miami beach

Ravel’s Bolero, the grandfather of Minimalism (and other amazing music at the New World Symphony)

/ antonioyrocinante / Leave a comment
Program preview
The New World Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Ready to enjoy some exquisite music
Who's the director?
Frank Gehry designed building
Frank Gehry designed building
Frank Gehry designed building

Are the times we are living in (2026) as exciting as turn-of-the-century Europe was? Were people aware of how revolutionary art, literature, politics, you name it, was? I was thinking about this recently as I listened to Debussy and Ravel at the New World Symphony.

This time I went alone, without my students. Miraculously, I was blessed with no traffic entering or leaving Miami; I guess the snowbirds have not arrived en masse yet… But back to the concert.

The amuse buche was Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari for Orchestra. A recent (2021) piece by this Mexican composer, it represents an ancient Mexican Huichol pilgrimage in search of the mythical “Blue Deer.” It was a rich, melodic composition that, at 5 minutes, felt far too short. Here is a clip from the same orchestra, same venue, a few years ago:

What should have been the appetizer was, in fact, a Whopper! Arturo Márquez’s Fandango for Violin and Orchestra, performed by Anne Akiko Meyers, an absolute virtuosa! The performance was astonishing; maybe I went in unprepared, but I do not think anyone can prepare for the blast that is Akiko Meyers. Her performance floored me! (Here is the last movement, LA Phil directed by Dudamel)

After regrouping during the intermission, we listened to Debussy’s Iberia, which is shocking when you realize he spent only a few hours in Spain. He crossed the border, saw a bullfight, and returned to France! But if Manuel de Falla said it was as Spanish, or more so, than anything a Spanish composer could have composed, it’s good enough for me. And the Spanishness is really mesmerizing.

Then it was time for the headliner, Ravel’s Bolero. This has to be one of the most recognizable tunes—I guess you could call it a melody. The double combination comes from the melody’s simplicity and repetition, but the real uppercut comes from the buildup: up, and up, and up… what a crescendo! The New World Orchestra did not disappoint. They brilliantly placed the snare drum right in the middle of the string section, between the violas and the cellos, to add attention and emphasis. This piece can rightly be considered one of the grandparents of minimalism. Bolero lays out what Philip Glass and Steve Reich would do decades later.

The New World Symphony is a treasure. Its philosophy, youthful energy, and enthusiasm are qualities many orchestras could benefit from. The Frank Gehry-designed building is wonderful, and the staff is super friendly! It is a blessing to have them in Miami Beach. Bravo indeed!

Miami’s New World Symphony plays an “All-Spanish” program

/ antonioyrocinante / 1 Comment
Dinner at El Chalán
New World Center
The men

When I saw that title in the NWS program, I knew I would not miss it. Then our Academic Dean mentioned that one of my classes needed to make up some credit hours… so I brought that class along to the concert to make up those hours!!

The title isn’t 100% accurate; in fact, only one of the four composers featured was Spanish or Hispanic. The program was as follows:

Antônio Carlos Gomes was a 19th-century Brazilian composer; Overture to II Guarany

Joaquín Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez

Richard Strauss was German, Don Juan

And

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was Russian, Capriccio espagnol

So while the composers were not all Spanish, the music was at least Hispanic inspired.

The guitarist for Concierto de Aranjuez was South Korean guitarist Jiji Jiyeon Kim, who delivered a brilliant virtuoso performance. But the whole concert was beautiful. After the performance, I took my students to El Chalan, a great Peruvian restaurant right near the New World Center, where the students tried ceviche and other Peruvian delicacies!

It was good to be back at the New World Symphony, even though one has to contend with the infernal Miami traffic.

Which one of these pieces is your favorite and why? Let me know in the comments!

Sphinx Virtuosi and the freshness of American classical music

/ antonioyrocinante / Leave a comment

The fact that America is a relatively recent addition to the Western artistic canon is a good thing; it brings a certain freshness and hopefulness that is wonderful.

I recently had an opportunity to enjoy a full program of classical American music played by the amazing, creative, and innovative Sphinx Virtuosi at the New World Center in Miami Beach.

Although driving down to Miami is dreadful, seeing the Sphinx Virtuosi always makes it worth it.

The opening number, Scott Joplin’s Overture to Treemonisha, was an inspiring, hopeful number. Other numbers featured music inspired by Peru and Venezuela. You can see the whole program here.

For me, this is more than a regular concert. Three of my old students play in this orchestra! Bill Neri, the ultimate violist, is also the founder of Film Club and a dear friend. Tommy Mesa is a prodigy cellist whom I have already written about here. Celia Hatton is another firecracker violist who was also in my Spanish classes! To see these young professionals flourish in such a demanding but beautiful field is an incredible reward.

