| 9th Annual Miami International Piano Festival |
|
What are the odds that a non-competitive, classical music, piano festival can succeed in South Florida? “Frankly, when approached nine years ago by the founder - and Artistic Director - , Giselle Brodsky, I was leery of the idea that such an undertaking could possible succeed in the jaded musical community of South Florida – an area that twice in my quarter-century here has allowed its orchestra to die. But the ensuing years and the awesome work of Mrs. Brodsky have proven me wrong, for she has done exactly what she promised and done it with telling effect. Her work has surpassed very expectation”. This statement by Frank Cooper, Research Professor of Music at UM’s Frost School of Music, reflects the general consensus by many industry professionals about the Miami International Piano Festival. Norman Lebrecht, one of the most widely-read modern commentators on music, culture and politics whose Wednesday column in the (London) Evening Standard and on the Internet has been described as ‘required reading’ has this to say about the Festival: “The need for such a festival is incontrovertible. To have a showcase festival specially dedicated to new artists is not just an act of faith but a beacon of hope for the next generation that renewal has not been ruled out. In the context of the United States, the significance of such a festival is multiplied many times over. The value of an independent festival introducing the cream of the world’s new pianists to the United States cannot therefore be overestimated.”  Innovative programming and creative musicianship are essentially the founding premise of the Festival and are in fact part of Patrons of Exceptional Artists, the presenting organization’s mission. “It’s such a surprise!” said Matthew Gurewitsch, a critic for The New York Times. “The quality of the artists is so high, yet all of them come to Miami as virtual unknowns.” But not for long, since many achievements have been made by the festival alumni. Yugoslavian pianist Kemal Gekic gave such a stunning performance at his 1999 festival debut that Florida International University appointed him its artist in residence. Polish-Hungarian Piotr Anderszewski, after several festival performances, won the prestigious 2002 Gilmore Artist award, a $300,000 prize bestowed on a pianist worthy of a global career. In 2006, this same award was obtained by Ingrid Fliter, an Argentinian female pianist who makes her Festival debut this year on May 12th at the Lincoln Theater on Miami Beach. Italian Francesco Libetta, caught the ear of filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon. Now, Monsaingeon, who has directed acclaimed documentaries about modern-day musical geniuses, has made a movie about Libetta that recently won the Diapason D’or award in France. Also, pianist Misha Dacic, following his U.S. debut at the 2003 Festival was awarded a special scholarship and is now attending the University of Miami. Video Artists International, a classical-music label dedicated to preserving past performances, expanded its focus after hearing recordings from earlier festivals. Today, VAI is the official recording label for the Miami International Piano Festival, giving its performers yet another showcase. Six CDs featuring live Festival performances have already been commercially released to very positive critical acclaim. In 2005 the Festival introduced its very own Symphony Orchestra to a capacity crowd at the Lincoln Theater with an evening of Liszt compositions. The addition of a Concerto Night to the Festival makes it possible to present ambitious and unique programs showcasing several artists at the same time while focusing the audience on the soloists. The Miami International Piano Festival Orchestra will present an evening of Beethoven Concertos on Sunday, May 14th of this year under the impeccable direction of conductor / pianist Maestro William Noll, former assistant conductor of the Atlanta Opera. The Ninth Annual Miami International Piano Festival 2006 will also have its Discovery Series taking place from May 11th through May 14th. In addition to solo recitals and the Concerto Night, the Festival will present a Saturday (May 13th) matinee “Prodigies and Masters of Tomorrow” concert featuring South Florida’s own unbelievable Jazz Prodigy, 11 year-old, Antonio Madruga. www.miamipianofest.com |
