranges from multi-million selling pop diva Taylor Dayne to opera diva and Kennedy Center Honoree, Jessye Norman can currently by seen on the new Fran Drescher TV Land television series, “Happily Divorced” playing himself.
Abel was personally honored recently and named among the Great American Composers…
-
Ludwig Afonso
Ludwig Afonso was born January 21, 1978 in Havana, Cuba and came to Miami, Florida in 1980. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Music and Jazz Performance from the University of Miami in May 2002. As a student of the University of Miami, Afonso was given the chance to play in the school’s top ensembles, performing with Maria Schneider, Tony Mendoza, and Bob Berg. While in Miami, Afonso also performed with such…
-
Gabriel Alegría
Gabriel Alegría combines his experience playing jazz as it developed in the U.S. with a passionate interest and careful study of the black music of coastal Perú. By incorporating and exploring the common African roots found in both styles, he has developed a uniquely Afro-Peruvian jazz music concept. The rich legacy of the black music of coastal Perú can be heard in a contemporary jazz context. In all of Alegría’s work, a cross-cultural…
-
S. Mark Aliapoulios
S. Mark Aliapoulios is visiting professor of voice at the Frost School of Music and artistic director of The Choral Society of the Palm Beaches. For a number of years, he served on the faculties of the University of Massachusetts, Boston University, and Palm Beach Atlantic University. A baritone, Aliapoulios has appeared as guest soloist with the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Portland Symphony, the…
-
Lucie Arnaz
Lucie Arnaz began her career in a recurring role on The Lucy Show, opposite her mother, Lucille Ball. At age 15, she became a series regular on Here’s Lucy, a show which ran for six seasons. She starred in her own series, The Lucie Arnaz Show and later in the critically acclaimed Sons & Daughters on CBS.
On the big screen, Arnaz starred in movies such as The Jazz Singer opposite Neil Diamond…
-
Mason Bates
The music of Mason Bates fuses innovative orchestral writing, the rhythms of electronica and techno, and imaginative narrative forms brought to life by cutting edge sound design. A composer of symphonic music who often includes live electronica in his orchestral music, he has become known as an artist who moves fluidly between those two worlds — performing on electronic drumpad and laptop, for example, under Maestro Michael Tilson…
-
Martin Bejerano
Jazz pianist Martin Bejerano is a newly appointed assistant professor of music at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A native of Miami, Florida, Bejerano is a graduate of the New World School of the Arts, Florida State University, and the University of Miami (M.M., Jazz Piano Performance). After winning third place in the prestigious 1999 Great American Jazz Piano Competition, he moved to New York City and joined the quartet…
-
George Benson
Ten-time Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master George Benson is heralded as a jazz guitarist of unparalleled chops and a vocalist with great emotional range and sophistication.
Benson’s musical passion began early. At age eight, he was singing and playing the ukulele in local nightclubs in Pittsburgh. By his teenage years, he had switched to guitar, and his musical sensibilities shifted toward jazz, and the music of Wes…
-
Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard is a legendary jazz trumpeter who recently joined the Henry Mancini Institute at the University of Miami Frost School of Music as artistic director. Blanchard has more than 29 albums to his credit, earning a “Best Jazz Instrumental Solo” Grammy for his performance on Jeff “Tain” Watts’s project, Watts, a Grammy for his solo for “Be-Bop” on Live At The 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival, and a…
-
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Over the course of her multifaceted, 40-plus-year career, the Grammy and Tony Award-winning Dee Dee Bridgewater has risen to the top tier of today’s vocalists. She earned her first professional experience as a member of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Louis Big Band, and throughout the 1970s she performed with such jazz notables as Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1974 she broke into Broadway and earned a 1975…
-
Jackson Browne
Multi-Grammy nominee Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
Jackson Browne, his debut album, came out on David Geffen’s Asylum Records in 1972. Rolling…
-
Amy Burton
Amy Burton is one of New York’s most notable singers, at the Metropolitan Opera from 1993 to the present, and as one of New York City Opera’s leading sopranos in over a dozen productions. From her New York debut recital at the 92nd Street Y in 1997 to her appearance with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center this season, Burton is a vital part of New York’s cultural scene, performing with Mostly Mozart Festival, The…
-
Juan Chattah
Juan Chattah is a music theorist, pianist, and composer. As a theorist, his primary research interest concerns the application of models drawn from linguistics and critical theory to the analysis of music. As a pianist, he studied with David Kuyken, Michel Beroff, Ivan Moravec, and Paul Badura-Skoda, and performed extensively in Europe and South America. As composer, his music ranges from tangos regularly performed by Osvaldo Barrios…
-
Huifang Chen
Conductor Huifang Chen enjoys a dual career as a performer and an educator. In addition to being the Music Director of the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, she is a frequent guest conductor for Alhambra Orchestra and Broward Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Chen was the interim Director of Orchestra at the Florida International University from 2009-2010, and has led orchestras in major venues including Carnegie Hall.
