Gather ‘Round’s ‘Live Music and Meditation Spectacle’ A Communal Happening

Drummer Marvin Clairsant is part of the seven-piece Gather ‘Round band. Its third gathering is at the Plaza at HistoryMiami Museum on Sunday, Feb. 2. (Photo courtesy of Gather ‘Round)

There was a time before streaming apps, stadium tours, and a multi-billion-dollar music industry churning disposable stars when music was a familial, communal event. There were instruments, players, and singers seemingly in every home, and music was not a spectator sport but a chance to share and even participate in creating.

Those notions inform the spirit of Gather ‘Round, an immersive listening experience of mainly improvised music presented as a “Live Music and Meditation Spectacle” at the Plaza at HistoryMiami Museum in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m.

At the center of it all, literally, given the planned in-the-round setting, will be the seven-piece Gather ‘Round band, featuring Pierangela Dozsa, vocals; Marcelo Romero, saxophone; Julian Bermudez, piano and keyboards; Sami Head, bass; Marvin Clairsaint, drums; Katie Berns Lee, percussion and Michael Cantalupo, multi-instrumentalist (hand pan, harmonium, percussion, and vocals), bandleader and the mastermind of the project.

“The seven musicians that are the lead onstage are all Miami-based,” Cantalupo says in a recent conversation. “Most of them grew up through the music system here —Pierangela went to New World School of the Arts, and so did Marcello. Marvin grew up through the system in Coral Springs, and I feel Miami’s ripe to showcase a sound that is uniquely ours. You think Miami, and you immediately think of some sort of Latin-based sound — and these guys can play that as well. But there’s also this rapidly growing community here in Miami around a sound-healing type of instrumentation, and our music is a combination of the two.”

In fact, the ensemble combines conventional instruments and what Cantalupo calls “traditional sound healing, more mystical instrumentation.” The studio session yielded several pieces that are the core of the repertoire, but much of the music was, and remains, improvised. “We’d have a basic melodic concept, maybe, for half of the song.  And then there’s a couple of tracks that were created out of pure air,” said Cantalupo. “And this is the way that the show still works.”

That is, in part, what attracted Dozsa (who prefers to be referred to only as Pierangela), the vocalist of the group, who is currently a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She met Cantalupo at a local jam session. “It was just a very free and fluid environment where people would really just create with whatever was on their mind at that moment,” she recalls. “Miami’s jam culture is incredible. There are so many jam sessions always going on. There would always be jam sessions in my local community. That was my introduction to music.”

Improvising and a shared vision about music and community with Cantalupo and Gather ‘Round moved to her to join.

“Being able to come to a jamming space where there was a band was very unique,” she says. “And also, my goal as a musician is to try to make music that truly uplifts others. I want to share a message of goodness to unite society further. So, when I met Michael and I saw that is what he wants also, I knew that this was the right place for me.”

Cantalupo recalls that for the first two Gather ‘Round shows, he would ask potential participants if they liked yoga and jazz. “And they would say: ‘Yeah, I like both,” and I’d tell them ‘Great. But we’re not really either of those. We’re in this middle ground.’” The goal, he notes, is “to get into the state in which you are able to free-flow create.”

He calls playing and listening to Gather ‘Round music “a deeply, deeply introspective experience. Whatever you’re doing in whatever instrument or tool you choose, is just an outward expression of whatever is going on internally. So, it’s about listening to yourself before anything is ever played.”

The loose setup of Gather ‘Round actually began as a free-form session in the often-forbidding setting of a recording studio.

“I had this idea of bringing a couple of musicians and having a live recording session. We would be creating in real time,” recalls Cantalupo. “We ended up having a 12-hour day at Criteria Studios in North Miami and walked out of it with this sense of having experienced something special. We really listened to each other, we created in real-time, and we were able to allow the magic of not knowing where we were going next. And we wanted to replicate that experience, that feeling, for as large of an audience as possible. So, the next question was:  how do we help somebody feel this, and can we do it so non-musicians can feel it and participate as well?”

The upcoming show will be the third Gather ‘Round event and the most ambitious yet.

“This will be the first actual iteration of the 360-degree surrounding stage that we wanted, which allows for a much more intimate connection with the audience and it allows for different sightlines than most people are used to during concert experiences,” says Cantalupo.

The goal is to encourage the audience “to explore their own creativity in the soundscape we’re creating in real time,” he says. “Many of our songs have simple melodic structures for the audience to sing along and riff off of them if they want to throw something out.

He emphasizes that there was a time when making music wasn’t to get the most downloads, streaming, or amass album sales.

“All I’m trying to do is point people back into their own creativity and intuition and perhaps touch something that they might have forgotten was there.”

WHAT: Gather ‘Round: “The Live Music and Meditation Spectacle” 

WHEN:  6 p.m., doors open, 8 p.m. show, Sunday, Feb. 2.

WHERE: The Plaza at HistoryMiami Museum, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami

COST: $30 general admission, $90 VIP

INFORMATION:  www.gatherround.live

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Sweet Sounds of Celia Cruz To Fill Pinecrest Gardens’ Banyan Bowl

Spanish-Cuban singer Lucrecia, seen performing at Hostos Center for the Performing Arts, New York, will bring the legendary Celia Cruz to life, performing alongside the Celia Cruz All-Stars in three tribute concerts at the historic Banyan Bowl on Jan. 31, Feb. 1, and Feb. 2.  (Photo courtesy of Allen Spatz)

Of the twenty women featured on a quarter as part of the U.S. Mint’s American Women series, only one of them is a Hispanic artist. In 2024, Celia Cruz, that irrepressible font of pure sonic Afro-Latino joy for half of the past century, joined the ranks of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, astronaut Sally Ride and poet Maya Angelou in being so immortalized. Emblazoned beside her image, her trademark cry of ¡Azúcar!” is the first Spanish word to appear on any U.S. currency.

Pretty sweet.

You won’t find that singular exclamation of  ¡Azúcar!” anywhere, the rallying cry that became a signature to Cruz at the exquisitely curated exhibit devoted to Cuba’s most iconic singer at the Hibiscus Gallery at Pinecrest Gardens.

Cristina Blanco, executive director of the Gardens, wanted to dig deeper than that when she put together the venue’s loving homage, which is on view through Sunday, Feb. 2.

At the venue’s Banyan Bowl, a centennial celebration featuring Cuban singer Lucrecia and the Celia Cruz All Stars band in three concerts on Friday, Jan. 31, Saturday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 2.

Miami is the first stop in a yearlong series of shows throughout the United States that examines Cruz’s incredibly rich and varied musical legacy, period by period. Lucrecia, who, like Cruz, has both a rich voice and a healthy dose of large-hearted Cuban charisma, seems a natural choice for the celebratory tour.

In a telephone interview in Spanish from her home in Barcelona, Lucrecia talks about what the performer represents to her personally.

“Celia is the greatest of all Latin artists,” she says simply. “Celia is the bringer of light, the light of our Latino culture, to the entire world.” But in addition to the light that radiated through her music, Cruz brought a special warmth to the younger singer through the two women’s friendship.

“We always had a very lovely, very sincere relationship,” she says. The two met performing together in Málaga and formed a fast bond. In fact, when Lucrecia was pregnant with her son (Jan, now 23-years-old), it was Cruz’s special request that she be named the child’s godmother.

The challenge of bringing her to life was daunting, she says, both from an emotional and a technical standpoint. It was in 2018, she explains, when she was first tapped to play the singer in “Celia Cruz: The Musical!,” which played the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami and then the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx in New York.

She was honored but taken aback. How could she channel the artistry of a woman who, in addition to being a cultural institution and one of her greatest inspirations, had also been a friend?

“Our Celia is our Celia,” she says. “She is unique. She has a voice that will never be repeated, a flood of a voice that I would listen to and say, what a voice, what a huge voice.…I always speak of her in the present because her eternity is there in her voice.”

In live performances, it was a voice that could wash over you like a river, filling your body with the irrepressible urge to get up, move your hips, shimmy your shoulders.

Lucrecia spent six months of rehearsals in the run-up to Miami debut searching for every nuance of Celia’s voice: its cadence, its tonality, its inimitable ability to fill an audience with unbridled happiness. After performing, she heard a recording of a song from the show and found herself wondering if it was her own voice or that of Cruz’s. It was then that she knew she had it right.

“Just imagine it,” she says. “To be able to play her, to walk in her great shoes so that everyone remembers her and feels as if they have her there in the theater, all her followers, her fans, all the people who love her. It is an honor.”

The songs that Lucrecia will perform at the Banyan Bowl are those of a younger Cruz than the ones she performed in that earlier show. Classics like “Tu Voz,” “Yerbero Moderno” and “Burundanga” present a whole new repertory for her, and she says she relishes the challenge of interpreting the “golden era” songs that made the woman she calls “our queen” a household name in her native Cuba.