American Form/s is a musical tapestry depicting the many sounds of American classical music. Vibrant, varied, storied, and new, the self-conducted string orchestra Sphinx Virtuosi takes audiences on a journey through classically-framed infusions of soul, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and elements of rag. Works range from reimaginings of Joplin’s joyous landscapes to the complex rhythms of Curtis Stewart and brilliant influences of immigrant composers like Teresa Carreño. Experience the intricate harmonies and world influences of Derrick Skye’s writing, as well as modern interpretations of soul-stirring spirituals and more in this program carefully and collaboratively curated to celebrate the richness of the American musical landscape.

Sphinx Virtuosi: American Form/s

Baptism by fire, my first pro tour of Miami

/ antonioyrocinante / Leave a comment

My first professional tour of Miami was a baptism by fire, a jump in the deep end of the pool: eight hours, on E-bikes, and in French!! Fortunately, my customers were a lovely French couple.

Tours are generally booked for 4 or 8 hours (occasionally some folks book less or more). An 8-hour tour of Miami is a lot of time, considering there really is not much of cultural, historical, artistic value concentrated in a specific area of Miami. Sure, there is Art Deco, Little Havana, Little Haiti, Wynwood, and a bit Downtown, but how long do you need to spend in Brickell? In Coconut Grove? In Coral Gables walking -or cycling around? But an 8-hour tour of Miami for an inaugural tour was a lot to prepare for, but I did prepare. Having a few years of experience as a tour guide since I set up Tonxo Tours helped to plan the tour.

The E-bike factor was fun. We rented the bikes in Haulover park, which was a bit of a schlep from my customer’s hotel in Bayshore, but it allowed us to check out Haulover pass, and to ride all the way down to South Beach!

After South Beach we crossed over to Downtown where we saw Gesù Church, the oldest church in South Florida and the remains of the Tequesta village, which is sadly now a dog park next to the Miami river.

It was then that my customer’s E-bike lost power (something about a sensor), so although I had my trusty Swiss Army knife to try to tighten some screws, it was to no avail. We decided to ride back to Haulover.

Despite the technical issues, the tour was still a success, and the customers were happy. It was a long day for me, but it was worth it. If you are in Miami on a Saturday and want an insightful, interesting, and rewarding tour (on foot or bicycle)? Contact me, we will try to make it fun!!

Welcome to Miami

/ antonioyrocinante / Leave a comment

Miami is fun. It is just that getting in and out is such a headache. But once you are there it is playful fun. The other day I had the chance to walk around, right before the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.

South Beach might be the first thing we think of when we think of Miami; the Art Deco architecture, the amazing beach, the people. I testify to all of them.

If I had to define Miami, I would talk about the vibe, the throbbing energy, the vibrancy. It is a bold, loud, colorful place. The food options are improving constantly, better representing the cultural melting pot it is (haha pun intended).

Sure, if you walk around South Beach most of the folks are turistas, but, and here is one of Miami’s tricks: it is difficult to separate the turista from the local, granted part of it is because of the general lack of clothing one sees, but it also speaks to the diversity of the locals and their hedonist lifestyle.

A fairly unique feature of Miami is the “Ventanita” a window on the side of a restaurant, shop, or bar where you can order a coffee “cafecito”, a fruit juice, and in some cases a shake or a smoothy. These ubiquitous “ventanitas” allow you to have a quick coffee “sportello” style on the sidewalk or sitting at a nearby bench -so long as it is in the shade!

Other areas of Miami are more touristy like Bayfront and Bayside, but the beauty of Miami Beach is the mingling of folks. Enjoy!

A much-needed return to music, and on the importance of mentoring

/ antonioyrocinante / 1 Comment

As I have mentioned ad nauseam, I learned how to be a mentor to old students from my professor Aaron Nurick, who has been keeping an eye on me for over thirty years, which at this point makes him more of a friend than a mentor.

Bill is one of my old students who invited me to Film Club (you can read about that here), and who as an accomplished violist, invited me to his recent concert in Miami. I would like to think that I am a bit of a mentor to him.

The Sphinx Virtuosi is an orchestra formed by minority Black and Latino musicians. Their concert equally featuring Black and Latino composers was glorious. Granted, I had not been to a live concert since before Covid, over two years ago, but it was still divine.

Driving to Miami is an odious experience, there is always traffic no matter what time you go. And if there is no traffic, there is construction, which inevitably leads to traffic, so there is no avoiding the frustration of sitting in a car at standstill.

But once I parked and I was walking around, all my tension washed away. The concert was at the Frank Gehry designed New World Center in Miami Beach, which, while not as whimsical as say, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, it is still very cool and has a breathtaking rooftop garden.

The concert itself was a refreshing mix of melodic Latin tunes like Alberto Ginastera’s Concerto for Strings and the haunting Andrea Casarrubios’ SEVEN in honor of the fallen first responders during the first Covid outbreak in New York City (SEVEN references the time folks would clap from their windows to celebrate the first responders). This was a mournful concerto for solo cello played beautifully by Tommy Mesa -another old student at Walnut Hill! (See clip below).

After the concert we walked to a great Peruvian restaurant where we had a long chat over excellent food and beers. I cannot wait for my next concert, nor to see more of my old students!