As violinist,…
-
Willy Chirino
Willy Chirino combines the musical traditions of Cuba with American rock and jazz, helping to create the Miami Sound of Salsa music. The Cuban-born, South Florida-based, vocalist and bandleader boasts a musical repertoire of over 100 songs and 30 albums, making him one of the most emblematic Tropical music acts internationally. A demonstration of his talent is that more than 60 artists have covered his hit Soy, among…
-
Freddy Cole
Lionel Frederick Cole plays piano and sings, and performs live with guitar and upright bass, just like his brother, Nat “King” Cole. But with his raspier, smokier voice, he has distinguished himself from his older sibling. His vocals - suave, elegant, formidable, and articulate - are among the most respected in jazz. An Atlanta resident, Cole leads a trio including guitarist Randy Napoleon, drummer Curtis Boyd and bassist…
-
Michael Colgrass
Composer Michael Colgrass began his musical career in Chicago, where his first professional experiences were as a jazz drummer. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1954 with a degree in performance and composition. He also trained with Darius Milhaud at the Aspen Festival and Lukas Foss at Tanglewood.
He began his professional composing career in New York City, where he also worked as a free-lance percussionist for the…
-
Timothy Conner
Timothy Conner (trombone) is adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Tim Conner held the position of principal trombone with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra for 18 years. During his orchestral career he performed with the Spoleto, Chautauqua, Heidelberg, and Bedford Springs Festival orchestras, the National Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, and Tonhalle Orchestra…
-
Tomas Cotik
Violinist Tomas Cotik, currently pursuing his doctorate in violin performance at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, is an internationally recognized chamber musician, soloist, and orchestra musician. First prize winner of the National Broadcast Music Competition in his native Argentina in 1997, Cotik has concertized in Germany, Holland, Canada, Argentina, Japan, and throughout the U.S., participating in over 15 international…
-
Andrew D’Angelo
Appearing in INSPIRED IMPROVISATION with Matt Wilson,Andrew D’Angelo’s charismatic presence and iconoclastic musical ambition have been well-established over the course of his career and his key roles in bands like Human Feel, the Matt Wilson Quartet, and Tyft. His dedication to pushing his limits and his willingness to delve into new musical areas has been a powerful inspiration to his peers and to a new generation of improvisers. His…
-
Ramón de Bruyn
Raised in South Africa, Ramón de Bruyn, appearing in ¡CELEBRACIÓN! with Gabriel Alegria, started out playing guitar and picked up the electric bass at the age of 13. While pursuing his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Cape Town, he started studying the double bass and piano. He has played with artists such as Sibongile Khumalo, Winston Mankunku, Neo Muyanga, Deborah Tanguy, Frank Paco as well been part of various ensembles…
-
Paul Dooley
Composer Paul Dooley’s music embraces a cross-cultural range of contemporary music, dance, art, technology and the interactions between the human and natural worlds. He has composed for solo instrument, orchestra, band, electronics, and chamber ensemble.
Recognition for Dooley’s music includes a 2010 BMI composer award, a 2008 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, a fellowship to the 2008 Aspen Music Festival Composition…
-
Lamont Dozier
Lamont Dozier as a member of Holland-Dozier-Holland, is responsible for writing and producing over 54 #1 hits for The Supremes, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, and a host of others, giving them credit for being the architects of the Motown sound. As a result, he has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, from which he recently received the 2009 Johnny Mercer Award, the highest praise a songwriter can…
-
Judy Drucker
Judith Drucker is internationally beloved for making the Concert Association of Florida one of the world’s most formidable artistic presenting organizations in Florida since 1967. Thereafter, she formed the Great Artists Series. Drucker has presented the world’s most eminent classical musicians in South Florida, including: Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Zubin Mehta, Beverly Sills, Cecilia Bartoli,…
-
Susan Egan
Susan Egan, appearing in UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: FRANK LOESSER, has traversed all four corners of the entertainment industry, making powerful impressions in theatre, film, television and music. She headlined on Broadway as Thoroughly Modern Millie, won critical acclaim as Broadway’s (longest-running) “Sally Bowles” in Cabaret, starred in Triumph of Love and State Fair, and received Tony Award® and Drama Desk® nominations for “Best…
-
Michael Feinstein
Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” is considered one of the premier interpreters of American standards. His 200-plus shows a year have included performances at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl as well as the White House and Buckingham Palace.
Feinstein earned his fifth Grammy Award nomination in 2009 for The Sinatra Project.…
-
Leon Fleisher
At 83 years young, 2012 Stamps Distinguished Visitor Leon Fleisher continues to thrive as a conductor and pianist. The youngest-ever student of Artur Schnabel, Fleisher debuted with the New York Philharmonic in 1944. In 1952, he became the first American to win the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium competition, establishing him as one of the world’s premier classical pianists.
At age 36, a neurological affliction left two… -
Rachelle Fleming
With a “glorious, rich voice and a timbre that goes directly to the heart,” Rachelle Fleming has touched audiences in a wide variety of music styles ranging from cabaret to classical.
This versatile vocalist and actress has collaborated with acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Fred Hersch for “Classical Action,” a New York-based non-profit devoted to AIDS awareness, as well as for her demo recording, which includes the standards…
-
Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir
The internationally award-winning Florida’s Singing Sons Boychoir was founded in Fort Lauderdale in 1975. The choir consists of boys, ages eight through fourteen, selected from the South Florida community by audition. Those selected are then rigorously prepared through a multi-level music education program for participation in one of the three choirs, the Training Choir, the Residence Choir, and the Concert Choir.
