Stellar performances
The people of greater Miami are lucky to have the Miami Summer Music Festival performing here until Aug. 2.
The festival is made up of the best college music majors from all over this country and from about 20 others. There were approximately 1,000 students who tried out for this festival; 250 were accepted. Executive and Artistic Director Michael Rossi is doing a fantastic job.
The students are vocalists, instrumentalists and conductors who perform classical and Broadway music. Two of my friends and I went to see them at The Betsy Ross Hotel on South Beach last week. There were about 10 singers accompanied by a superb pianist. They sang arias from different operas and one Zarzuela song.
Another night, we went to Andy Gato Gallery at Barry University and saw singers perform songs from Broadway musicals. On Saturday night, at Barry University’s Shepard & Ruth K. Broad Performing Arts Center, there was a stellar performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
My friends and I are having a wonderful time enjoying these performances and at a nominal cost. There will be operas, another symphonic concert, a solo instrumentalist concert, faculty recitals, chamber music, a master class and a Zarzuela concert coming up. I highly recommend that members of the community see at least some of these performances.
Sara B. Leviten, North Miami
This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Stellar performances."