Frost School of Music professor Kevin Kenner vividly recalls his first exposure to the music of Fryderyk Chopin. He was just 8 years old when he heard his older sister playing Chopin preludes, an experience profound enough to set him on the path to becoming one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the great 19th-century Polish pianist and composer’s music.
That experience also planted the seed for the Frost Chopin Academy and Festival, which Kenner launched in 2018. The seventh edition takes place June 14-21 on the Coral Gables campus.
“It really grew out of asking myself how I could create something meaningful here in Miami with the particular experience I have as a musician,” said Kenner, who has taught at the Frost School since 2015. “I’ve been fortunate to belong to a community of Chopin specialists, and it felt natural to create an opportunity for young pianists to learn from these artists and give them opportunities to perfect their skills.”
Presented by Park Foundation, Patrick M. Park, with additional support from Friends of Chamber Music Miami, the Chopin Foundation of the United States, and the Miami Salon Group, the festival presents established musicians alongside rising young stars. Over 20 students will come to Miami from across the globe to work with five internationally renowned pedagogues and perform at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall and Newman Recital Hall. Half of the six concerts are free, while all lessons, workshops, and lectures are free and open to the public.
Among the scheduled faculty and guest artists are multiple winners of the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in the composer’s native Warsaw, including Dang Thai Son (among the most famous and accomplished piano teachers in the world), the American Garrick Ohlsson, and artistic director Kenner himself. The program also features lectures and discussions led by “The Chopin Podcast” host Ben Laude and leading Chopin scholar John Rink, as well as performances by the Apollon Musagète Quartet and a “Classics Reimagined” set by the jazz group Ted Rosenthal Trio.
“Chopin often improvised on the popular tunes and idioms of his time,” Kenner said. “In that sense, he was a kind of jazz musician, with improvisation as a central element of his art. We like to reflect that spirit by including crossover events, and it’s especially meaningful here at the Frost School, where we have such an outstanding jazz department.”
As for students, one of this year’s most notable participants will be the Frost Chopin Academy’s youngest-ever participant, 11-year-old Austin Chan. Although only in the sixth grade, Chan has already performed at Carnegie Hall and is studying at the Juilliard School’s pre-college division. He’ll be on the bill at the June 17 “Stars of the Academy” concert, which features the festival’s youngest and most promising musicians.
Of course, it’s never too early to start learning Chopin, as Kenner’s career demonstrates. He was studying abroad in Warsaw as a teenager and won the International Chopin Piano Competition before turning 30.
“Chopin’s music took hold of me at a very early age, and it continues to fascinate me,” Kenner said. “It lies at the core of the piano repertoire with works that all pianists will encounter in their development. What’s remarkable is the depth and genius of these compositions: The more I study them, the more I realize how much remains to be discovered. This festival is, in part, a way of giving back, of sharing that sense of wonder and connection. I truly believe we’re creating something valuable."