The Boychoir… -
Gemini
Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1949, twin brothers Sandor and Laszlo Slomovits emigrated with their parents after the 1956 Revolution and lived in Israel for three years before moving to the United States. At age seven, Laz began studying violin and San piano, but by then they’d already been singing in public for almost three years. However, it wasn’t until after they graduated from The University of Rochester (San with a BA in…
-
Benny Golson
NEA Jazz Master Benny Golson is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and was recently named a Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend. A tenor saxophonist known for his expressive playing, his career spans a remarkable six decades—from his early years with John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, to his continued success as a solo performer and composer, arranger, lyricist and producer—Benny Golson…
-
Fernando Gonzalez
Writer and Editor Fernando González regularly contributes to The Miami Herald, Jazz Times, The International Review of Music, Latingrammy.com, and other publications. As a music journalist, González has been Managing Editor of JAZZIZ, correspondent for The Washington Post, and staff music critic for The Miami Herald and The Boston Globe. He was Managing Editor of El Sitio.com United…
-
Wycliffe Gordon
Wycliffe Gordon enjoys an extraordinary career as a performer, conductor, composer, arranger, and educator, receiving high praise from audiences and critics alike. Gordon tours the world performing hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz for audiences ranging from heads of state to elementary school students. Gordon received the Jazz Journalists Association 2008, 2007, 2006, 2002, and 2001 Award for Trombonist of the Year, and the Jazz Journalists…
-
Marjorie Gould Hahn
Marjorie Gould Hahn is in her 40th year as conductor and teacher of the South Florida Youth Symphony organization. She became the Executive Director ten years ago, has guided the organization to a superb level of programming, teaching, touring and ensemble development. In addition to holding the podium for the youth symphony, she has secured and appointed a musical staff dedicated to the development of South Florida’s young talent. …
-
Denyce Graves
USA Today identifies mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves as “an operatic superstar of the 21st Century.” The combination of her rich, expressive vocalism, elegant stage presence, and exciting theatrical abilities allows her to pursue a wide breadth of operatic portrayals, as well as delight audiences in concert and recital appearances. She is particularly known for her performances in the title roles of Carmen and Samson et Dalila…
-
Dave Grusin
Dave Grusin is a Grammy Award-winning pianist and Academy Award-winning composer with over 30 scores to his credit. He began his career as music director and pianist with vocalist Andy Williams (1959-1966). He met drummer Larry Rosen in the band, and the two became business partners nearly two decades later when they launched the contemporary jazz label, GRP Records.
Grusin’s early recordings as a leader were two jazz trio…
-
Hansel y Raul
Hansel Enrique Martinez and Raul Alfonso were born in Cuba. Their musical careers began in 1976 New York City as vocalists and co-founders of the world famous Charanga ‘76. In 1983, they formed what is now considered the most dynamic and successful duo in the history of Latin tropical music. They are international recording stars and renowned composers who have performed their Charanga based music all over the…
-
Jennifer Higdon
Composer Jennifer Higdon, a major figure in contemporary classical music, is one of America’s most frequently performed composers. Her works represent a range of genres, including orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and wind ensemble music.
Higdon received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto. She has also received awards from the Serge Koussevitzky Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy…
-
Bruce Hornsby
Frost School of Music alumnus Bruce Hornsby, a 13-time Grammy nominee, has won three Grammys: 1987 “Best New Artist” for the debut album The Way It Is; 1989 “Best Bluegrass Recording” for his hit “The Valley Road” from the album Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume II; and with Branford Marsalis in 1993 for “Best Pop Instrumental Performance” for their song “Barcelona Mona,” written…
-
Claire Huangci
Claire Huangci won both the International Chopin Competition in Darmstadt, Germany in October 2009 and the National Chopin Piano Competition of the United States in March 2010 for her distinguished Chopin interpretations.
Born in Rochester, New York, Claire has played the piano since she was seven years old. Now 20, she studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with G. Graffmann and E. Sokoloff and is continuing her music education…
-
Delma Iles
Delma Iles holds an M.F.A. Degree in Dance from New York University and a B.A. in Teaching of Dance from Virginia Intermont College. She has danced with the Cincinnati Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and the Atlanta Ballet. In New York she worked with Rachel Lampert and Dancers and Stuart Hodes as well as choreographer Steve Goldbas and theatre director Mark Roth.
In Miami, Iles has been a soloist with Fusion Dance Company and Guest…
-
Imani Winds
More than North America’s premier wind quintet, Imani Winds has established itself as one of the most successful chamber music ensembles in the United States. Since 1997, the Grammy-nominated quintet has taken a unique path, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, genre-blurring collaborations, and inspirational outreach programs. With two member composers…
-
Thomas Jaber
Thomas Jaber is Professor of Music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and Music Director of the Rice University Chorale. For the past 24 years, he has coached singers, collaborated as pianist, organist and harpsichordist in countless recitals with both faculty and students, conducted chorus and orchestra concerts, and several operatic productions at Rice University and around the country. In 2007, Jaber was guest conductor…
-
Juan Pablo Jofre
Bandoneonist Juan Pablo Jofre has brought his form of contemporary tango to some of the most important venues in Asia, Europe, America and the Caribbean as soloist, composer and arranger.
