New World Symphony Kicks Off the Season

The Culture Edit, September 30th - October 13th

Author

Susan Bannon
September 29, 2024

Stéphane Denève, Artistic Director of the New World Symphony, with New World Fellows.

The season has finally arrived! New World Symphony kicks things off in grand style, with conductor Stéphane Denève welcoming actress Daisy Ridley to the stage as narrator for Michael Tilson Thomas’ haunting From the Diary of Anne Frank.

Nu Deco Ensemble also has their season opener this weekend, featuring Cuban jazz piano virtuoso Alfredo Rodríguez, and unfortunately, they are on the same night. Remember what I said last week about hard choices? This is our life now.

Also this week, we have a surprisingly popular Icelandic band, some pre-Halloween drag comedy, and one of my favorite art events in town, the Progressive Art Brunch. The PAB is an excellent opportunity to catch up on what our local art galleries have on view and mooch free prosecco at the same time. It’s a pretty great way to spend a Sunday.

In case you missed it, The Miami Herald published an excellent piece last Sunday on the near heroic efforts of our local cultural institutions to offset the impact of Governor Desantis’ unprecedented arts funding cuts. It’s never too late to tell the Governor and your state reps how you feel, but the best thing we can do right now is buy tickets. As Michel Hausmann, Artistic Director of Miami New Drama, put it in the article:

“Go to your museums, to your local theater, to your local orchestra. That is the best way to support the organizations now. If you want to donate, donate. Just the act of buying those tickets makes a huge difference.”

We can do this, people!

Let’s get planning...

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Monday, September 30th

Sigur Rós with The Wordless Orchestra

I’ll admit, I’d never heard of Sigur Rós. But they definitely got my attention by practically selling out Knight Concert Hall for a Monday night. A little research turned up an Icelandic band with a catalog of trippy, contemplative music and a devoted following that describes them as “transformative” and “life-changing”, and their concerts as “maelstroms of ecstasy.” There are only choral riser seats left for this particular maelstrom of ecstasy, so if you want to experience it, you need to book it right now.

8pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $63-$182

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Wednesday, October 2nd

Etienne Charles at the Faena

The Faena Theater welcomes internationally-acclaimed trumpeter and composer Etienne Charles for an intimate evening of jazz. Having performed with many of the greats, including Roberta Flack and Chucho Valdes, Charles is known for his innovative fusion of jazz, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and modern musical compositions.

8pm, Faena Theater, $55-$180

Neighborhood: Miami Beach

Nearby Eats & Drinks: Make it an all-Faena night, with dinner at Pao or Los Fuegos and drinks at Living Room or The Saxony Bar (or head to Broken Shaker for a change of scenery).

Thursday, October 3rd

Miami Dance Makers at PAMM

The Perez Art Museum Miami presents the culmination of Miami DanceMakers 2024, an annual program of new commissions inspired by art on view in the museum. Three early-career, local choreographers will perform their work in the galleries throughout PAMM. Bonus: you get to check out all of PAMM’s current exhibits and enjoy happy hour on the terrace beforehand. RSVP required.

7-8pm, Perez Art Museum Miami, Free with Museum Entry ($18)

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Verde, ViceVersa, NIU Kitchen | Drinks: Verde, The Corner

Friday, October 4th

WITCHES!

Actor, comedian, and TikTok sketch-comedy celebrity Tim Murray brings his original stand-up comedy hour about, well, WITCHES!, to the Arsht Center to get your Halloween celebrations started a little early. His show mixes stand-up, drag, and original comedy songs, partly about his favorite pop culture witches, and partly about his touching and hilarious efforts to pass as straight growing up and “avoid being burned at the stake.” Standout songs include “I Wanna Be Witches” and “I Hate Kids,” which might explain why this show is strictly 18+.

8pm, Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht Center, $46

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Mignonette, Bunbury, ViceVersa | Drinks: Night Swim, The Corner

Also on October 4th: LnS Gallery celebrates the opening of Alexandre Arrechea: Uncharted Surfaces with a reception from 6-9pm.

Saturday, October 5th

New World Symphony Season Opener

Actress Daisy Ridley (Rey, from the latest Star Wars trilogy) joins New World Symphony and Artistic Director Stéphane Denève for their season opener, narrating Michael Tilson Thomas’s haunting From the Diary of Anne Frank. This concert is the first of a season-long series, entitled “Resonance of Remembrance,” honoring of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Holocaust. Also on the program, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, a coded work created under the watchful eye of Stalin.