“Celia was born with her star,” says Lucrecia. “She made her way through her life with her star and her star keeps shining in her eternity.” With this year-long homage to Celia throughout the centennial year of her birth, she says, “We are adding to the eternity of Celia. That’s it right there.”

The accompanying exhibit in garden’s Hibiscus Gallery, an airy, bright space off the main entrance, brims with carefully restored photographs, memorabilia, and costumes —everything from a conga belonging to the Sonora Matancera to numerous pairs of the fabulous and futuristic footwear that Cruz wore when performing.

There’s also a huge blowup of a photo from the tarmac showing the singer and her bandmates departing Havana for performances in Mexico in 1960, the fated tour that would lead to Cruz becoming persona non grata in her native land.

Blanco, with the blessing and help of Omer Pardillo-Cid, representative of the Celia Cruz Estate, hunted down each piece collector by collector with the assiduousness of the museum executive she once was and the history nerd she still is.

Its focus spans the 1950s to early ‘60s, when Celia became a star of Havana’s epic nightclub scene as the female vocalist for the legendary band La Sonora Matancera. Blanco kept the show compact and fresh by telling Cruz’s story from the vantage point of “her golden era.” The singer’s early years with the Sonora Matancera, she says, were “the period that led to her exploding to become an icon.” She and the band were seemingly unstoppable.

(Listen: “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás” lyrics by Lucrecia from the album “Album de Cuba”)

“They created over 300 songs together. They traveled for 10 years. It is a lot in a short period of time, but it really showed her boldness, her femininity, her range,” says Blanco.

And Blanco, who carefully avoided mentioning “azúcar” in the gallery exhibition does see meaning in the performer’s famous catchphrase. Cruz, she says, “was never hesitant. She had a lot of positivity.”

Perhaps “azúcar” was not just a word, but a philosophy.

“When she said it sometimes, she was saying that even if life is tough or difficult, just add a little bit of sugar to it because life is beautiful and sweet.” At Lucrecia’s performance, if Cruz’s spirit should move you, feel free to shout “azúcar” at will.

WHAT: “Celia Cruz Centennial Celebration 1925-2025” with singer Lucrecia (as Celia) accompanied by the Celia Cruz All Stars. The concert kicks off the 2025 Tropical Nights live music series

WHERE: Banyan Bowl at Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 Red Road, Pinecrest

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31, and 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2

COST: $40 – $45 plus fees

INFORMATION: 305-669-6990; info@pinecrestgardens.org

RELATED EVENT: The Celia Cruz Exhibition is on view at the Hibiscus Gallery at Pinecrest Gardens from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. through Sunday, Feb. 2. Admission is included with general admission to the garden ($5; 65 and older, $3). The gallery will be open prior to the concerts; admission to the Celia Cruz Exhibition is included in the price of performance ticket.

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com

 

New World Symphony Premieres Miami Composer’s Work ‘Prohibido’ With MCB Dancers

Composer Orlando Jacinto Garcia premieres his new work for String Orchestra “prohibido” with the New World Symphony and Miami City Ballet on Sunday, Jan. 26.  (Photo courtesy of Jacek Kolasinski)

In Terezín, art was defiance. During World War II, the Nazis transformed the Czech fortress town into a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp, a transit point for over 150,000 Jews sent to their deaths. Among them were 15,000 children—fewer than 100 survived. Their poems and drawings were collected after the war in a volume titled “I Never Saw Another Butterfly”.

On Sunday, Jan. 26, the New World Symphony presents “The Chamber Cello” at the New World Center, a program that honors Terezín’s legacy, conducted by Aram Demirjian, music director of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and winner of the 2020 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.

At the heart of the evening is the premiere of “prohibido” (“prohibited”), an impactful new work by Cuban-American composer Orlando Jacinto García. The performance integrates projected artworks produced by the Terezín children and original choreography by Miami City Ballet soloist Ariel Rose, featuring MCB dancers Lucy Nevin and Alexander Kaden.

García, an FIU Distinguished Professor of Composition, first encountered “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the 1990s.  The volume inspired his 2018 “Third String Quartet”.

Recorded by the Amernet String Quartet, the piece won the prestigious Walter Hinrichsen Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2022. This past summer, García expanded the quartet for a full chamber orchestra and renamed it “prohibido.”

The new composition broadens its focus to encompass all forms of repression—racial, religious, political, and cultural. “I could easily be talking about Cuba,” says García, “but it could also be about George Floyd or Native Americans—any people who’ve been silenced.” Garcia’s work also explores the perception of time. “One of the most important things that art can do is change your perception,” he says. “My hope is that when the piece ends, you won’t be sure if it lasted five minutes or 30.”

For choreographer Ariel Rose, the time-dilating nature of García’s music presented a unique challenge. “The music is very bare at times,” Rose explains. “There are no counts—it’s really not countable. The dancers are listening for sounds and cues and practicing over and over to internalize it.”

The emotional depth of the music also shaped Rose’s creative process. “Listening to the music, I got in touch with this feeling beyond grief—of numbness,” Rose says. “That’s what I tried to convey with the two dancers. They have this almost blank stare, this absent vitality. The music embodies grief beyond grief.”

Rose designed the choreography to complement, not overshadow, the orchestra and projections. The dancers perform their duet on an elevated half-moon platform that frames the musicians. “With this subject matter, I wanted the audience to walk away feeling at least 5% of what those in Terezín experienced,” says Rose.

Michael Linville, New World Symphony’s Dean of Instrumental Performance, curated the program with the intention of balancing García’s somber meditation. “This piece (“prohibido”) addresses the idea of any kind of prohibition that impinges on individual freedoms,” explains Linville. “It uses the Holocaust as a lens to discuss things that were prohibited and compares it to things people want to prohibit today.”

To offer contrast, Linville selected Chinese-American composer Chen Yi’s “Suite for Cello and Chamber Winds” (2004), an atmospheric work inspired by Chinese folk tunes and traditional instruments. “Chen Yi’s piece is very simple and direct,” says Linville. “There are four movements, each with a different focus. Some tell old Chinese myths and legends, while others are songs—one movement, for example, is lovers singing to each other.”

Linville also included Paul Desenne’s playful “Pizziquitiplas” (1989), which he described as a dynamic showcase for the cello.  “Pizziquitiplas” is a trio for cellos where two cellos emulate the Afro-Venezuelan “quitiplás”, traditional bamboo percussion instruments played in interlocking patterns. A third cello simulates the distinctive sound of a sea conch, commonly associated with ritual dances.

“Paul Desenne’s work is essentially a showpiece for cello,” explains Linville. “It’s kind of folksy, but it also has a strong drive, and it’s just fun. It’s not very long, and the cellists really get to show off and have fun with each other.”

Leading the cello section is guest artist Oliver Herbert, a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, who will perform alongside New World Symphony Fellows during the program. Herbert’s presence underscores the NWS’s commitment to supporting young artists.

(WATCH: Art Speak’s Interview With Orlando Jacinto Garcia)

The inclusion of Desenne and Chen Yi’s works offers audiences a chance to explore different cultural approaches to classical music. Linville explains that each piece brings its own emotional and narrative framework.

The program concludes with Johannes Brahms’ “Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major”. First composed when Brahms was 20 and later revised when he was 56, the trio is a lush, romantic work. “That piece is such a warm bath of beautiful, long phrases,” says Linville. “Considering how early it was written, it’s one of his best.”

By blending García’s contemporary reflections on repression with the cultural diversity of Chen Yi and Desenne and the timeless romanticism of Brahms, “The Chamber Cello” offers a nuanced exploration of history, humanity, and art’s enduring power to transcend trauma.

The evening’s themes resonate with the broader “Resonance of Remembrance” series, part of New World Symphony’s 2024-2025 season marking 80 years since the end of World War II and the Holocaust. By revisiting the pivotal period in history, the symphony’s initiative creates a bridge between past traumas and present realities. Linville emphasizes that while the music carries somber tones, it also reminds us of resilience. “It’s about giving voice to stories that still need to be heard,” he says.

WHAT: New World Symphony Presents “Chamber Music: The Chamber Cello”

WHERE: The New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach

WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26

COST: $20, $25, $30, $35, $40

INFORMATION: 305-673-3330 and www.nws.edu/events-tickets/

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Eddie Palmieri Won’t Be at SoBeJazz, But Tribute Celebration Shows His Influence

A tribute to Eddie Palmieri, “The Sun of Latin Music” will feature an all-star band at the South Beach Jazz Festival performing at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday, Jan. 11. (Photo courtesy of artist management)

Health issues forced pianist, composer, and bandleader Eddie Palmieri, 88, to cancel his scheduled appearance at the South Beach Jazz Festival. But, his music and his profound impact in salsa and Afro-Cuban Jazz will be well represented in the tribute celebration at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday, Jan. 11.