As a performer, Jofre earned Argentina’s highly competitive National Arts Grant to study with legendary Astor Piazzolla’s Sextet bandoneon player, Julio Pane in Buenos Aires. Jofre has collaborated with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra,…
-
Yuri Juárez
Appearing in ¡CELEBRACIÓN! with Gabriel Alegria, Yuri Martín Juárez Yllescas is a Peruvian guitarist, arranger and composer who began his career in 1996 as guitarist for various groups of Afro-Peruvian music, folk, and fusion. Juárez’s musical training ranges from formal studies with the Afro-Peruvian masters of the guitar Pepé Torres, Alvaro Lagos, and Jorge Madueño and more “street” experience in Afro-Peruvian peñas.
… -
Gary Keller
Gary Keller (jazz saxophone) is a lecturer in the Department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A versatile saxophonist, Gary Keller has toured with the Woody Herman Thundering Herd and performed and/or recorded with such prominent jazz artists as Kenny Werner, Billy Hart, Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Ira Sullivan, and the late Jaco Pastorius. In the classical realm, Keller has performed and/or recorded…
-
Michael A. Kerker
Michael A. Kerker has been Director of Musical Theatre for ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) since 1990. In addition to coordinating ASCAP’s Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, he works with Disney Theatricals to produce the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles, (both of which are led by composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz). Together with Michael Feinstein, Michael Kerker produces a regular…
-
Lynn Klock
Lynn Klock is in demand as a saxophone soloist and Selmer clinician throughout the United States and abroad. He has performed as a featured artist in Great Britain, Canada, and the British and American Virgin Islands and has the distinction of being the first saxophonist to be presented on the Warsaw Philharmonic Recital Series in Warsaw, Poland. His Carnegie Hall debut received great acclaim from Peter G. Davis of the New York…
-
Kirk Knuffke
Appearing in INSPIRED IMPROVISATION with Matt Wilson, trumpeter Kirk Knuffke has studied improvisation with great jazz artists Ornette Coleman, Art Lande and Ron Miles. He currently leads his own groups, including the Kirk Knuffke Quartet and trio, with 3 recordings now available as a leader for the Cleanfeed and No Business labels.
Knuffke stays very busy as a member of the celebrated Matt Wilson Quartet, touring the US, performing…
-
Julian Lage
When Julian Lage, appearing with Mark O’Connor in SIZZLING HOT SWING, emerged on the music scene 13 years ago, the young San Francisco Bay Area-based musician was not only deemed a guitar-playing prodigy, but he was also offered record deals on numerous occasions. Lage played a unique style that melded blues, classical, folk and jazz influences. He became a sideman with established instrumentalists like Gary Burton and to collaborate…
-
Jeff Lederer
Jeff Lederer is a saxophonist, performer, teacher, and arranger/composer. Born in Los Angeles, he attended Oberlin College, studying comparative religion, and earned the Masters of Music degree from Western Michigan University. As a saxophonist, he currently tours internationally and records with Matt Wilson Quartet as well as with Salsa artist Jimmy Bosch. Lederer has also performed with the Mingus Big Band and Latin music legend Tito Puente.…
-
Laura Andrea Leguía
Appearing in ¡CELEBRACIÓN!, saxophonist and composer Laura Andrea Leguía has participated in Gabriel Alegría’s Afro-Peruvian jazz projects since their inception in the year 2000. She contributed the title track of the album Un Rezo and is featured prominently on two tracks on Nuevo Mundo. Leguía has toured the USA, Latin America, Europe and Canada with various Afro-Peruvian jazz projects and her performing and recording…
-
Colby Leider
Colby Leider has received prizes and honors from the American Composers Forum, the Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges, Princeton University, the International Computer Music Association, and Dartmouth College. He has composed music for the Nash Ensemble of London, Paul Hillier and the Theatre of Voices, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, contrabassist Bertram Turetzky, percussionist Gregory Beyer, and accordionist…
-
Dave Liebman
David Liebman’s four-decade career as a saxophonist/flautist began in the 1970s with the Elvin Jones and Miles Davis Groups. Since then he has led his own groups including Lookout Farm, Quest, and The Dave Liebman Group, featuring John Scofield, Richie Beirach, Billy Hart, Adam Nussbaum, Al Foster, John Abercrombie and Vic Juris.
His eclectic repertoire ranges from original adaptations of standards to 20th century inspired…
-
Chris Lightcap
Appearing in INSPIRED IMPROVISATION with Matt Wilson, bassist and composer Chris Lightcap simultaneously played violin in a local youth symphony and took gigs on bass guitar with local rock bands as well as his school’s jazz and concert bands. Upon graduating from Williams College, he moved to his current home, New York City.
Lightcap has performed and recorded within the New York’s jazz and contemporary music scenes. With two…
-
Ivan Lins
Multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ivan Lins is one of Brazil’s most beloved music superstars. His career has spanned 35 years and 27 records, with over 350 songs recorded in Brazil and hundreds more around the world.
