The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County honored Frost School of Music dean Shelton G. “Shelly” Berg for his 47 years in music education on Saturday, presenting him with the Arsht Education Champion Award at the Paint the Arsht Red Gala on Saturday, as the center celebrated two decades of shaping Miami’s cultural landscape.
Berg, who is artistic advisor to the Arsht Center’s long-running Jazz Roots series, was honored in the Arsht Awards ceremony, which recognizes individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the Arsht and the Miami cultural community.
The acclaimed music educator, pianist, and composer is stepping down in May after 19 years leading the Frost School, during which he has transformed it into a groundbreaking model for innovative music education that has shaped thousands of students.
“I was 23 when I got my first full-time college teaching job,” Berg said in an Arsht video celebrating his award. “I hope the ripple effects of what I’ve done have helped bring more and more people to their dreams and make a better future for music.”
“To be honored for that work by one of the great performing arts venues in the country is highly meaningful to me.”
The Frost School’s Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra is the resident orchestra for the Jazz Roots series, which has a partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools that brings 1,000 high school musicians to attend concerts and speak with artists each season.
The anniversary gala at the Arsht’s Ziff Ballet Opera House featured a concert for over 1,000 attendees with GRAMMY Award-winning jazz vocalist Gregory Porter, a poem by Miami-Dade County poet laureate Richard Blanco, and a surprise appearance by Wesley Wray—a Miami native and alumnus of the Arsht’s AileyCamp Miami—who performed selections from Buena Vista Social Club – The Musical, in which he is currently starring on Broadway.
Three hundred community and philanthropic leaders attended the awards ceremony, which also honored Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation founding donor and former Vice President Rhoda Levitt with the Parker Thomson Legacy Award. The Green Family Foundation Trust was presented with the Arsht Angel Award. Two arts leaders were recognized with special awards for their impact on Miami’s arts ecosystem. Mario Ernesto Sanchez, founder of the International Hispanic Theatre Festival of Miami and Teatro Avante, was honored posthumously for his commitment to international cultural exchange. Beth Boone, artistic and executive director of Miami Light Project, was recognized for her leadership of Arts Action Miami, a coalition of Miami’s arts organizations that has successfully advocated to ensure public funding for local arts groups.