The concert will be anchored by Sonido Solar, a tribute band endorsed by Palmieri, featuring Louis Fouché, the show’s music director, on alto saxophone, Luques Curtis on bass, Vicente “Little Johnny” Rivero on congas, Camilo Molina on drums, and GRAMMY-nominated and Palmieri’s mentee Zaccai Curtis on piano. Two long-time Palmieri collaborators, trumpeter Brian Lynch, and trombonist Conrad Herwig, key players on Palmieri’s 1990s milestones  such as “Palmas,” “La Perfecta II,” “Vortex,” and “Arete,” will join as special guests, adding historical perspective to a celebration of a remarkable career.

Over more than six decades, Palmieri has claimed a one-of-a-kind place in Afro-Caribbean music. He is an avant-gardist with a traditionalist’s heart who, leading salsa orchestras or jazz bands, has found ways of negotiating the demands of the dancers on the dance floor and the expectations of his dedicated listeners. He rarely disappointed them.

Dancers could set their steps to Palmieri’s implacable tumbaos on his left hand, but then, he would take a piano solo and set out to probe the boundaries of the song, punctuating the phrases with dissonant clusters and unexpected turns, challenging the orchestra and the soloists to build castles over the rhythm section. Dancing to experimentation rarely sounded more natural.

“Well, it’s a struggle: the dancer against the orchestra,” Palmieri told me in an interview in New York some years ago. “That’s how I learned this music; that’s how I play it now, and that’s how it will always be for me. We must push forward. We must always try to extend, to explore, to better what we have. If not, we might as well just sit around and wait for death.”

In fact, in Palmieri’s music, the line between Afro-Caribbean jazz and dance music, call it salsa if you must, often blurs — and after all, jazz was not that long ago popular dance music.

“Dance is the essence of our work,” said Palmieri. “This is music for the people, to make people dance. It’s up to the artist what he wants to put on top, where he takes it, but we are dance orchestras first — and we must never forget that.”

Herwig’s trombone career strides the line between jazz and Afro-Caribbean music. It’s an approach best illustrated by his successful series of recordings, “The Latin Side of … “ in which Herwig reimagines the music and styles of jazz masters such as John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and McCoy Tyner within an Afro-Caribbean framework.

“Think of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford. They were all dance bands,” notes Herwig. “When we play concerts with Eddie, hundreds of people will surround the stage to hear the solos and the interaction between musicians up close— and then behind them, there’ll be hundreds of people dancing, feeling the rhythm, listening with their feet.”

Herwig believes Palmieri’s genius is how he can excite the dancer and the listener.

“Now, that’s the fusion of the 21st century: bringing together people who don’t care about dance but love jazz and people who don’t care about jazz but love to dance. One of the highlights of my career is playing John Coltrane’s music and having people dance to it — and that idea comes from Eddie Palmieri.”

Herwig is not just a trusted collaborator for Palmieri. Their long, close association transcends the mere professional (Palmieri is the godfather of Herwig’s son), and Herwig recalls having “many conversations with Eddie about why it must be mutually exclusive? Why would you have to have something popular and danceable separate from something intellectually challenging and pleasing?  Why can’t you have both?”

Lynch, a two-time Grammy-winning player, arranger, and bandleader with an extensive career that includes stints with Horace Silver, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and saxophonist Phil Woods, concurs.

“I’ve played with Eddie in his dance orchestra, I played with him in his Latin jazz groups, and I’ve seen people dancing to Latin jazz, “says Lynch, a frequent musical partner of Herwig in the trombonist’s “Latin side” series.  “Perhaps the difference would be that Latin jazz would be instrumental, without a singer.”

Fouché is the co-founder with the Curtis brothers and trumpeter Jonathan Powell of Sonido Solar, the core band in this tribute. All four were members of Palmieri’s band and Fouché says “If you look at the history of Eddie’s bands, he’s always had a really keen eye for finding and developing young talent. So, it’s a huge honor to be a part of this current generation.” Sonido Solar, the name alludes to Palmieri’s moniker “The Sun of Latin Music,” was founded to “very explicitly pay tribute to Eddie and his approach to delivering this music.” Palmieri endorsed the band and played on two tracks of Sonido Solar’s debut album, released in 2022.

“One thing Eddie says, and he’s very proud of it, is that his start was as a dance orchestra leader, and everything that he does is danceable, whether it’s instrumental or there are vocals in it. And that’s what he lives by,” says Fouché, who has performed with Palmieri since 2010.

He says having the chance to perform with Eddie was a dream for him.

“I always loved his compositions, the energy he transmits, and how it hit my spirit,” he says. As a listener first and then on the bandstand, Fouche found Palmieri’s overall approach “fascinating.”

“He takes a lot of risks and takes the music in very interesting directions,” says Fouché. “But the core, the rhythmic core, the structural core of the compositions is always there. If it’s not there, he doesn’t want it. You’ll hear (in his music) the same ingredients of those 1940s records he idolizes. And it’s a really cool thing because it’s a combination: it feels rooted — but then it also feels like it’s in outer space sometimes, and he’s found a really unique way of doing that.”

While discussing Afro-Cuban jazz, Palmieri laid out his views decades ago.

“You can’t just say you know the tradition, or you respect it. You must understand it,” he told me emphatically during an interview. “Those who say that it doesn’t matter never got it to begin with. You must understand la clave (the basic rhythmic pattern in Afro-Cuban music), and you must understand the dance patterns. Every rhythm had a step —  the mambo, the cha cha cha, the guaracha —  and everybody knew how to dance it. It was an art. Then you put the harmonic advances of jazz with those rhythmic patterns from Africa that have been with us for centuries, and you don’t need anything else. You have the strongest, most complex, beautiful music on earth.”

 

WHAT: A tribute to Eddie Palmieri, “The Sun of Latin Music” featuring an all-star band comprising former and current Eddie Palmieri musicians including GRAMMY-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch and trombonist Conrad Herwig.

WHEN: 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11

WHERE: The Miami Beach Bandshell. 7275 Collins Ave, Miami Beach

COST: $42.23, $57.68, $73.13, $83.43, $490.28 club level.

INFORMATION:  sobejazzfestival.com

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com

Gospel Choirs Ready for Friendly Competition at the Arsht

Kicking off on Saturday, Jan. 18,  Gospel Fest Miami is presented as an evolution of Free Gospel Sundays, which ran for 15 years at the Adrienne Arsht Center. (Photo by Alex Markow, courtesy of the Adrienne Arsht Center)

After fifteen years of Free Gospel Sundays at the Adrienne Arsht Center, the series is entering a new phase, with a new name and a different format.

A key event kicking off the new Gospel Fest Miami is the Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational, set for Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall.

The choral competition offers a top cash prize of $5,000 and the chance to perform at the Gospel Fest finale in June.

Choirs were invited by the Arsht to submit video performances and were accepted into the invitational based on several criteria. according to Zaylin Yates, the Arsht Center’s community engagement manager. “We evaluated applicants based on vocal quality, creativity in their arrangements, and their alignment with the values of the invitational, such as community engagement and cultural representation,” says Yates.

“Our goal is to curate a lineup that reflects the diversity, talent, and authenticity of Florida’s gospel music scene.”

The festival’s emphasis on community and cultural diversity is best exemplified in the participation of groups like Gamaliel Fleurantin & Community Sounds. Led by Haitian musician Gamaliel Fleurantin, the choir, described as “a faith-based community choir” made up of “a family of Caribbean descendants—Haitians, Bahamians, Jamaicans,” aims to add Caribbean ingredients to South Florida’s gospel scene.

“Gospel music is sung in English, but we may bring some Caribbean elements to it like Haitian Creole,” says Fleurantin.

Fleurantin, whose choir is confirmed for the Gospel Choir Invitational, says that this event gives his choir a platform to highlight the value and dignity of immigrants.

“If you’ve been paying attention to what’s going on lately, how they’re treating immigrants, this gives us an opportunity to truly show them that we’re more than just a number. We’re regular, decent human beings with a purpose in life, who just want the best in life,” he says.

To those experiencing their music for the first time during Gospel Fest Miami, Gamaliel Fleurantin & Community Sounds hopes to leave them with “a message of life, love and hope.”