Ivan Lins first hit was “Madalena”, followed by “O Amor É o Meu País”, “Começar de Novo”, “Desesperar Jamais”, “Aos Nossos Filhos” and “Vitoriosa”, all sung…
-
Freddy “Huevito” Lobatón
A master percussionist and zapateo dancer, Freddy “Huevito” Lobatón is appearing in ¡CELEBRACIÓN! with Gabriel Alegria. He has performed and toured internationally with Afro-Peruvian music luminaries and played and composed for Eva Ayllón, Peru Negro, Lucila Campos, Guajaja, and la Peña Don Porfirio. A member of Peru’s legendary Lobatón family, Lobatón began developing his skills at the age of four watching his father’s…
-
Frank Loesser
1910 - 1969
Frank Loesser has been called the most versatile of all Broadway composers. His five Broadway musicals, each a unique contribution to the art of the American musical theatre, were as different from each other as they were from the theatre of their day: Where’s Charley?, Guys And Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, Greenwillow, and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. …
-
Jo Sullivan Loesser
Jo Sullivan Loesser, appearing in UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: FRANK LOESSER, became a musical theatre star with her legendary performances in Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella. At the pinnacle of her career, she married composer Frank Loesser and left the stage, devoting herself to raising their two daughters, Hannah and Emily. After Loesser’s untimely death, she returned to performing, honoring her husband with an acclaimed salute…
-
Sandra Lopez
Soprano Sandra Lopez, a graduate of the University of Miami Frost School of Music and the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, has received accolades from vocal competitions such as Palm Beach Opera Competition, the McAllister Awards, and George London Foundation. In 1998 she was the Grand Prize winner in the College Division of the Florida Grand Opera Competition. Lopez appeared at the Metropolitan Opera…
-
Jerome Lowenthal
Jerome Lowenthal continues to fascinate audiences, who find in his playing a youthful intensity and an eloquence born of life-experience. He is a virtuoso of the fingers and the emotions.
Lowenthal studied in his native Philadelphia with Olga Samaroff-Stokowski, in New York with William Kapell and Edward Steuermann, and in Paris with Alfred Cortot, meanwhile traveling annually to Los Angeles for coaching with Arthur Rubinstein. After…
-
Brian Lynch
Grammy Award winner Brian Lynch is a newly appointed assistant professor of music at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he teaches jazz trumpet. A highly esteemed musician within both the hardcore straight ahead and Latin Jazz communities, Lynch is as comfortable negotiating the complexities of clave with Afro-Caribbean pioneer Eddie Palmieri as he is swinging through advanced harmony with bebop maestro Phil Woods. A honored…
-
Michael Maguire
Michael Maguire’s portrayal of Enjolras in the original Broadway company of Les Miserables garnered a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Theater World Award and a feature on the cover of Newsweek. He was a member of the “Dream Cast” celebrating the 10th anniversary of Les Miz at the Royal Albert Hall, broadcast on PBS and around the world. Maguire starred as Count Carl Magnus in A Little Night Music at the New…
-
Monica Mancini
Concord Records recording artist and 2005 double-Grammy nominee Monica Mancini, has carved out an impressive career as a concert performer, appearing with major symphony orchestras worldwide, including the Chicago Symphony, New York Pops, Boston Pops, Dallas Symphony, Seattle Symphony and the London Metropolitan Orchestra. She is the daughter of famed film composer Henry Mancini and the notable studio singer Ginny O’Conner Mancini.
… -
Ana María Martínez
Grammy Award winning soprano Ana María Martínez‘s career spans the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls. Martínez has sung every major lyric role, including: Mimi in La Boheme; Violetta in La Traviata; Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni; and the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at such venerable houses as: the Metropolitan Opera; Teatro alla Scala; the Vienna Staatsoper; the Royal Opera House Covent…
-
Eduardo Marturet
Eduardo Marturet, appearing in TRUMPET VIRTUOSO ARTURO SANDOVAL, enjoys an active career on three continents. Currently the Music Director and Conductor of The Miami Symphony Orchestra, he is a frequent guest conductor in Europe and remains deeply involved in the musical life of his native Venezuela. In 2006, Marturet received a Latin Grammy nomination…
-
Gary Mazzaroppi
Appearing in SIZZLING HOT SWING with Mark O’Connor, Gary Mazzaroppi attended Berklee School of Music, where he earned his Bachelor of Music in music education. After graduating, Mazzaroppi toured extensively with the Lionel Hampton Big Band for five years. Since then, he has accompanied many jazz artists including Red Norvo, Herb Ellis, Stan Getz, Joe Morello, Buddy Rich, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, Clark Terry, Charlie Byrd, and Mark…
-
Pablo Menares
Appearing in ¡CELEBRACION! with Gabriel Alegría, Pablo Menares is one of the most important young bass players in Chile. In 2009, he moved from Chile to New York City. His bass playing is considered to be elegant, musical and lyric, while firmly rooted in swing and polyrhythmic concepts. Menares has performed and/or recorded with all the of the leading jazz musicians in Chile including: Christian Galvez, Claudio Rubio, Andy…
-
Momentum Dance Company
Momentum Dance Company, Artistic Director Delma Iles, is currently celebrating its Twenty-Eighth year with over forty performances in 2009-2010. Founded in 1982, and in continuous operation since, Momentum is one of the oldest and most established contemporary dance companies in the Southeastern U.S. Momentum’s activities include: the Miami Dance Festival concert seasons in South Florida; concert series for children in both Miami Beach…
-
Jason Moran
2010 Macarthur Foundation Recipient Jason Moran has established himself as a risk-taking pianist and innovator of new directions for jazz. His awards include Jazz Artist, Jazz Album & Pianist of the Year in the 59th Annual Downbeat Critics Poll; Rising Star Jazz Artist, Rising Star Pianist, Rising Star Composer in the 2003-04 Downbeat Critics Polls; and the first Playboy Jazz Artist of the Year award.
