The University of Miami Frost School of Music, with presenting sponsor UHealth—University of Miami Health System, announces two additions to the lineup for its annual multi-genre music festival, FESTIVAL MIAMI, Florida’s premier live music festival. From October 16 to November 7, 2015, the Festival will offer vibrant performances by the biggest names on the music scene from around the globe who will showcase their talents alongside the outstanding students and faculty artists from the Frost School of Music. More than 20 performances, organized into four themes: Great Performances, Jazz and Beyond, Music of the Americas, and Creative American Music, will be held in the intimate setting of the 600-seat UM Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, 1314 Miller Drive, on the Coral Gables campus.
Just added to the previously announced Festival Miami 2015 schedule is the great promise of Latin pop, singer RAQUEL SOFÍA, whom Grammy-winning producer George Noriega says is “one of those rare artists that come along only once in a generation,” will make her Festival Miami debut on October 17. International megastar Juanes hired the talented singer for his multiple Grammy winning “Juanes MTV Unplugged” tour, and she’s also performed with Shakira. The UM Frost School of Music graduate will entertain concert-goers with high energy performance that will showcase her appealing jazz-infused vocals and sonic style that ranges from rockabilly to ska to ’80s pop-rock and will include selections from her debut album, Te Quiero los Domingos, which debuted at No. 1 on iTunes when released for digital download by Sony Music Latin in June 2015.
On October 23, Festival Miami will now present three-time Latin Grammy Award winner and double Grammy nominee NATALIA LAFOURCADE, replacing the concert by Spanish fusion star Macaco who was originally scheduled to perform on this date. Described by The New York Times as a “soaring and resilient free spirit,” Lafourcade is widely considered one of the most important singer-songwriters of her generation. The Mexican-born artist’s latest album, Hasta la Raíz, debuted at No. 1 on the Mexican sales charts and remains a top seller.
Festival Miami tickets and season packages will be available to the general public beginning August 1, 2015, and single tickets start at $15. They may be purchased at http://www.festivalmiami.com or by calling 305-284-4940.
The Festival’s 32nd season kicks off on a bright note on October 16 when South Florida concert-goers will be treated to an unforgettable program featuring the music of three visionary American composers. The highlight of the evening will be a riveting performance by one of America’s newest artistic treasures – the Billboard chart-topping piano sensation SIMONE DINNERSTEIN who will perform the Florida premiere of Philip Lasser’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra – The Circle and the Child with the FROST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. Alan Hovhaness’s landmark And God Created Great Whales and Howard Hanson’s epic Symphony No. 5 complete the program of standout works.
Additional Festival Miami highlights include the annual SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE – Johnny Mercer Re-Imagined, held on October 20, which will place the spotlight on the remarkable talents of songwriters and performers from the Frost School’s Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music (CAM) Program. The students will give a fresh spin on classic songs by the legendary Johnny Mercer, who penned such beloved standards as “Autumn Leaves,” “Moon River,” and “Skylark,” showcasing all new versions of classic works by this brilliant writer. This event will be hosted by Rey Sanchez, CAM Program Director and Jon Brielle, Vice President of the Johnny Mercer Foundation. The following evening, October 21, country music fans will be treated to an “unplugged” and “in the round” evening of music by Nashville’s songwriting giants when the NASHVILLE COUNTRY ALL-STARS (Craig Carothers, Tony Arata, Dave Berg, and Annie Mosher) showcase their biggest hits recorded by Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Rodney Atkins, and many others. Cuban-born piano master GONZALO RUBALCABA, who has been heralded by The New York Times as “one of the greatest musicians in jazz…a pianist of almost supernatural abilities,” will be joined by his fellow Frost School faculty artists, including percussion virtuoso and winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition SVET STOYANOV with trumpeter/bandleader JOHN DAVERSA directing the FROST CONCERT JAZZ BAND. They will enthrall audiences with a thrilling jazz program on October 22. The Grammy- and Emmy-winning tenor JOHN EASTERLIN will thrill audiences with Broadway and opera favorites and classic arias by Mozart, Bernstein, plus more celebrated composers on October 24 on a program that features Grammy nominated jazz arranger and Dean of the Frost School of Music SHELLY BERG as special guest. On October 25, the inimitable LOS ANGELES GUITAR QUARTET -- recognized as one of the nation’s most groundbreaking and virtuosic instrumental ensembles -- will present music from their album New Renaissance and arrangements of classics by Ralph Towner, Pat Metheny, and Chet Atkins from their Grammy-winning project Guitar Heroes, as well as premiere works by Atanas Ourkouzounov, Tilman Hoppstock, and Dweezil Zappa.