Argarita N. Johnson-Palavicini, D.M.A., director and chair of the Florida Memorial University Ambassador Chorale, and one of the judges of the Gospel Choir Invitational, is enthusiastic about the expanded vision of Gospel Fest Miami. “I’m very excited about it because it seems to have garnered a lot of attention,” she says. “I think we received about 20 submissions in such a short period of time. It’s great because moving forward, if we do this annually—and that’s our plan—it’ll garner national recognition and hopefully, maybe one day, international recognition. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Johnson-Palavicini also highlighted the community-focused nature of the choir invitational. “The main goal of it is really outreach. So putting out this Gospel Invitational, and curating it for community choirs, collegiate choirs, and church choirs is an excellent way to deep dive into our community,” she says.

Jairo Ontiveros, vice president of education and community engagement at the Arsht Center, explained the inspiration behind the shift. “The inspiration for Gospel Fest Miami was last year’s celebration at the end of our 15th season of presenting Free Gospel Sundays. We knew we wanted to refresh and reimagine our gospel programming after 15 years and revisit the art form in a special way that integrates the community, local artists, and national names in the gospel world,” says Ontiveros.

Gospel Fest Miami kicks off with the invitational and runs from January through June. According to Ontiveros, the new format is designed to elevate gospel music and its cultural significance. “Gospel Fest Miami expands the reach out into the community. It’s extended from four concerts at the Arsht each year to more concerts out in our different neighborhoods in Miami from February through May,” he says. “It focuses on some very important components of gospel music, and also creates opportunities for local gospel artists to perform side by side with other national gospel acts.”

In addition to the choir competition, Gospel Fest Miami will feature “Gospel on the Road,” a series of pop-up performances from February to May. The events will bring gospel music to neighborhoods across Miami-Dade County and spotlight local choirs and performers from throughout South Florida.

The festival will culminate in the inaugural Gospel Fest Miami, scheduled for Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 at the Knight Concert Hall.

Over two days, the Arsht Center will host a diverse array of events, including a free film screening on the history and roots of gospel music, pre-show artist conversations with historians discussing the music’s connection to the Civil Rights movement, and clinics and workshops for vocalists of all levels.

The celebration will also feature a free performance by some of Miami’s top gospel acts, and the grand finale will be a star-studded concert with national headliners, local performers, and the winners of the Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational.

Local gospel artist Corey Edwards, a member of the Arsht Gospel Council, speaks to the transformative power of gospel music and its potential to inspire audiences. “Audiences can look forward to the type of power and passion that only gospel choir music can bring,” he says.

Edwards also sees Gospel Fest Miami as an opportunity to rejuvenate the gospel choir tradition, which he says experienced a decline during the pandemic. “This event will help to inspire the resurgence and cultivation of the gospel choir concept in local churches, schools, and communities.”

And, perhaps, Gospel Fest Miami will attract audiences that haven’t been exposed to gospel music. “I hope that Gospel Fest will help to inspire and engage new audiences to gospel by introducing them to the unique sound, rhythms, and timeless messages that only gospel can bring,” says Edwards.

WHAT:  Gospel Fest Miami

WHEN, WHERE: 6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational, Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall, 300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami;  Gospel on the road: Gwen Cherry Park, 7090 NW 22^nd Ave., Saturday, Feb. 22;  Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex, 3000 NW 199th St., Miami Gardens, March 23; Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59^th Terrace, April 28; Loren Roberts Park, 627 SW 6th Ave., Homestead, May 17; Gospel Fest Miami Weekend: Knight Concert Hall, Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22.

COST:  Arsht Gospel Choir Invitational, free (RSVP); Gospel on the Road, free; Gospel Fest Miami Weekend, price TBA

INFORMATION: 305-949-6722 or  arshtcenter.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com. 

 

Leonard Bernstein’s Daughter Says South Florida Symphony’s ‘Candide’ Is ‘Perfect For Today’

The South Florida Symphony Orchestra premieres “Candide”  as part of its “Icons & Rebels Masterworks” season with performances in Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Key West. (Photo courtesy of South Florida Symphony).

Leonard Bernstein’s operetta “Candide” deserves its place of honor in the repertoire of any contemporary classical music company. Since its Broadway debut in 1956 as a musical, the complex yet captivating work has undergone numerous iterations, all while preserving its freshness and relevance.

The plot, typically presented in two acts (depending on the director), is based on “Candide, ou L’Optimisme” (1759), by François-Marie Arouet, known by his pen name M. de Voltaire. The sharp satire critiques unbridled optimism and the belief that we live in “the best of all possible worlds”—a doctrine with significant philosophical grounding in the 18th century. The chaotic adventures recounted in the story serve to dismantle that notion with biting humor.

The secret of  “Candide’s” success lies in Bernstein’s profound philosophical explorations of music and literature, supported by an extraordinary team of lyrical collaborators including Hugh Wheeler, Richard Wilbur, Stephen Sondheim, John La Touche, Lillian Hellman, and Dorothy Parker.

Jamie Bernstein delves into her father’s passion for the French writer.

In an interview with artburstmiami.com from her home in New York, Bernstein says, “Voltaire was ahead of his time, very much like a lot of comic writers and performers today. He was an equal opportunity insulter. Nobody escaped his pen: the Church, intellectuals, politics, politicians and governments, kings and queens. He always had something rude to say about absolutely everyone, which demonstrated what an egalitarian he actually was. Indeed, he reminded me of the comedian from the 20th century, George Carlin,” says the author, narrator, director, broadcaster, and filmmaker.

The South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO) premieres the masterful satire as part of its “Icons & Rebels Masterworks” season. Performances are Tuesday, Jan. 14 at the New World Center in Miami Beach, Thursday, Jan. 16 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale, and Sunday, Jan. 19, at the Tennessee Williams Theatre, Key West.

Conducted by SFSO’s music director Sebrina Maria Alfonso, the “semi-staged concert,” version follows in the vein of Lonny Price’s 2004 production for the New York Philharmonic and popularized through the PBS series “Great Performances.” It places the orchestra, chorus and characters onstage in minimalist fashion, without large sets. Stage direction is by Seattle-based director Dan Wallace Miller, who is the artistic director for Inland Northwest Opera. Recent credits include “Pagliacci” at Seattle Opera and “Rigoletto” at Opera San Jose.

“This is a masterpiece not just for opera enthusiasts; it has incredible appeal for general audiences,” says Alfonso, adding that the version SFSO is presenting has “great staging, talented actors and phenomenal singers.”

The cast includes David Walton as Candide, Chelsea Lehnea as Cunegonde, Jason Zacher alternating the roles of Dr. Pangloss and Voltaire. Also featured are Alissa Anderson as the Old Lady, Lovell Rose as Maximilian and the South Florida Symphony Chorus.

“It’s a series of captivating moments, one song leading seamlessly into the next,” says Alfonso. The stage will be filled, she says, including a 24-piece chorus, a 50-piece orchestra, and main characters.

Walton says that portraying Candide is a singular opportunity and especially with its challenges.

“The hardest part about singing and performing Candide is maintaining the emotional context, vigor and strength throughout the whole piece. He is very funny, but every other character has one dimension. (Candide) has multiple layers and has to keep his cards close to him throughout the whole piece until the end, when he realizes what Cunegonda has done to him, and that feeling of deception; this is when you really see his emotions starting to come out,” says the lyric tenor.

For Walton, Candide represents an innocent, sometimes absent-minded, young individual who doesn’t know anything about the world—or really that much about himself. “I think it’s that self-discovery, coming-of-age type of story that everybody gets in the end. But as a singer and actor, the hardest thing is to carry that emotional balance throughout the whole montage. You’re experiencing these terrible things happening to him. And yes, they’re tongue-in-cheek, a satire; but he has to maintain that sense of shock, and surprise, and yet a willingness to move on after,” says Walton, originally from Nashville, Tenn.

One legendary staging of “Candide” took place at London’s Barbican Centre for the Performing Arts in December 1989, recorded just months prior to Bernstein’s passing. Just before the overture, while reflecting on Voltaire’s work, Bernstein noted to the audience that what resonated most with him was the idea that “optimism, when it becomes rigid dogma, breeds complacency, induces inertia, and stifles the human drive to change, to progress, to fight injustice, or to create something that genuinely contributes to a better world.”

The references in Candide’s story go back to 18th century Voltaire, and Bernstein’s musings on such themes as McCarthyism in 20th century America. But their combined commentary on classism, cheating, social climbing, greed, cynicism, love of convenience and, in short, the universal struggle of good against evil, is more relevant than ever.

“Unfortunately, these issues never go out of style or out of date because injustice continues, tyranny continues, the unfairness of governments and oppression of people all continues. And so people like Voltaire and my father never go out of style either, because they advocate for those issues through their art,” says Jamie Bernstein, who penned “Famous Father Girl, A Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein” about her life with her father and mother, pianist and actress Felicia Montealegre.

