CAP Concert Series In Coral Gables Keeps The Music Playing All Summer

Pianist Clayton Stephenson performs Aug. 6 as part of the 2026 Community Arts Program (CAP) Summer Concert Series and leads a master class and jam session on Friday, Aug. 7. The series kicks off Thursday, June 11 at the Coral Gables Congregational Church. (Photo courtesy of Community Arts Program)

As much of South Florida’s live music scene slows for the summer, the Community Arts Program Summer Concert Series transforms the sanctuary of a Coral Gables church into an intimate concert hall, welcoming acclaimed musicians from around the world.

Now in its 41st season, the Community Arts Program (CAP) Summer Concert Series has spent more than four decades bringing internationally recognized artists to the Spanish Revival-style sanctuary of Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, making it one of Miami’s longest-running live music traditions. 

Founded in 1985, the series returns this summer with a lineup that moves across jazz, classical and crossover music while spotlighting artists at pivotal moments in their careers.

“It’s the presentation of incredible artists at the top of their craft,” says Mark Hart, executive and artistic director of CAP, who has led the organization for the past 24 years.

Vibraphonist Warren Wolf performs July 9 as part of the 2026 Community Arts Program (CAP) Summer Concert Series, bringing a program inspired by Americana jazz standards in celebration of America250. (Photo courtesy of Michael Borgida, Community Arts Program)

While the musicians are the draw, the setting is also part of the appeal. “People have an intimate and cozy concert experience,” says Hart.

Built in the 1920s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the church’s Spanish Revival architecture creates a warm atmosphere that feels closer to a chamber performance than a large concert hall.

Running every other Thursday from June 11 through Aug. 20, this season features Empire Wild, Langston Hughes II, Warren Wolf, Leonela Alejandro, Clayton Stephenson and Kate Kortum, reflecting the series’ longstanding commitment to emerging talent.

That philosophy is reflected in Empire Wild, the duo of Juilliard-trained cellists Mitchell Lyon and Ken Kubota.

Formed in 2017, New York City-based Empire Wild grew out of collaborations on Kubota’s YouTube channel, JHMJams, where classically trained musicians explored pop arrangements and other musical influences beyond the conservatory. What began as a friendship rooted in musical curiosity evolved into a project that combines original compositions with a genre-spanning repertoire.

Cellists Ken Kubota, left, and Mitchell Lyon formed Empire Wild from a friendship rooted in musical curiosity, creating a project that blends classical training with original music and influences ranging from Bach to The Beatles. They open the CAP series on Thursday, June 11. (Photo courtesy of Community Arts Program)

“Empire Wild is less about ‘crossover’ as a label and more about creating music that feels honest, human and connected to the full range of musical experiences we grew up with,” says Kubota.

Their programs move easily from Bach and Gershwin to The Beatles and contemporary works, an approach Lyon sees as an invitation rather than a challenge.

“Bach, Gershwin, The Beatles and Mozart are all working with the same 12 notes,” according to Lyon. “Placing those worlds together lets audiences hear things in a new light.”

That openness extends to the concert hall itself.

“It’s very rare that the printed program is exactly what we end up playing,” says Lyon. “Sometimes another piece just feels right for that particular audience or moment.”

One of those instances happened during a tour of Indonesia. About 10 minutes before taking the stage, the duo decided to add a two-cello arrangement of the Indonesian classic “Bengawan Solo” as a tribute to local audiences.

“The response was incredibly moving,” recalls Kubota. “Sometimes the most meaningful experiences happen when you’re willing to respond to the place, the people and the energy in the room.”

Mark Hart, executive and artistic director of the Community Arts Program (CAP), has led the organization for 24 years and continues to champion emerging artists through its long-running Summer Concert Series. (Photo by Philip Cardella, courtesy of Community Arts Program)

Hart believes that a sense of connection has become increasingly important as audiences navigate a world filled with competing entertainment options.

“Life has become more busy, more complicated and more expensive,” he says.

Affordability remains part of CAP’s approach. Despite rising costs across the arts sector and everywhere else, ticket prices for the Summer Concert Series have remained essentially unchanged for two decades, according to Hart.

“When audiences decide to go somewhere, the destination needs to be welcoming, relaxing and fullfilling,” Hart says.

