One of the best ongoing extracurricular opportunities for Frost School of Music students is the Music at McBride Plaza concert series. Now marking its fifth anniversary as a partnership between the Frost School and the City of Coral Gables, the series, which kicks off Thursday, will feature a half-dozen free concerts by Frost School artists at McBride Plaza in downtown Coral Gables.
The series kicks off Thursday, January 15th, with the jazz group Leah Rutherford Quartet, and continues every other Thursday through March. The opening night concert includes a pre-show kickoff ceremony featuring Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and other city officials, as well as Frost School of Music representatives. Series organizers will also give away Frost School “swag bags” to the first 30 attendees on opening night.
The music continues with the Frost Opera Theater on Jan. 29, jazz guitar duo Miami Nylon Duo on Feb. 12, Latin duo Laura & Josias on Feb. 26, R&B/Jazz group Charlotte Vaughn Jazz Quintet on March 12, and newgrass folk band The Wire Jays on March 26.
“Performance opportunities are one of the key elements of Frost’s learning environment,” said associate professor Gary Woods, director of the Frost School’s Live Entertainment Management program. “This series provides a unique and special opportunity for students’ artistic voices to be heard. The entire Frost family is grateful for this community-based performance series.”
Music at McBride provides Frost School students with opportunities both behind the scenes and onstage. Working as an intern for the series this year is Manuela Baraya Llana, who just earned a master's in Live Entertainment Management.
“I’ve gotten to do things I never have before, like develop a social media plan and website,” said Llana, whose career goal is to work in the live music industry putting on concerts. “It’s helped me gather skills, grow, and learn new things.”
For the musicians, McBride is a paid gig that can lead to more opportunities. Series founder Barbara Tria says she encourages bands to have onstage signage with their name, and to be prepared when they’re approached about other work. When Wire Jays' guitarist Benji Dienstfrey played McBride with his previous band Fiddle Head last year, an audience member came up to inquire about guitar lessons.
“So I got a new student out of the gig,” said Dienstfrey (who, like all his Wire Jays bandmates, is a Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship major). “We also got some really nice pictures from the show. It’s definitely a beneficial series, more of a legit event than playing some random bar around town.”
The series has been successful enough to become established with music lovers, too. It’s now something that locals look forward to and plan around – and may draw new listeners to recitals and concerts at the Frost School.
“It’s good for everyone,” said Tria, a realtor who also serves as onstage emcee. “It’s outside, families bring their kids and dogs, and it allows students to try some things, get immediate feedback. End of last season, the mom of a family that came to every show asked me, ‘What will we do on Thursdays now? Where’s the music?’ That’s the whole point."
If you go: The Music at McBride Plaza concert series takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every other Thursday from Jan. 15 to March 26 at McBride Plaza, 150 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, 33134.
January 15 – Leah Rutherford Quartet
January 29 – Frost Opera Theater
February 12 – Miami Nylon Duo
February 26 – Laura & Josias
March 12 – Charlotte Vaughn Jazz Quintet
March 27 – The Wire Jays