She says that in both Voltaire’s original work and her father’s musical, there is commentary that is sometimes misconstrued.

“. . . There’s a lot of rudeness, which is funny—it’s about poking fun at people,” explains Bernstein. “But nowadays, some folks are very sensitive about it, and ‘Candide’ the musical often gets into trouble for being considered politically incorrect. People get offended and completely miss the point. That is the point!”

Bernstein considers the attitude hypocritical. “Being overly sensitive and focusing on feeling insulted by one aspect makes people miss the bigger picture. The work is advocating for equality for everyone by mocking those who are narrow-minded and prejudiced,” she says, adding “It’s such a pity when people take ‘Candide’ too literally and fail to grasp its deeper message—when it’s actually the perfect work for our world today.”

WHAT: South Florida Symphony Orchestra presents “Candide”

WHEN AND WHERE: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, New World Center, 500 17th Street, Miami Beach; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale; 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, Tennessee Williams Theatre, 5901 College Road, Key West.

COST: Varies by venue: $25, $42.50, $50, $67.50, $75, $76.50, $80, $95, $99, $115, $135, $150, $195.

INFORMATION: 954-522-8445 or southfloridasymphony.org

RELATED EVENT: A pre-concert discussion will take place 30 minutes before the show at the New World Center featuring in-depth conversation and insights about the work and composer.

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com. 

Nicole Henry’s Christmas Concert At The Colony, A Community Tradition

Nicole Henry will host her 11th annual winter concert titled “My Favorite Things” at the Colony Theater on Tuesday, Dec. 17 (Photo courtesy of Michael Hull)

Although it originated in a Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical,”My Favorite Things” has become a feel-good Christmassy song we’ll likely hear this holiday season. It’s also the title of a winter concert by Miami Beach-based singer Nicole Henry. This year marks the 11th annual holiday performance, a cherished tradition that has become a staple for the community.

The concert is at the Colony Theatre, Miami Beach, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

“I wanted to create a musical tradition on South Beach since it truly is the home base and launchpad of my career. People often think of so many other things about SoBe, but I wanted to add more of a music culture to that landscape—similar to how MiND (Miami New Drama) is creating a theatrical aspect to it,” says Henry.

The concert promises to be a blend of holiday classics and jazz-infused renditions, reflecting Henry’s dynamic style. At the heart of the event is her band’s Afro-Latin arrangement of “My Favorite Things,” a well-known seasonal favorite that Henry recently recorded as a studio single.

“The joy of the song speaks through me musically, and I think that’s what helps make it feel more personal and individual,” she shares. “Additionally, the Afro-Latin undertones my band brings to the arrangement give the song a distinct lift and energy. A lot of the credit goes to the band and their arrangement.”

Henry’s path to becoming an internationally recognized jazz singer was anything but conventional. Born and raised in Bucks County, Pa., she discovered her passion for music early, singing in school and church choirs and playing cello for six years. However, she didn’t initially see music as a career.

“I grew up singing in church and school choirs. I didn’t study (music) at university because I never understood there was a true pathway to becoming a musical artist . . .I thought you just ‘got discovered.’  And assumed learning music at a university level meant you wanted to teach it,” Henry explains. Instead, she pursued a scholarship to the University of Miami, drawn by the promise of palm trees and sunshine.

Her professional breakthrough came unexpectedly. While singing with UM’s gospel choir, she was invited to perform as a background singer for recording artist Billy Mann at Washington Square, a now-closed music venue on Miami Beach. The experience ignited her love for performing and led her to explore opportunities as a vocalist. “I gained insight into what it was like to be on the road and pick up local musicians, prepping for a ‘gig’…” recalls Henry.

Henry’s career took off in 1997 when she began recording dance music, and her single climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard dance music charts. Over the years, she transitioned to jazz, building a reputation as a powerful performer with a gift for emotional connection. The New York Times once described her as a “pop-soul superwoman,” while Billboard music magazine noted her ability to “connect emotionally with audiences.”

Henry’s dedication to her craft and her community has earned her admiration from fellow artists, including singer-songwriter Leesa Richards, a close friend and collaborator. “Nicole is one of the most disciplined people I know,” says Richards. “She’s always open and excited about new experiences, about learning and growing. That passion to give back is just who she is, and it permeates everything she does.”

Pete Wallace, pianist, arranger, and Nicole’s musical director, emphasizes the importance of tailoring each performance to highlight her vocal range and emotional depth. “Nicole will pick songs that speak to her on an emotional level,” shares Wallace. “Then, the band and myself try and tailor the arrangements so she feels comfortable and is able to express herself fully.”

When it comes to reinventing classic songs like “My Favorite Things,” Wallace notes that the challenge is to avoid sounding like a traditional cover band. “We try to make them rhythmically interesting and bring some ‘soul’ to the table,” he says. “Nicole really responds to that.”

Wallace, who has worked closely with Nicole for years, also praised her dedication to her craft. “Extreme dedication. Her biggest asset is how she connects with the audience. Wherever we perform, she has 100 percent of the attention of the crowd from the first note.”

As the 11th annual concert approaches, Wallace acknowledges the challenge of keeping the performance fresh. “We’re always trying to outdo the last show and find fresh material,” he says. “There are only so many good holiday songs, but Nicole always brings new life to them.”

Now with a career spanning more than 20 countries and multiple accolades, Henry continues to call Miami home. “Sunshine! It’s such a comfortable place to come home to,” she says, reflecting on the city’s evolving cultural landscape and its role in her artistic journey.

“I get to experience so much of the world with work and personal travel. But I love my condo in South Beach and the familiarity and nostalgia,” she says. “I lived in New York City for four years prior to the pandemic and loved it, too.  I really could see myself living anywhere and experiencing the world even more, but it is nice to come home to Miami. Plus, it continues to evolve so much.”

The Colony Theatre, where Henry’s holiday concerts are held, has special significance for her. It was the site of her first major performance in 2013 when she celebrated the release of her album. Since then, the venue has become a symbolic marker of her growth as an artist.

“It marks a year of time for me, and I’ve got to raise the bar,” says Henry. “I guess I love a challenge. And the causes never grow old. Although, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to have these causes, we must be there—and fight—for our children and for equality.”

Beyond the music, Henry’s concerts are deeply rooted in giving back. Over the years, she has used her performances to highlight and support causes she’s passionate about, including children’s welfare and equality. “We must be there—and fight—for our children and for equality,” she said.

This commitment to making a positive impact is a defining trait of Henry’s artistry, according to Richards. “That passion to give back is just who she is, and it permeates everything she does,” says Richards.

Henry also sees music as a powerful tool for social change. “Music, in particular, but all art, reflects society. It can heal and motivate, but it can also scathe and call out,” she said.

As she prepares for her upcoming holiday performance, Henry is mindful of the joy and connection the season brings. “Hopefully, the real love and appreciation I have for my friend/fans comes through,” she says. “Also, the love and respect I have for and with my band—they are so talented and give so much to the show and to the music.”

In addition to her musical achievements, Henry recently made her acting debut in the production “Wonderful World” with Miami New Drama, a show about the life of Louis Armstrong that has since reached Broadway. “ I’m so thrilled for MiND and the creative team behind that production,” Henry says. “It was an honor to have been invited to be a small part of that journey in getting it to Broadway.”

WHAT:  Nicole Henry’s 11th Annual Holiday Concert, “My Favorite Things”

WHERE: Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17

COST:  $45, $65 general admission; $125 VIP (includes 6 p.m. cocktail reception)

INFORMATION: 305-674-1040 or miaminewdrama.org or nicolehenry.com

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com. 

Haydn and Lorca Converge In Opera Atelier’s ‘The Night And The Moon’

“The Night and The Moon,” the latest production by The Opera Atelier, includes a choreographic work inspired by Federico García Lorca’s “Romancero Gitano” performed by renowned Spanish dancer Carmen Werner, left, and Leyson Ponce, right. (Photo by Cristina Gómez, courtesy of The Opera Atelier).

The collision of classical music—especially opera—and contemporary dance is a spark that has ignited some of the most innovative and boundary-pushing performances in modern art. This creative interplay thrives in the realm of dance-theater, where the precise discipline of movement meets the raw, evocative power of storytelling. Visionaries like Pina Bausch revolutionized this fusion, weaving intricate human emotions into physical expressions that deeply resonate.

Her groundbreaking work continues to inspire iconic companies such as Mark Morris Dance Group, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Today, the dynamic relationship between opera and dance-theater remains a fertile ground for experimentation, delivering performances that captivate the eye and stir the soul.

