Heat & humidity are at peak levels, but fall is just around the corner & the arts are in the air. Knight Foundation is getting in the spirit by helping to sustain the Masterworks series at the Arsht Center though 2013, with a $600,000 grant. The Arsht Center launched the series last year to preserve the Concert Association of Florida’s 2009 season after the association filed for bankruptcy. Since then, tens of thousands of patrons have attended classical music and dance performances. Knight’s funding will be matched with $1.2 million of private sector support, ensuring three years of classical performances. The schedule for the John S. and James L. Knight 2010-11 season was just recently announced and includes violinist Joshua Bell (pictured), Mexico’s Tania Pérez-Salas Compañía de Danza and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra.

Here’s the compete schedule:

• Tania Pérez-Salas Compañía de Danza, October 2, 2010: Award-winning Mexican dancer and choreographer Tania Pérez-Salas brings her Compañía de Danza to Miami as part of an international tour celebrating Mexico’s 200th anniversary of independence.
• Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, November 15, 2010: The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra has been hailed as one of the greatest orchestras from a cultural tradition rich with extraordinary symphonic ensembles.
• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, December 11, 2010: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, one of America’s most innovative contemporary dance companies, will perform repertory pieces by Ohad Naharin, Jirí Kylián, and Alejandro Cerrudo.
• The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis, December 26, 2010: Mannheim Steamroller brings a signature sound combining classical and modern-day rock, acoustic, and electronic music to the holiday season.
• Michael Bolton, January 17, 2011: The quintessential romantic vocalist, Michael Bolton’s career spans more than 22 years, 53 million records sold, multiple Grammys, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Joshua Bell, January 18, 2011: A young violin virtuoso who debuted at the age of 14, Bell is widely regarded as one of America’s youngest and most talented musical geniuses, having recorded more than 35 CDs and garnered an Oscar Award for his work in film.
• Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, February 2, 2011: One of Russia’s finest artistic ambassadors, the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin has earned national and international acclaim featuring some of Russia’s finest young string players.
• Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie, February 9, 2011: The Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie is Germany’s official sponsored philharmonic orchestra, comprised of 88 musicians from 16 nations and celebrating 90 years of artistry.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, February 17-20, 2011: Performing at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the third year in a row, the dance company has been recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World,” and performed for 23 million people in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents celebrating the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience.
• Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, March 19, 2011: The Boston Pops Orchestra, the most-recorded orchestra in the world, will highlight the beloved popular tunes of Cole Porter, featuring Broadway darlings Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James and world-renowned conductor Keith Lockhart.
• The 5 Browns, March 30, 2011: The five Brown siblings, each began playing the piano around age three and were the first family of five siblings to ever be accepted simultaneously at the Juilliard School. At the Adrienne Arsht Center, they will perform classical pieces both individually and in complex five-piano arrangements.
• Yuri Bashmet and Evgeny Kissin in Concert, April 21, 2011: Yuri Bashmet, a leading Russian conductor and violist, will be joined onstage by piano virtuoso and Grammy Award-winner Evgeny Kissin to perform a spectacular program for viola and piano.

For tickets to any Masterworks Season performance or to subscribe to the series, call the box office at (305) 949-6722 or visit www.arshtcenter.org. To donate to the Adrienne Arsht Center in support of matching the Knight Foundation’s grant, contact Churé Gladwell at (786) 468-2242.