Moran’s… -
Anastasiya Naplekova
Winner of the Rudolf Firkusny International Piano Competition in Prague, Anastasiya Naplekova was born in Kharkov, Ukraine. There she received her B.M. and M.M. in piano performance from Kharkov State University of Arts studying under Professor Nataliya Melnikova. Naplekova is currently a doctoral student at the Frost School of Music, studying piano performance under distinguished artist Professor Santiago Rodriguez.
Naplekova has…
-
New York Voices
Celebrating their 24th anniversary this year, New York Voices is the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble renowned for their excellence in jazz and the art of group singing. Their interests are rooted in jazz, but often Brazilian, R & B, classical, and pop influences are infused with equal creativity and authenticity. The group consists of Darmon Meader, Peter Eldridge, Kim Nazarian, and Lauren Kinhan.
NYV has made many guest…
-
Mark O'Connor
Mark O’Connor (violin, composer) was the artist-in-residence at the University of Miami Frost School of Music during the 2010-2011 school year. A product of America’s rich aural folk tradition as well as classical music, his creative journey pays tribute to two musical giants: American fiddler, Benny Thomasson and French jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli. O’Connor’s first recording ‘Appalachia Waltz’…
-
John Olah
John Olah (tuba, euphonium) is associate professor in the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He received a B.M. degree from the Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory, an M.M. degree from the University of New Mexico, and has pursued advanced studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. A student of Ronald Bishop, Olah has performed with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland…
-
Carlos Oliva
Cuban-born vocalist and percussionist Carlos Oliva arrived in Miami in 1961, where he formed Los Sobrinos del Juez, (The Judge’s Nephews), specializing in a new, inter-cultural sound. This fusion of Cuban music, salsa, afro beats, samba, jazz and rock became known as “The Miami Sound.” Oliva has produced and directed many other musical groups, including Miami Sound Machine.
A prolific commercial composer, Oliva…
-
Valerie Perri
Valerie Perri is best known for her Award-winning performance in the role of Eva Peron in the National Touring production of the Tony Award-winning musical Evita, directed by the legendary Harold Prince....
-
Astor Piazzolla
Legendary composer Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) redefined classical Argentinian tango by infusing it with jazz and classical techniques to create New Tango. His output includes more than 1000 works, and continues to influence the best musicians in the world, including violinist Gidon Kremer, cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Mstislav Rostropovich, the Kronos Quartet, pianist Emanuel Ax, guitarist Al Di Meola, and numerous others.
A virtuoso…
-
Don Pippin
Appearing in UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: FRANK LOESSER,Don Pippin’s distinguished career on Broadway includes A Chorus Line (for which he received the Gold Record Award), Oliver! (which won the Tony Award®), Applause, Woman Of The Year, Mame, Dear World, Cabaret, Seesaw, Jerry’s Girls, Mack and Mabel, and La Cage Aux Folles. Pippin has been the musical director…
-
Brian Powell
Brian Powell is the newly appointed professor of Double Bass and String Music Pedagogy at the Frost Music School of the University of Miami. He has a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance and a Masters degree in Teaching from Indiana University, and he is a doctoral candidate at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He is a former member of The New World Symphony, under the direction of Michael Tilson…
-
Noah Racey
Appearing in UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: FRANK LOESSER,Noah Racey is a Boston Conservatory graduate who is known for his starring role as Lucky Garnett in the Broadway production, Never Gonna Dance. Racey starred internationally in such shows as Crazy For You and On The Town. He also starred in regional theatres, including the La Jolla Playhouse production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. He recently won rave reviews for his portrayal of Bobby Child...
-
Ron Raines
Ron Raines, appearing in UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: FRANK LOESSER, is well known to theater audiences in New York and around the country as one of America’s leading musical theater performers most recently starring on Broadway as Billy Flynn in Chicago. He also starred on Broadway as Gaylord Ravenal in the 1983 revival of Jerome Kern’s Showboat co-starring Donald O’Connor. He originated the role of Teddy Roosevelt’s…
-
Carlos Rivera
Of Cuban-Guatemalan descent, Carlos Rafael Rivera has established a name for himself as a composer with the unique ability to incorporate a large diversity of musical influences in his captivating compositions, which reflect his multi-cultural upbringing in Washington, DC, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Miami, and Los Angeles.