This vision comes to life in “The Night and The Moon,” the latest production by The Opera Atelier (TOA), a Miami-based organization that has spent years redefining opera with innovative, performances and educational programs designed for children and youth with an interest in the genre. By integrating other artistic disciplines, TOA aims to capture the attention of younger audiences, many of whom may not yet be familiar with the complexity and grandeur of traditional opera.

“The Night and The Moon” is an ambitious double-feature program that brings opera and contemporary dance together on a single stage, fostering a creative dialogue between these two art forms. Running just 75 minutes, the performance includes Haydn’s “Ariadna in Naxos,” featuring mezzo-soprano Patricia Arcadí and pianist Daniel Daroca. The second half of the program, which lends its name to the event, showcases a choreographic work inspired by Federico García Lorca’s “Romancero Gitano.” This segment merges spoken word and movement, performed by Spanish artists Carmen Werner and Leyson Ponce, both renowned figures in contemporary dance and choreography.

The performances are Saturday, Dec. 14 and Sunday, Dec. 15 in two iconic Miami venues: the Miami Beach Community Church and the Sanctuary of the Arts in Coral Gables.

“We launched TOA here in Miami in 2012 with the goal of deconstructing opera’s complex artistic language and incorporating elements like contemporary dance, psychoanalysis, and even mathematics,” explains Daroca, the company’s musical director. “The idea is to experiment and enrich the experience of opera by offering fresh perspectives, even beyond traditional opera venues.”

TOA’s executive director, Jaqueline Solórzano, highlights that declining opera audiences have become a global challenge, affecting not only large, well-established companies with significant resources and prestige but also medium- and small-scale organizations.

“Our drive has been to stage classical opera, integrating elements that resonate with today’s society, all while preserving the core essence of opera,” says Solórzano.

This vision has led this group of opera enthusiasts to also explore unconventional venues outside the traditional performance circuit. Their productions have been staged in various public spaces, clubs, community centers, churches and in “la Sala Santa Cecilia,” a hidden gem inside the Manuel Artime Theater, located in the heart of Little Havana.

The company’s repertoire also reflects its innovative approach, with productions such as “Homage to Maria Callas,” “Frau Haydn in Trouble” and “Don Pasquale 2.0.” Future projects include proposals such as “Recuerdos de la Alhambra,” “Teresa Carreño: The Valkyrie of the Piano” and other interesting creations that seek to keep opera relevant and accessible.

Another point for the organization is how they seamlessly blend international talent with local artistry, as seen in its current production, where Spanish choreographers and dancers share the stage with singers and musicians.

“Patricia Arcadi is a local talent, as is Daniel Daroca, who has Cuban, American, and Italian roots. Around 90 percent of the artists we work with are local, with only 10 percent coming from abroad,” says Xiomara Ponce, the company’s production director.

Its presentations are divided into two annual seasons, generally unified by a central theme that guides each program. For the 2024-2025 season, the chosen theme is “Spain, My Love,” a tribute to the richness and exuberance of Hispanic American culture. “We believe it is important to highlight the creativity of Spanish and Hispanic American artists. For example, we want to reconnect the public with the relationships between Giacomo Rossini, Mercedes Jaruco and the García family, as well as their link to the Countess of Merlin, key figures in the development of the bel canto style,” explains Jorge Arcila, artistic director of the company.

According to Arcila, each season’s events connect like an Ariadne’s thread, creating a fluid path in which one proposal leads to the next. “This is not the first time we explore fusions, but we always try to make the transitions as organically as possible. Those ‘seams’ must be invisible so as not to interrupt the experience or distract the viewer,” he assures.

Arcila also reflects on the current challenges of opera. “Today, we seem to have lost some patience as an audience. Most are no longer willing to stay two, three or four hours watching an opera. That’s why we want to be concise and maintain artistic coherence from beginning to end, with no breaks that might turn off the viewer. We are here to make the audience fall in love with opera again,” he says.

This sense of fluidity is central to TOA’s artistic approach, particularly in its efforts to merge opera and dance-theater. “My training as a choreographer at Pina Bausch’s school in Germany deeply emphasized the importance of organic transitions within choreography,” explains Ponce. “Carmen Werner, a pioneer of dance-theater in Spain, and I share an artistic language that seamlessly integrates both disciplines. “In ‘La Noche y La Luna,’ we do not aim to literally depict Lorca’s texts but rather to interpret his metaphors and poetic imagery. These are transformed into theatrical actions where the body takes center stage, staying true to the principles of dance-theater.”

The seasoned dancer and choreographer emphasized the pivotal role of the mezzo-soprano in the production. “Her body is fundamental—it serves as the unifying element that anchors and connects the entire performance. Carmen and I have drawn inspiration from the rich poetic landscape and the profound metaphorical layers within Lorca’s text. This process could be described as a hermeneutic endeavor, though it is interpreted and expressed through the language of movement. This conceptual framework has been our foundation and starting point,” he elaborates.

This creative process involves intense teamwork, experimenting with specific atmospheres and developing movement structures and phrases that are then reviewed and adjusted to shape the choreographic discourse.

“Music is also a character in this show. Each scene might seem like a potpourri of genres and styles, but they are carefully linked by a theatrical and performative thread that gives meaning to the work,” adds Ponce. “This show is like a canvas, and the viewer, as Pina Bausch used to say, will construct his or her own fable from the experience.”

WHAT: The Opera Atelier presents “The Night and the Moon: Opera Meets Dance”

WHEN AND WHERE: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, Miami Beach Community Church, 1620 Drexel Ave, Miami Beach. 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, Sanctuary of the Arts, 410 Andalusia Ave, Coral Gables.

COST: $15, $25, $35.

INFORMATION: 786-560-6845 or  theoperaatelier.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion’s New Season: Classical Meets Global Rhythms

Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion begins its 2024-2025 season with “Back to Beethoven,” a classical two-piano concert by Ukrainian duo Olha Chipak and Oleksiy Kushnir at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center on Sunday, Nov. 24. (Photo courtesy of the artists)

Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion, formerly known as the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation, begins its 2024-2025 season with a forward-looking mission, embracing a broader musical vision. Launching on Sunday, Nov. 24, the organization’s upcoming concerts aim to present classical compositions while reflecting Miami’s diverse cultural landscape, according to Emily Cardenas, Dranoff 2 Piano’s new executive director.

Cardenas explains the name change as a shift in identity, too.

“Dranoff was never a foundation in the way foundations are viewed today because it doesn’t award money, so the word ‘foundation’ created a false impression,” she says. “Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion makes much more sense because now the name is an accurate reflection of what it is doing musically.”

Cardenas, who joined the organization in August, emphasized that Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion’s new direction will blend the traditional classical compositions of its two-piano repertoire with musical influences from Brazil, West Africa, and beyond, offering a broader representation of cultural influences relevant to Miami’s community.

“As we move forward, we need to be true to our new name and mission by fusing two-piano repertoire with music of many more genres and cultures. That means we need to seek out pianists who represent those many cultures,” says Cardenas. “Organizations like ours with classical roots tend to be Eurocentric, but we have a responsibility to seek out and showcase more artists from the Americas, the Caribbean, and the African diaspora.”

In line with its redefined identity, Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion’s upcoming season celebrates musical diversity with performances that will appeal to a wide range of audiences, spanning classical music, West African rhythms, and Brazilian sounds.

The season opens on Sunday, Nov. 24 at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center with “Back to Beethoven,” a classical two-piano concert with Ukrainian duo Olha Chipak and Oleksiy Kushnir. The program will feature Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony in Franz Liszt’s challenging two-piano arrangement, which, according to Cardenas, “is very popular among classical music enthusiasts and happens to be a specialty of Chipak and Kushnir.”

The performance also marks a homecoming of sorts for Chipak and Kushnir, who last performed in Miami in 2018. The married couple has earned international acclaim for their innovative interpretations of classical pieces, often using percussion to enhance the symphonic depth of their performances.

“This is music you can never get enough of,” says Kushnir, describing the duo’s long-standing relationship with Beethoven’s work. “The Ninth Symphony is Beethoven’s unique kind of cinema in both form and depth. The tireless fighter takes us into his worlds beyond our understanding of the physical and metaphysical, and under the spell of this energy, the ground trembles and floats.”

Chipak and Kushnir, who met at the Music Academy in Lviv, Ukraine, have honed their craft over years of collaboration and competition. Their journey together wasn’t always smooth, however, as they initially clashed in their artistic visions. “Our story as a piano duo had a difficult start,” shares Chipak. “When we first explored chamber music together, we had endless artistic disagreements and often loudly.” Over time, however, their partnership blossomed, ultimately leading them to win prestigious competitions and become a celebrated duo on the international stage. “After winning first prize nothing could stop us,” exclaims Chipak.

