UM FESTIVAL MIAMI CONTINUES ITS MUSICAL JOURNEY WITH ITS 28TH YEAR

The University of Miami Frost School of Music is pleased to present Festival Miami 2011—Florida’s premier, live music festival. Now in its 28th season, Festival Miami features a diverse blend of exciting performers showcasing their talents alongside brilliant students and faculty artists.

The dynamic program includes 23 concerts organized into four themes: Great Performances, featuring legendary artists and composers; Creative American Music, a mélange of new compositions by student and faculty composers; Jazz and Beyond, guaranteed to spark your groove; and Music of the Americas, a cultural firestorm spanning two hemispheres. In addition, visiting artists who conduct free lectures and master classes will give audiences an insider’s insight. Festival Miami will commence on October 1 and conclude on November 4.

This year Festival Miami brings two Pulitzer Prize-winning American composers—Gunther Schuller, headlining opening night with the Frost Symphony Orchestra and Frost Chamber Players, and Michael Colgrass, who unveils two contemporary works with the Frost Wind Ensemble. The festival also offers three piano concerts, including Chopin Competition winner Claire Huangci, renowned Liszt expert Jerome Lowenthal, and a two-piano concert featuring the incredible Santiago Rodriguez and UM Frost School of Music Dean and acclaimed pianist Shelton “Shelly” Berg performing music by George Gershwin.

Other highlights include NEA Jazz Master Benny Golson, singer-songwriter Livingston Taylor, salsa music master Willy Chirino, and the vivacious Lucy Arnaz, performing her father’s sensational arrangements. For closing night, Festival Miami is co-presenting a concert with JazzRoots: A Larry Rosen Series at the Adrienne Arsht Center, featuring UM Frost School’s own Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra with new Artistic Director Terence Blanchard; and an all-star roster of guests including Michael Feinstein, Dave Grusin, Mark O’Connor, Denyce Graves, and Monica Mancini.

Festival Miami has set a precedent over the last 27 years by providing a series that blends artistically and culturally diverse music with educational opportunities. The festival offers 20-30 concerts each season, providing for people of all ages the chance to be enriched by live musical performances. It is unrivaled in its scope of musical presentations and is known throughout South Florida, the U.S., and the international community for its cultural contributions while expanding academic opportunities and cultural enrichment to all of South Florida and its visitors.

The Festival’s concert series is unparalleled in its scope of musical magnitude and includes stellar guest artists, the Frost School’s widely known artist-faculty and student ensembles, and an educational mission that includes children’s concerts, master classes, lectures, forums, and concerts that highlight historically-significant events.

For a complete listing of concerts and to order tickets online visit www.festivalmiami.com or email festivalmiami.music@miami.edu for additional information. The Festival Miami Advance Ticket Sales Office phone number is (305) 284-4940.  Hours are Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All performances are held at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, located at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music, 1314 Miller Drive, on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables Campus (unless otherwise noted). For more information on the Frost School of Music, visit www.music.miami.edu.

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