Musical sparks will fly in a new interpretation of Brahms’s Horn Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40 on October 28 when admired Frost horn faculty member, motion picture and solo recording artist RICHARD TODD performs with violin soloist and Cleveland Institute of Music’s President JOEL SMIRNOFF and award-winning pianist and NPR’s From the Top host CHRISTOPHER O’RILEY. Todd will also perform Olivier Messiaen’s solo horn work “Appel Interstellaire.” Solo piano and violin works by Bach and chamber music gems round out the evening’s program. CYRILLE AIMÉE, who is an extraordinary revelation in contemporary vocal jazz, will perform with the 2015 DownBeat Collegiate Award winning FROST STUDIO JAZZ BAND and JAZZ VOCAL 1 ENSEMBLE on October 29. The young, New York-based French singer AIMÉE blends standards with Gypsy swing and bossa nova. Since she won the 2012 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, she has quickly become widely acclaimed as a favorite of jazz aficionados. Multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter and pianist BEN FOLDS will perform his critically acclaimed Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with the Frost School’s stellar HENRY MANCINI INSTITUTE ORCHESTRA on October 30. His concerto, which he composed in 2013 and has since been performed by symphony orchestras to sold-out audiences around the globe, will be featured on his upcoming new album So There, which is slated for release in September 2015."
On Halloween afternoon, the FROST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA presents Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Children’s Suite for Orchestra) by John Williams, plus music by Saint-Saëns and Mussorgsky. Children are invited to dress in Halloween costumes and enjoy post-concert treats courtesy of Whole Foods Coral Gables.
The Festival continues on November 1 with an exhilarating sonic celebration when the violin/viola hip-hop duo BLACK VIOLIN, comprised of string musicians Kev Marcus and Wil B, will once again shatter stereotypes of classical musicians by offering their fresh take on classical music, incorporating influences from R&B and soul to rock and beyond. Named one of the hottest new bands at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW), Black Violin is sure to “wow” audiences with their high-energy, genre-bending sounds. Grammy nominated jazz organist extraordinaire JOEY DeFRANCESCO will entertain audiences on November 3 with his swinging style and astounding originality as he performs in the great tradition of the unforgettable Jimmy Smith. FREDA PAYNE, who will forever be associated with her 1970 breakthrough R&B hit “Band of Gold,” returns to her musical roots as an American jazz singer in the tradition of Nancy Wilson and Ella Fitzgerald on November 5. She will captivate audiences with her artistic prowess on a program that includes “Save Your Love for Me,” plus more enthralling selections with a trio that will feature Frost School of Music Dean SHELLY BERG on piano.
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About Festival Miami
Festival Miami has set a precedent over the last three decades by providing a series that blends artistically and culturally diverse music with educational opportunities. The festival offers 20-30 concerts each season, providing for people of all ages the chance to be enriched by live musical performances. It is unrivaled in its scope of musical presentations and is known throughout South Florida, the U.S., and the international community for its cultural contributions while expanding academic opportunities and cultural enrichment to all of South Florida and its visitors. The Festival’s concert series features the Frost School of Music’s widely known artist-faculty and student ensembles, and an educational mission that includes children’s concerts, master classes, lectures, forums, and concerts that highlight historically significant events. For a complete listing of concerts and to order tickets online visit http://www.festivalmiami.com or email fmtickets@miami.edu for additional information.
About Frost School of Music
The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music is one of the largest and best music schools located in a private university in the U.S., and one of the most comprehensive and relevant in all of higher education. With over 700 students and 100 faculty members it a top choice for instrumental, keyboard and vocal performance as well as composition, music business, music education, music engineering technology, music therapy, songwriting, jazz, studio music, and more. It is one of two schools created in 1926 when the University of Miami was founded. The naming gift from Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost in 2003 was a historic occasion.
The mission of the Frost School of Music is to foster musical leadership by providing an innovative, relevant, and inspiring education; advance performance, creativity and scholarship; and enrich the world community with meaningful outreach and brilliant cultural offerings.
The Frost School has pioneered new curricula and was the first in the nation to offer professionally accredited Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Business and Music Engineering Technology, and was among the first to offer degrees in Music Therapy, as well as Studio Music and Jazz. Renowned for its Instrumental Performance programs, it is the home of the Frost Chamber Orchestra, Frost Symphony Orchestra, and Frost Concert Jazz Band and is a leader in vocal training with the Frost Opera Theater, Frost Chorale and other notable choirs.
Frost is the exclusive home of the Frost Experiential Music Curriculum which fully integrates performance, music history, ear training, and composition through chamber music and skills ensembles; the Henry Mancini Institute which provides Frost students with cross-genre performance opportunities in real-world professional settings; the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation’s Ensemble Scholars program which provides free tuition, room and board to 19 academically strong and highly talented undergraduate music students; and the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program which develops the creative skills of talented young artist/songwriters by immersing them in the diverse traditions of American songwriting. For further information, visit: http://www.music.miami.edu.