7:30pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday, New World Center, $40-$175

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Also on October 5th:

  • Nu Deco Ensemble kicks off it’s 10th season at the Colony Theater with genre-bending Cuban composer and jazz piano virtuoso Alfredo Rodriguez.

  • The 14th annual Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler showcases nine works from six of South Florida’s most dynamic choreographers and dance companies on one stage for one night only.

  • Grammy-winning bolero singer Aymée Nuviola brings 1950’s Havana to life in Havana Nocturne at Sanctuary of the Arts.

Sunday, October 6th

Progressive Art Brunch

The Progressive Art Brunch is one of my favorite art events in town: part bar crawl, part art crash course, part scavenger hunt. You have five hours (11am-4pm) to see the current exhibits at fifteen local galleries sprinkled throughout Allapattah, Little River and Little Haiti. Typically, some type of sparkling wine is available at each stop, which can get a bit messy if you don’t take time to stop for lunch. Galleries usually aren’t open on the weekends, and the PAB isn’t a monthly event (it comes around when the galleries decide it’s time), so you don’t want to miss it.

11am-4pm, Various Galleries, Free

Neighborhoods: Allapattah, Little River, Little Haiti

Nearby Eats: Hometown BBQ (Allapattah), the Citadel (Little River), Walrus Rodeo (Little Haiti) | Drinks: Off Site, Magie

Also on October 6th:

  • Books & Books welcomes New York Times bestselling author Dan Jones to discuss his latest historical biography, Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England’s Greatest Warrior King.

  • Dance NOW! Miami and New World School of the Arts celebrate Daniel Lewis’ 80th Birthday, with a dance recital and fundraiser featuring performances by Dance NOW! Miami and tributes by dance luminaries like Robert Battle (longtime artistic director of Alvin Ailey).

  • You have a second chance to see Nu Deco Ensemble’s season opener at the Colony Theater with genre-bending Cuban composer and jazz piano virtuoso Alfredo Rodriguez.

  • AND you have a second chance to see New World Symphony’s season opener with actress Daisy Ridley narrating Michael Tilson Thomas’ From The Diary of Anne Frank.

Happening NEXT Week:

Because maybe your friends are busy this week. Or you're busy this week. Or this week just seems too soon to pull your act together and make a plan.

Tuesday, October 8th

An Evening with Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Arsht Center presents An Evening with Ta-Nehisi Coates, where the controversial journalist and essayist will discuss his new book, The Message. Coates’ 2015 book, Between the World and Me, was a gloves-off spotlight on racism that sent shockwaves through the blogosphere, and earned him a host of awards, including the National Book Award. Since then, his work has been celebrated and banned in this country, which is partly the subject of one of the three essays in The Message. For this new book, Coates traveled to three distinct locations to explore the clash between current lived experience and the narratives we hear and tell ourselves. *Be aware, the third location Coates visited was the West Bank and his writing on this subject is sure to cause controversy, yet again.

7pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $50 (includes a copy of The Message)

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Mignonette, Bunbury, ViceVersa | Drinks: Margot, Over Under

Also October 8th: 

Thursday, October 10th

Eno at O Cinema

Musical maverick Brian Eno co-founded Roxy Music, produced iconic albums for David Bowie, Talking Heads, Devo, and U2, and pioneered innovative technology for ambient music. In this first-of-its-kind documentary, presented by O Cinema, filmmaker Gary Hustwit uses a generative process that produces a different movie every time it’s screened, drawing from the artist’s staggering archive of interviews and unreleased music. Critics love this film, even if they’ve all seen a different one, calling it “pure joy” (New York Times) and an “endlessly inspiring creative manifesto” (AV Club).

7pm, O Cinema, $12.50

Neighborhood: Miami Beach

Also on October 10th: 

  • The premiere of artist and filmmaker Luis Gispert’s first feature film, Cajita, screened outdoors at PAMM, followed by a Q&A with Gispert.

  • Rock & Rhythm weekend on the Plaza at the Arsht Center begins, with gospel & soul singer Stout.

  • Evening Serenade, a night of zarzuelas and classical arias, at Sanctuary of the Arts.