Beyond showcasing emerging artists, the season also nods to broader cultural themes. Baltimore-born and based vibraphonist Warren Wolf’s Thursday, July 9 concert celebrates America250 through a program of Americana-inspired jazz standards and other musical influences tied to American history.

“Everyone hears and experiences music through the lens of one’s own happy and hurtful happenings,” says Hart. “I believe that’s what I like to call the warm blanket magic of the arts.”

Guitarist Leonela Alejandro, winner of the 2024 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition, performs July 23 as part of the 2026 Community Arts Program (CAP) Summer Concert Series. (Photo courtesy of Community Arts Program)

Miami-based Cuban vocalist Leonela Alejandro, winner of the 2024 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition, brings a program that blends Latin American traditions, jazz and original compositions on Thursday, July 23.

Clayton Stephenson, who became the first Black finalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, performs a program showcasing the artistry that has made him one of classical music’s most exciting young talents on Thursday, Aug. 6.

The season closes Thursday, Aug. 20 with vocalist Kate Kortum, a Houston native based in New York, known for her interpretations of jazz standards and contemporary songs. A graduate of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in 2023 and Juilliard in 2025, she returns to Miami after a year of remarkable change.

Since winning the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Kortum has performed in Europe, Canada and Asia. Along the way, she used her passport for the first time.

“The Sarah Vaughan Competition has let me take my music all around the world, which was always a dream that I had but never thought could be realized,” she says.

Vocalist Kate Kortum closes CAP’s 2026 Summer Concert Series on Aug. 20. A graduate of the Frost School of Music and Juilliard, she returns to Miami after a breakthrough year that followed her victory in the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. (Photo courtesy of Community Arts Program)

Beyond musical training, she says the friendships and artistic collaborations formed during her Miami years continue to influence her work today.

“Coming back to Miami is really special now because I feel like a different musician and a different person,” says Kortum. “My formative years were spent there.”

Kortum credits both the Frost School of Music and Juilliard with helping shape that transformation.

“Both of those schools flipped me upside down,” she says. “They reflected back to me all these different things that I just had no idea about.”

Kortum traces her love of jazz singing to a chance discovery as a teenager, when she came across Ella Fitzgerald’s recording of “How High the Moon” live in Berlin.

“I realized there was an art form that put storytelling and interpretation at the center,” she says.

The discovery changed the course of her musical life. While she had studied instruments including saxophone and flute, jazz singing offered a direct emotional connection through lyrics and personal interpretation.

“Nothing ever made me feel as free and as grounded as singing jazz.”

Saxophonist Langston Hughes II is among the artists featured in the 2026 Community Arts Program (CAP) Summer Concert Series, which returns for its 41st season at the historic Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ in Coral Gables. Hughes performs June 25. (Photo courtesy of Community Concert Series)

Her CAP appearance will be presented as a duo performance with pianist Joel Wendt, also a Juilliard grad, in a format she believes highlights the immediacy of the music.

“Jazz, in a lot of ways, is made for smaller settings,” says Kortum. “Audiences might be surprised by what they see.”

Education remains central to CAP’s mission. In addition to the concert series, featured artists lead free master classes and jam sessions open to participants and observers of all ages, creating opportunities to perform, learn and interact directly with visiting musicians from 10 a.m. to noon on Fridays following selected concerts. The schedule includes Langston Hughes II on June 26, Warren Wolf on July 10, Leonela Alejandro on July 24, and Clayton Stephenson on Aug. 7.

The programs complement CAP’s educational initiatives, which serve students through the CAP Conservatory for the Arts and the Miami Jazz Institute during the academic year.

“Variety is the spice of life,” says Hart. “Anything done well is worth expanding one’s boundaries.”

Ultimately, his desire is to have audiences leave with more than memories of a good concert.

“I hope people discover something that fills them in a way that brings them back for more,” says Hart.

Kortum sees music as an opportunity to offer audiences an escape from their day-to-day lives. Whether that feeling is joy, sadness, surprise or reflection, she says the aim is simply to move listeners somewhere unexpected. 

“I hope I take them on some sort of journey.”

WHAT: Community Arts Program (CAP) Summer Concert Series 

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. every other Thursday from June 11 through Aug. 20.

WHERE: Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, 3010 De Soto Boulevard, Coral Gables.

COST: $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Patron tickets, rows 1 through 9, $50 in advance, $55 at the door.

INFORMATION: CommunityArtsProgram.org or 305-448-7421, ext. 120.

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