For Chipak and Kushnir, returning to Miami with Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion represents an opportunity to share Beethoven’s monumental work with a new energy. “We previously presented a version of the symphony with four singers in the final movement in Miami in 2018, but this new version with percussion promises to be a surprising discovery,” according to Chipak. The addition of timpani to Liszt’s two-piano arrangement, she noted, “boosts the volume and the heartbeat of the orchestration, making it even more expressive.”

On Sunday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. at the Miami Beach Bandshell, Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion will celebrate Black History Month with a concert titled “One Song,” featuring genres that span folk, gospel, jazz, and original compositions inspired by African rhythms. The program will be led by Nicole Yarling, a Broward County based jazz musician and educator whose work often explores the intersections of African American musical traditions.

According to Cardenas, the concert will be “a joyful show that will take us through the history of music in America influenced by African rhythms. It will be an education under the tutelage of none other than Nicole Yarling and her hand-picked ensemble, so you can bet she’ll take us from church to the jazz club.”

The season’s programming also includes the annual Piano Slam showcase at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 at the Adrienne Arsht Center.

Titled “Music of My Past … Sounds of the Future,” the event fuses classical and pop music with spoken word poetry—an example of the organization’s mission to break down barriers between genres and make classical music accessible to wider audiences. The season will conclude at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 9 at the Coral Gables’ Sanctuary of the Arts with “From Rio to Miami,” a concert celebrating Brazilian music, including classical, samba, bossa nova, choro, baião, maracatu, and jazz. Pianists Thito Camargo and Phil DeGreg will perform works by some of Brazil’s most renowned composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Pixinguinha, João Gilberto, Hermeto Pascoal, and Egberto Gismonti.

In addition to bringing diverse musical genres to its audiences, Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion is also working to reach broader audiences through new venues across Miami-Dade County, according to Cardenas. The executive director explains that performing in spaces such as the Miami Beach Bandshell and the Sanctuary for the Arts in Coral Gables helps connect with communities that may not typically engage with classical music.

“Venues like the Miami Beach Bandshell and Sanctuary of the Arts allow us to reach audiences in very different pockets of Miami-Dade County,” she says. “It’s important to take our programming where people are.”

Cardenas also expressed her desire to perform in other notable venues around the city, including Pinecrest Gardens, The Dennis C. Moss Center in South Miami, and the Colony Theatre on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. While expanding the organization’s reach depends on fundraising, Cardenas is optimistic about the possibilities. “Fundraising will dictate how quickly we can grow our programming, so that’s something we are laser-focused on.”

Reflecting on the organization’s mission, Cardenas says, “At a time when people seem more divided than ever, gathering people under one roof to share the common bond of music creates community.”

WHAT:  Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion’s 2024-2025 season concerts: “Back to Beethoven” (classical), “One Song” (West African beats),  “Music of My Past … Sounds of the Future” (Piano slam), and “From Rio to Miami” (Brazilian music)

WHERE:  Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St., Aventura; Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; Adrienne Arsht Center Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; and Sanctuary of the Arts, 410 Andalusia Ave., Coral Gables

WHEN: “Back to Beethoven,” 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 24; “One Song,” 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025;  “Music of My Past … Sounds of the Future,” 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 23, 2025; and “From Rio to Miami,” 8 p.m.; Friday, May 9, 2025

COST:  “Back to Beethoven,” $45 general admission, $65 VIP, $5 student; “One Song,” $30 general admission,  $45 VIP, $5 student; “Music of My Past … Sounds of the Future,” free with reservation, $80 VIP seating and after party; “From Rio to Miami,” $35 general admission, $45 VIP, $5 student

INFORMATION: (305) 572-9900 or dranoff2pianofusion.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com. 

FGO’s Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ A Monumental Made-In-South Florida Production

Soprano Laura León rehearses her Queen of the Night role with her counterpart, Ricardo García, as Tamino in Florida Grand Opera’s production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” playing at the Arsht Center in Miami and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. (Photo courtesy Florida Grand Opera)

“The Magic Flute” —the final operatic work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart before his death in 1791 when he was 35 years old — is recognized as “the opera of all operas.”

And it’s a deserved definition.

Whether or not you’re a classical music enthusiast, you’ll likely recognize the title. Or maybe you will recall the captivating melody of the Queen of the Night’s aria, a ubiquitous piece in operatic history.

It premiered just two months before Mozart’s death at Vienna’s Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden and the whimsical musical fable (the libretto written by Emauel Schikaneder and divided in two acts) remains more than a plain parable of the struggle between good and evil, the simple and the sublime, with a touch of Masonic rituals. Above all, “The Magic Flute” harmonizes these contradictions to celebrate love for truth, mutual solidarity, justice, fraternity, and tolerance, appealing to audiences of all ages.

With an expansive vision, Florida Grand Opera (FGO) will open its 2024-2025 season with an original production of “The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte).” In this rendition, the celebrated opera has been reimagined and directed by Jeffrey Marc Buchman, who describes it as a bold new interpretation inspired by the world of fantasy role-playing games.

“The creation was essentially mine, designed as a way to draw us into the story through the perspective of imaginative youth. In the overture, we see a group of five teenagers breaking into an abandoned warehouse late at night to play their favorite role-playing game, similar to ‘Dungeons and Dragons’,” says Buchman, who hails from Baltimore but settled in Miami 31 years ago to help in the development of the local opera scene.

Buchman’s young characters cross over from the modern world they inhabit to recreate the original fable. “If you’re familiar with these types of games, essentially everything unfolds within the players’ imaginations. They’re collaboratively creating a story as they embark on these epic quests. As they play, the warehouse setting begins to transform—you see a dragon appearing in the space, an eye blinking just outside the warehouse window,” describes Buchman.

The director says the opera is a great way to connect with younger audiences who may not be apt to want to see opera.

“These (players) then become characters within the story, which is a wonderful way to connect with youth—the ones who truly imagine where the world can go and envision the future of society.

Buchman says that one of the central themes of “The Magic Flute” is enlightenment.

“The idea of enlightenment really rests with the next generation. For those of us who are already set in our beliefs, it can be challenging to embrace new ideas and progressive thought. It’s the younger generations who push us forward, and that’s at the heart of the story I’m telling: to reach enlightenment, we depend on the vision and openness of the youth to lead us there.”

The director insists that in some of the dialogue he adapted, he consciously emphasized that theme. “Throughout the story, we periodically return to see that it’s still the kids just playing this game in the modern warehouse, but then we dive right back into the fantasy story unfolding in their minds. It’s a wonderfully charming way to tell this story.”

But if these are present-day characters, how does one resolve the original dilemma that involves the stories of a prince named Tamino, his true love, Pamina, the half-man, half-bird creature Papageno and the Queen of the Night, among others.

Buchman explains that a mix of physical set pieces, a video wall and projections help to tell the story.

 

“This combination allows us to dynamically shift between locations, creating incredible textures that transform the look and feel of the warehouse setting. It’s a mechanism to transition from the modern world to the fantasy world seamlessly,” adding that most of the characters exist solely within the fantasy. However, the five teenagers from the warehouse setting crossover between both worlds.

“There’s a teenage boy and girl who become Tamino and Pamina in the story, and three younger teenagers who transform into the three spirits. These spirits guide Tamino and Papageno on their journey, acting as the same kids we saw in the warehouse, now in fantasy attire.”

Costumes, created specifically for this production by Fort-Lauderdale based costume designer Camilla Haith, play into the scene setting, too. Characters in the opening wear modern clothing, but in the fantasy scenes, they’re dressed as their respective roles, though still recognizable as the same teenagers from the warehouse. “This connection is central to the story: just as in role-playing games, they’ve chosen characters for their journey, placing the modern youth into this fantastical quest. This approach allows audiences familiar with ‘The Magic Flute’ to see it through fresh eyes, while still honoring the spirit of one of the most beloved operas in the world.”

Asked about a concern that traditional opera fans might be unsettled by his telling of “The Magic Flute,” the director says he doesn’t think this version will scare anyone away.

One performer well prepared to take on her character in the fantastic world of “The Magic Flute” is Miami-based Cuban soprano Laura León. “The Queen (of the Night) is my dream role, and it means the world to me to be able to perform it for South Florida audiences, for my people.”

León was born and raised in Cuba and came to Florida when she was 17 years old, and she is well aware of what it means to take on a role of this magnitude. “From Miami Dade College to FIU, and as a young artist with Florida Grand Opera, this community has shaped me into the singer I am today.  (This) is an exhilarating role, and I can’t wait to bring this iconic character to life on stage. Every costume fitting, every note—it’s a dream come true to perform where I grew up, blending my Cuban roots with the richness of the American stage.”