His music has been performed by some of the world’s most prominent ensembles, including Chanticleer,…
-
Rey Sanchez
Rey Sanchez is associate professor and chair of the Music Media & Industry Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where he also serves as program director for the Department of Music Business and Entertainment Industries. He also coordinates the activities of the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program. Rey Sanchez holds degrees in Composition and Studio Writing/Production from the University of Miami. Rey is…
-
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is fluent in at least four musical languages. He can burn through an Afro-Cuban groove, tear up a bebop tune, soar over a Mozart concerto and sooth you with a luscious ballad; with equal power and grace. A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval was born in Artemisa, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, on November 6, 1949, just two years after Gillespie became the first musician to bring…
-
Gunther Schuller
Pulitzer Prize winner Gunther Schuller began his career at age 16 when his French horn playing was heard in the American radio premiere of Shostakovich’s then brand-new “Leningrad” Symphony. Soon after he joined the American Ballet Theater Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and performed 14 seasons in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In the 1950s he turned his attention to composing and began combining jazz and…
-
Jon Secada
Three-time Grammy winner Jon Secada is an international superstar. With sales of more than 20 million albums worldwide, Secada is also a veteran of Broadway, television, and an accomplished producer.
After earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Jazz Vocal Performance at the University of Miami, Secada joined Gloria Estefan’s band as a background singer. He composed several ballads for Estefan, including the… -
Soulive
Neal Evans, organ; Alan Evans, drums; Eric Krasno, guitar
Soulive is the ultimate feel good groove band! Steeped in soul, jazz, electro-funk, this jam trio is widely popular at jam fests and jazz festivals.
When brothers Neal and Alan Evans first invited guitarist Eric Krasno to get down at their Woodstock, NY studio (a session that led to the trio’s break-out record Get Down! in 1999), it was out of mutual love…
-
Federico Musgrove Stetson
Guitarist Federico Musgrove Stetson started playing his instrument at the age of twelve. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he moved to Miami, Florida in 2001 to pursue a career in music. Although initially trained as an electric guitarist, his focus moved to classical guitar, and in 2007, he graduated from the University of Miami Frost School of Music with his Bachelor’s Degree in Music performance.
In 2011, Musgrove Stetson…
-
John Stewart
John Stewart, composer and music theorist, is a Visiting Professor of Music Theory and Composition. He has earned degrees from the New England Conservatory and Harvard University, where he studied with Earl Kim, Leon Kirchner, and Lukas Foss, among others. A composer of chamber, vocal, and orchestral music, Dr. Stewart taught at the New England Conservatory for many years before joining the faculty of Harvard University, where he taught…
-
Scott Stinson
Scott Stinson is a lecturer in theory and composition in the Department of Music Theory and Composition at the Frost School of Music. A graduate of Indiana University, Scott Stinson studied composition with electronic music pioneer and micro-tonalist John Eaton, before completing his Doctorate at the University of Miami under the tutelage of Dennis Kam. An early performance (at age 24) of his opera Tutankhamen by the Indiana University…
-
Fred Sturm
Jazz composer and conductor Fred Sturm has appeared with professional jazz ensembles and radio orchestras in Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, and Norway, and his works have been performed by ensembles, orchestras, wind ensembles, and chamber groups worldwide, featuring renowned artists Bobby McFerrin, Wynton Marsalis, Bob Brookmeyer, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Gary Burton, Arild Andersen, and John Scofield.
In 2003, Sturm…
-
Suénalo
Latin funk. Fusion. Jam band. Multicultural cocktail. The sound of Miami. Afro-Latin-Baby-Makin’-Descarga-Funk. These are names that have been used to describe Suénalo, and they are all on the money. To a point anyway, because even the lengthy hyphenated description the band came up with themselves to describe their hard-to-pin-down style all fall short of the true breadth of what they represent.
It’s the result of a 10-year…
-
Livingston Taylor
Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of thirteen, beginning a forty-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at 18 and has continued to create well-crafted, introspective and original songs that have earned him…
-
Jamila Tekalli
Jamila Tekalli, an American pianist of Japanese and Libyan descent, has dazzled audiences all across Florida and beyond with her impeccable technical command and profound musical expression. Winner of many awards including the Music Teachers National Association Baldwin Piano Competition; National finalist in the MTNA Yamaha Piano Competition, and finalist in the Junior Division at the 1995 Stravinsky Awards International Piano Competition,…
-
Tiempo Libre
Three-time Grammy®-nominated Tiempo Libre is one the hottest young Latin bands today. Equally at home in concert halls, jazz clubs and dance venues, the members of the Miami-based band are true modern heirs to the rich music tradition of their native Cuba. The group is celebrated for its incendiary performances of timba, an irresistible, dance-inducing mix of high-voltage Latin jazz and the seductive rhythms of son. Since their formation…
-
Shirazette Tinnin
Appearing in ¡CELEBRACIÓN! with Gabriel Alegría, Shirazette Tinnin, also known as “She Beats,” is a native of North Carolina. It was at Appalachian State University that she found her true love for drum set and her true belonging in jazz music. She began performing in the jazz ensembles, and small combos as well as performing with her jazz professor Todd Wright on a regular basis while in school.