Friday, October 11th

K-Pop Band KARD at the Bandshell

The mission of the Miami Beach Bandshell is to bring the music of the world to the citizens of Miami, and if world music is your thing, you really should just check out their entire lineup. On this evening, the Bandshell presents co-ed K-Pop sensation KARD, a band replete with the stunning vocals and dance swagger that K-Pop is famous for. You don’t even need to worry about being trampled by tweens, because this concert is strictly 18+.

Neighborhood: North Beach

Also on October 11th: Rock & Rhythm weekend on the Plaza at the Arsht Center continues, with rock and soul band Alexa & the Old-Fashioneds.

Saturday, October 12th

Gold Dust Lounge on the Plaza

For the conclusion of its Rock & Rhythm weekend, the Arsht Center welcomes Miami’s own Gold Dust Lounge to the outdoor Thompson Plaza. The brainchild of local guitarist and composer Russell Mofsky, Gold Dust Lounge puts influences from movie scores to punk bands to cool lounge rock in a blender for a sound that’s always a good time. Arranged in a quartet featuring guitar, violin, bass, and drums, no two Gold Dust Lounge performances are alike.

7:30pm, Thompson Plaza at the Arsht Center, $20-$30

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Mignonette, Bunbury, ViceVersa | Drinks: Night Swim, The Corner

Also on October 12th: 

  • Award-winning Flamenco artist Clarita Filgueiras performs Alma Flamenca, her showcase of traditional flamenco puro, at the Moss Center.

  • Neopolitan synth-pop trio Kolors and four other up-and-coming Italian bands bring “big Eurovision energy” to the Miami Beach Bandshell.

Sunday, October 13th

Chamber Music: Haydn & Borodin

Titus Underwood, Principal Oboe of the Nashville Symphony, joins the New World Symphony Fellows for a special afternoon of chamber music. Household names Haydn and Borodin get top billing, but in true New World style, there are also some exciting contemporary works on the program: Extra Fancy, a whimsical and rhythmically challenging concerto for winds by Viet Cuong, and Lee Hyla’s Dream of Innocent III, a piece with amplified cello that channels the art of the Late Middle Ages through the mind of Pope Innocent III.

2pm, New World Center, $15-$25

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Mister O1, Barceloneta, Sweet Liberty | Drinks: Water Lion at the Sagamore, Brother’s Keeper

Also on October 13th:

  • City Theatre Miami presents a reading of four short plays by professional actors on the theme of community at Books & Books.

  • A second performance of Alma Flamenca by award-winning Flamenco artist Clarita Filgueiras at the Moss Center.

Planning Ahead:

Miami's most anticipated events sell out and those new restaurants you want to try book up. For the ultimate plan-ahead guide, you have my complete Highlights of the Fall Season, but if that’s too much trouble, you can just plan for these two…

October 19th - 20th

The Seven Deadly Sins

Opera director Yuval Sharon joins the New World Symphony for a production of The Seven Deadly Sins, a “sung ballet” and the last work by legendary collaborators Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, created as Nazi’s were taking control of Berlin. Also on the program will be The Kaiser of Atlantis, written by composer Viktor Ullmann and poet Peter Kien when they were prisoners in the Nazi propaganda camp Terezín. This concert is part of “Resonance of Remembrance,” NWS’s series commemorating the 80th anniversary of end of WWII and the Holocaust. Saturday’s performance will also be projected for a free WALLCAST concert in adjacent Soundscape park.

7:30pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday, New World Center, $40-$175

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Casa Tua, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Paya | Drinks: Water Lion at the Sagamore, Medium Cool

October 25th - 26th

Nu Deco Lounge: Symphony of Rock

Nu Deco Ensemble, Miami’s genre-bending contemporary orchestra, returns to the Citadel cabaret space for its intimate - and very popular - Nu Deco Lounge series. To kick off the season, the orchestra takes on the music of rock legends Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Queen, and Fleetwood Mac. I foresee a lot of crowd sing-a-longs with this one! (If you’ve never experienced one of these concerts, they are very high energy, with a lot of audience participation.) Note that general admission prices are for standing-room only. If you want a seat on the floor or the balcony, you’ll need a VIP ticket.

7pm & 9:30pm both nights, the Citadel lounge, $45 or $85 VIP

Neighborhood: Little River

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