In addition to León, the principal roles in this staging are performed by Ricardo García as Tamino, Alex DeSocio as Papageno, David Margulies as Monostatos, Sara Kennedy as Pamina, Andrew Potter as Sarastro, and Sydney Dardis as Papagen. The production features projection work by Greg Emetaz, stage and set design by Stephan Moravski, with lighting by Robert Wierzel.

Maria Todaro, the newly appointed general director of the Florida Grand Opera says she believes that audiences will be proud of this made-in-South Florida production.

“Conceived right here in South Florida, with sets and costumes crafted in Miami, this original FGO production showcases the talent of so many local creatives, all proud natives of the area.”

Buchman assures that his approach as a director ensures that the core of Mozart’s piece is preserved.

“I am not interested in turning it on its head. I care deeply about the roots of storytelling in opera, and I think traditionalists will see that this approach serves as an entryway into the story without altering its essence.”

WHAT: Florida Grand Opera presents Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”

WHEN AND WHERE: 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16; 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 17, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19. Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Ziff Ballet Opera House, 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 7. Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Au-Rene Theater, 201 SW 5th Ave, Fort Lauderdale.  

COST: Tickets range from $22 to $285. Receive 25 percent off of the ticket price with promo code Operalover25.

INFORMATION: (800) 741-1010 or www.FGO.org

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.

Seraphic Fire’s Jewish Voices is a musical program of resilience, hope and enduring legacy

From left, Seraphic Fire singers Luc Kleiner, Elisse Albian, William Duffy, and Ian Schipper.  Seraphic Fire performs a series of a cappella concerts, “Jewish Voices,” throughout South Florida. (Photo by Jorge Castillejos/courtesy of Seraphic Fire).

Universal themes like familial love and the deep resonance of historical memory bridge all cultures, yet each expresses them in unique ways. In Jewish culture, art has not only preserved its history and identity, but has woven them into a living tapestry—one that honors tradition while embracing change. Because of this, generations have connected across time, capturing joy and sorrow, resilience and hope, in a captivating and enduring legacy.

And for the Jewish community, music has served as a powerful outlet, influencing the global soundscape through its composers, performers, and rich traditions. 

Conductor James K. Bass brings this legacy to life with “Jewish Voices,” an a cappella program that is part of the Seraphic Fire’s 2024-2025 Season, “Music History 101!”

 The group aims to present historically significant, rarely performed works that broaden audience horizons with unique choral pieces. This time the program highlights “Shirim L’yom Tov” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Shulamit Ran, alongside intricate works by Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Moira Smiley, celebrating the richness of the Jewish experience. Performances are scheduled from Thursday, Nov. 7 through Sunday, Nov. 7 in multiple venues in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Naples.

“As a conductor, (our job includes putting) together the programs: what pieces are we performing? And that takes a lot of time, and it’s usually done months and months in advance of the concert,” explains Bass, three-time GRAMMY®-nominated singer and conductor. He is the associate conductor for the Miami-based ensemble Seraphic Fire and the artistic director of the Long Beach Camerata Singers. He is also professor and director of choral studies at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA. 

“A conductor has to build in time to sit and listen and read and look at the scores to determine if that’s something we wanna share,” he says. 

Bass states that Seraphic Fire has introduced music to South Florida that audiences might be unfamiliar with.

“Our audiences in Miami have become sophisticated, and they expect a really excellent concert from our group. And so in this program I really wanted to find composers and pieces that impressed me first (so we can impress the audience).”

While researching pieces for the concert, Bass was struck by the diverse themes and musical styles that define what is considered “Jewish music”—what he describes as “the essence of Judaism expressed through the community’s sound,” extending well beyond traditional synagogue music.

“I kept thinking it might just be all music that sounds like folk music from a Jewish or Israeli tradition, and it isn’t. There’s a little bit of everything in this program, and some highly, firework-type music where the voices have to do a lot, sing really high, sing really low, sing really fast, in lots and lots of texts (in Hebrew, Yiddish and English).” 

The 75-minute concert program features “Lo Yisa Goy” and “Hava Nagila” by Stacey Garrop, “Jerusalem – A Meditation for Peace” by Kenneth Lampl, “Guard My Tongue” by Julia Wolfe, “Protect Yourself from Infection and Make Peace” by David Lang, “Dance with S’loyfn, S’yogn,” and “Stand in that River” by Moira Smiley.

The program also includes the experimental “Astronaut Anthem” by renowned multidisciplinary artist Meredith Monk, along with the world premiere of “Natural Songs” by 20-year-old composer Yoni Fogelman.

“There are several pieces in Hebrew, rooted in musical traditions and sounds familiar to the Jewish community. It’s like a folk song that every tradition has—something sung to children or within community gatherings, at church or synagogue,” says Bass.

Much of the program reflects these shared cultural songs, while other pieces bring fresh, original ideas.

One particularly captivating piece is “Jerusalem, a Meditation for Peace” by Kenneth Lampell.

“Sung in English, it beautifully combines harmonies and the expressive musical elements that define beloved choral music in the 21st century,” says Bass.

The common thread that fuses all the pieces is one of peace and a call for unity in the world.

“For me, the ‘Astronaut Anthem,’ by Meredith Monk, makes you think of how few people in our history have ever gone outside the atmosphere of our planet. We’re talking less than 0.001 percent. Something tiny. And you’re now outside of our planet looking back at it. Think of what that perspective does to your mind. This music has no words, just vocal sounds and vowels, but there is a melody that repeats over and over, that sounds very old. To me, it sounds like the kind of music that you might hear in your head if you were suddenly able to go outside the planet like an astronaut and look back and think of the profound smallness of all of us: it’s a very powerful piece”. 

Bass acknowledges the challenge of performing intricate works by contemporary Jewish composers, but he adds that the artists of Seraphic Fire are more than prepared to rise to the occasion.

“These pieces are difficult, experimenting with types of rhythms, different types of vocal sounds that each singer is gonna have to make. (Each of the featured composers) attempt to test range, how high or low can this singer actually sing? So all of that is wrapped up into this one program: one challenge after another.

Bass says that Seraphic Fire brings together some of the very best classical ensemble singers in the country.

“These singers come with a deep knowledge and education of music and the ability to read rhythms and all the kind of requisite things you need to do.”

For Fogelman, the music composition graduate from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, the chance to premiere two of his pieces in the Seraphic Fire program is a unique opportunity.

“I learned about this through James Bass at UCLA, where I sang in his chamber choir for the past two years. Working with James has been incredibly enriching,” says Fogelman.

The composer says that since Bass knew of his background in choral music, he was invited by Bass to submit pieces for the upcoming concert featuring Jewish composers.

“While neither of the two pieces chosen directly reflects Judaic themes, I’m honored to be part of this program as a Jewish composer. I’m truly grateful that James and Seraphic Fire have chosen to include my work in this concert,” explains Fogelman. Raised in a musically diverse family, the young talent developed an impressive portfolio early on, composing for choirs, classical ensembles, and film scores. 

In the South Florida concerts, Seraphic Fire will present two pieces that are part of a set of three that Fogelman calls “a choral song cycle.” They are based on the poems of his best friend, Eli Staub, with whom he has sung in choirs for many years.”

“Essentially, it’s a larger work made up of multiple pieces, and I called this one ‘Natural Songs of Lust, Loss, and Loyalty.’ Each piece reflects a different facet of love.”

For Mark Kligman, Ph.D., of the Milken Archives of Jewish Music at UCLA and consulting scholar for the “Jewish Voices” program, the scope of this program is fundamental. “Drawing upon known melodies is one approach of Jewish composers, another is writing music anew. Established Jewish folk melodies presented in a contemporary style provide a fresh approach that fuses tradition and innovation,” says Kligman.

Bass says that the concert is a way to reach out to people and celebrate the Jewish community’s contributions to the culture at large.

“I’m a musician, and I believe that when we approach the music of other cultures, we have a responsibility to represent it honestly,” says the conductor. “This means reading, experiencing, and speaking with people from that tradition, learning the language and its nuances. So while I’m not Jewish, as a conductor, I’m committed to bringing this music to life with as much accuracy and respect as possible.” 

WHAT: Seraphic Fire presents “Jewish Voices” with conductor James K. Bass

WHEN AND WHERE: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov.  7, Temple Bet Shira, 7500 SW 120th St., Miami; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, All Saints Episcopal, 333 Tarpon Dr., Ft Lauderdale; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, Temple Beth Sholom, 4144 Chase Ave., Miami Beach; 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, Moorings Presbyterian, 791 Harbour Dr., Naples.

COST: $45, general admission, free for students with valid ID

INFORMATION: 305-285-9060 or seraphicfire.org 

RELATED EVENT: A pre-concert conversation is one hour before each concert discussing the work with tenor Brad Diamond. 

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.