In 2005, Tinnin was the runner-up…
-
Nestor Torres
If a flute could talk and sing, it would certainly be in the voice of Nestor Torres, for he speaks through his instrument. Equally fluent in Jazz, Classical and Latin idioms, his fluid versatility sets him apart. Born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Torres moved to NYC with his family in his teenage years and went on to study at Mannes School of Music and later at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. At that time he was also learned…
-
Trio Da Paz
With three of Brazil’s most in-demand musicians, Trio da Paz updates and redefines Brazilian Jazz with their harmonically adventurous interactions, daring improvisations and dazzling rhythms. Trio da Paz was formed in 1990 by guitarist Romero Lubambo, bassist Nilson Matta, and drummer Duduka da Fonseca, all seasoned masters of both jazz and Brazilian music.
The members of Trio da Paz have recorded and performed with an…
-
Trout Fishing in America
Trout Fishing in America is the long-standing musical partnership of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet. The name taken from a Richard Brautigan novel, seems almost as incongruent and intriguing as a picture of this musical duo - Ezra Idlet (guitar) stands six feet nine inches and Keith Grimwood (bass), five feet five and one half inches. What is more intriguing is the musical career these two have carved out in three decades of writing, recording…
-
United States Marine Band
For more than two centuries, the United States Marine Band has been part of events that have shaped the nation. Established by an Act of Congress in 1798, the Marine Band is America’s oldest professional musical organization. The Marine Band made its White House debut on New Year’s Day, 1801, in a performance for President John Adams. In March of that year, the band performed for the inaugural of Thomas Jefferson, and has performed for…
-
Dave Van Horne
Dave Van Horne has broadcast Major League Baseball for 43 years. For 32 years, he was the “voice of the Montreal Expos,” and for the last 11 years he has been the “voice of the Florida Marlins.” Van Horne began his career in the International League in Richmond, Virginia, in 1966, where he was twice named the state’s sportscaster of the year before joining a Major League broadcast team. His debut with the Montreal Expos coincided…
-
Frank Vignola
Born and raised in New York, composer and improviser Frank Vignola, appearing in SIZZLING HOT SWING with Mark O’Connor, started playing the guitar at the age of five. He grew up admiring a variety of guitarists, which range from Django and George Barnes to rock icons like Frank Zappa and Eddie Van Halen.
As a young adult, Vignola studied at the Cultural Arts Center of Long Island and went on to enjoy an enormous amount of sideman…
-
Roseanna Vitro
Singer Roseanna Vitro has toured the world as a performer, clinician, recording artist, vocal instructor and official Jazz Ambassador, sponsored in 2009 by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department, and in 2004 by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. State Department.
In 2011, Vitro earned a Vocal Jazz Grammy Nomination for The Music of Randy Newman on Motéma Music, featuring pianist Mark…
-
George Weremchuk
George Weremchuk has performed with such diverse groups as the New World Symphony, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, and Sam Rivers’ Rivbea Orchestra. He is featured on the New World Symphony’s recording entitled New World Jazz (RCA Red Seal), and has performed with Sam Rivers at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Matosinhos Jazz Festival in Portugal, and at Lincoln Center in New York.
In Europe, Dr. Weremchuk performed…
-
Sunny Wilkinson
Sunny Wilkinson has taken her place in that elite group of jazz vocalists who have stretched the boundaries and found themselves “one of a kind.” Her performance credits are impressive, having sung with The Count Basie Band, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, Clark Terry, Mark Murphy, Milt Hinton, Curtis Fuller, and Edgar Winter, among others. Sunny’s latest CD release is a duo project featuring Los Angeles based…
-
Sheri Wills
Sheri Wills, appearing in FORM AND FRACTURES, is an artist whose work is based in film, video performance & digital media. Her work has been exhibited around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the London Film Festival and the International Film Festival in Rotterdam and is featured in the Rizzoli book, Sonic Graphics: Seeing Sound, by Matt Woolman. She holds an MFA in filmmaking & an MA in art history,…
-
Matt Wilson
Matt Wilson was born in the prairie town of Knoxville, Illinois. He became interested in playing the drums in the third grade after seeing Buddy Rich on the Lucy Show. He was judging a local drum contest featuring drummer Ricky Jr. Inspired, Wilson purchased some Ludwig 9a sticks at a local Byerly Music store. With sticks in hand, Wilson used a range of cookware and five gallon buckets as sound sources. His parents soon bought him…
-
Richard Yaklich
In addition to conducting the South Florida Youth Symphony, Dr. Richard Yaklich has conducted orchestras throughout the United States and Eastern Europe, including the Maikop Philharmonic and the Socchie Symphony Orchestra. Yaklich attended the Tanglewood Music Center where he studied conducting with Gustav Meier, Charles Dutoit, Leon Fleisher, Maurice Abravanel, and Seiji Ozawa. A former Director of the Jubilate Chamber Orchestra,…
-
Zoe Zeniodi
Appearing in TRANSCENDENCE with Sandra Lopez, Zoe Zeniodi is the Associate Conductor for the Frost Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theater. Studying with Thomas Sleeper, Zenoidi is pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Recently, Zeniodi has appeared as guest conductor with the New Philharmonic (Miami) and the National Youth Orchestra of Spain (JONDE). For the closing night of Festival…