This program is all about the joy of friendship and the possibility of communication between cultures and across time. – Simone Dinnerstein Miamians turned out in force for “Mozart in Havana,” the South Florida debut of Havana Lyceum Orchestra , under the baton of José Antonio Mendéz Padrón and appearing with its champion pianist Simone […]
Article · August 14, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
Wagner fans of Miami – and it looks like there are many more of them than one might think – must thank conductor and Miami Music Festival Artistic Director Michael Rossi for his astute undertaking, the Miami Wagner Institute, which capped its second year with a remarkable performance at Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall. Wagner […]
Article · August 7, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
The New World Symphony and Seraphic Fire, musical institutions that have become truly emblematic of Miami, closed their 2016-2017 season with significant performances–significant in that they reflected both the merits and shortcomings of a city making musical progress despite an occasional step backwards. Though lacking a solid musical core for a city of its size, […]
Article · May 24, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
April 28 marked the closing of Nu Deco Ensemble‘s triumphant 2016-2017 season. Yet that evening’s concert, which was also Nu Deco’s debut at Miami’s Knight Concert Hall, felt more like an arrival–a milestone for this young group as it continues to explore different ways of attracting and engaging audiences. There can be little doubt […]
Article · May 12, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
For music lovers, few experiences can compare with that of encountering a rich, enveloping, stunning voice. It is what makes opera both incomparable and irreplaceable. Tamara Wilson has one such voice. Less than a year ago, Wilson sang at the prestigious Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala, clearly demonstrating that she deserved its 2016 Singer of […]
Article · April 27, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
Juanjo Mena is sure to shake up the classical music scene in South Florida when he makes his local debut on April 8 with the New World Symphony. The Basque maestro is considered by many to be the most distinguished Spanish conductor of his generation. Orchestras fight over his services, and he is considered a […]
Article · April 4, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
Whether they admit it or not, are aware of it or not, emotion is the goal of every artist. To feel it, to pass it on. And evoking emotion was likely part of the goal when a concert by Knight Arts Challenge winner IlluminArts was incorporated into the current “Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity” exhibit […]
Article · March 29, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
The debut of “Before Night Falls” in Miami is sure to elicit controversy, mixed emotions and nostalgia. Ahead of its premiere with Florida Grand Opera (a Knight Arts Challenge winner) this Saturday, we spoke with composer Jorge Martín, whose work is bound to resonate not only with the Cuban exiles living in South Florida, but […]
Article · March 16, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
Preceded by well-earned prestige in Europe and Latin America, the Cuban group Ars Longa recently made its Miami debut. The concert was the last stop in the group’s first U.S. tour. The Baroque music ensemble, fresh from appearances in Milwaukee and New York, performed at Florida International University’s Wertheim Hall thanks to the efforts of […]
Article · March 15, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
Some 20 years ago, when I interviewed soprano Barbara Hendricks, who was making her New World Symphony debut, she expressed concern over the absence of music education in school curricula and the devastating consequences of that omission, especially on African-American children. “Remember,” said the exquisite Arkansas-born singer, “that in a few years we will ask […]
Article · February 28, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng
In its first three performances of 2017—two subscription concerts, along with a special, one-night-only event—the Cleveland Orchestra Miami offered programming that lived up to the orchestra’s sterling reputation. The Knight Arts grantee kicked off the year by pairing Johann Sebastian Bach and Anton Bruckner, followed by a Nordic night consisting of Carl Nielsen and Jean […]
Article · February 14, 2017 by Sebastian Spreng