Bernadette Peters, Gloria Estefan at Carnival Opening!

ALL-STAR SLATE OF PERFORMERS TO HEADLINE
"THE CONCERT FOR MIAMI" ON OCTOBER 5

Event Kicks Off Four-Day Grand Opening of
Carnival Center for the Performing Arts

 

Miami, FL September 7, 2006— More than 150 performers will take the stage on October 5 at "The Concert for Miami," the inaugural event celebrating the opening of the Cesar Pelli-designed Carnival Center for the Performing Arts.

The lineup includes Grammy Award winner and Miami's own sound machine Gloria Estefan, world renowned opera singer José Carreras, Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters, Latin singing sensation Alejandro Sanz, triple threat actor/director/composer Andy Garcia, Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Arturo Sandoval, Afro-Cuban jazz musician Cachao, Cuban singer Albita and Colombian singer/composer Carlos Vives, among others.

"The Concert for Miami" will highlight the many world-renowned artists who have played a significant role in transforming the city into a global arts and entertainment destination. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Emilio Estefan and hosted by musical legend Quincy Jones, the concert will be held at the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall.
 
The four-day grand opening celebration of Carnival Center for the Performing Arts will include:

• Thursday, October 5th – An inaugural ceremony at dusk, featuring 12 percussion ensembles and a spectacular fireworks display. "The Concert for Miami" featuring the all-star talent line-up listed above.

• Friday, October 6th – Two Carnival Center resident companies will share the spotlight, New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy, and the Concert Association of Florida. NWS Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas will lead the orchestra in the world premiere of Turn the Key, a festival fanfare by acclaimed American composer Stephen Mackey, commissioned by the orchestra and Carnival Center. Joining the NWS are two special guests presented by the Concert Association: Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman - soloist for Heitor Villa-Lobo's Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 and Grammy Award-winning Russian violin virtuoso Maxim Vengerov - performing Beethoven's Violin Concerto. The program will also feature the finale to Copland's Symphony No. 3.
  

• Saturday, October 7th – Carnival Center resident company Florida Grand Opera will stage Act II of Puccini's La Bohème; Patricia Racette sings Musetta. Miami City Ballet, also a Carnival Center resident company, for the first time in its history will stage "Aurora's Wedding," the final act of Tchaikovsky and Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty. The evening also will star Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein.

  Following the concert, a grand opening black tie gala will be taking place inside the elegant "Boulevard Ballroom", an 1800-seat supper club, built specifically for the occasion across from Knight Concert Hall. Famed caterers, Restaurant Associates, will create a superb three-course dinner and an all-female orchestra will entertain guests. 

  The party continues as the Center's Peacock Studio is transformed into an exclusive after-hours dance club with top-notch DJ's. A water theme will spill over into the club, which will contain ice bars, water bars, ice sculpture, specialty vodka cocktails and projections on water screens.

• Sunday, October 8th – The celebration is rounded out with "Target Globalbeat," presented by Target, free gospel, reggae, rumba, cumbia, calypso, konpa, samba, and hip-hop performances by a host of local musicians and performers. Taking place on 8 stages, this impressive "community open house" will be comprised of 70 hours of music from more than 20 different countries. The annual Miami Carnival Parade & Festival will also be incorporated into the celebration.

There are a limited number of tickets available for purchase for the first three evening performances, October 5, 6 and 7. Call Carnival Center Box Office at (305) 949-6722. Target Globalbeat on Sunday, October 8 is free and open to the public but passes are required for the indoor performances. (Details will be available at www.carnivalcenter.org in mid-September.)

Carnival Center's Grand Opening Weekend has been made possible with the generous support of corporate gifts and private benefactors, including the following: B. and Donald Carlin & Lynn Wolfson, Grand Tier Chairmen of the Grand Opening Weekend; Selene and John Devaney/United Capital Asset Management, Benefactor Sponsor of The Gala Dinner Evening; Target, Benefactor Sponsor of Globalbeat, the Community Open House; Maria and Pedro A. Martin/Terra Group & Joyce and M. Anthony Burns, Benefactor Co-Sponsors of "The Concert for Miami"; Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., Benefactor Co-Sponsor of the resident company concert on October 6 featuring the Concert Association of Florida and New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy; Ella Cisneros Grand Patron Sponsor of The Opening Ceremony; Edie Laquer Grand Patron Sponsor of the Gala Dinner Evening Concert; Scott A. Silver/Grouper Financial, Inc., Grand Patron Sponsor of the Gala Dinner; Fanny and Charles Dascal, Patron Sponsor of the Concert for Miami Dessert Reception; The Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald, Grand Patron Sponsor of Target Globalbeat; Neiman Marcus Patron Sponsor of the Gala Commemorative Gifts; Northern Trust Bank of Florida, N.A,Patron Sponsor of the Commemorative Gifts.

 

About Carnival Center for the Performing Arts

Opening in downtown Miami this October, Carnival Center is Miami-Dade County's largest ever public/private-sector partnership, comprised of an $85 million private capital campaign conducted by the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts Foundation and public funding drawn primarily from the County's Convention Development Tax revenues, as well as the City of Miami Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency. Greatly enhancing the artistic and educational opportunities in South Florida, Carnival Center for the Performing Arts also will have significant and long-term economic benefits for the city and the region.

Carnival Center, designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, will include the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat Knight Concert Hall, a 200-seat black box Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, a restored Art Deco Tower, and a Plaza for the Arts that will unite the Center buildings across Biscayne Boulevard, providing a magnificent
setting for outdoor entertainment and informal gatherings. The key members of the design team include theater planning and design consultant Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates, Inc. and acoustician Russell Johnson of ARTEC, Inc., both of whom have been working on the project since its inception.

Under the leadership of President and CEO Michael C. Hardy, Carnival Center will be a Miami venue not only for its four resident companies (Concert Association of Florida, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony), but also for many smaller South Florida arts organizations that will
perform in its theaters on a regular basis, as well as for the finest popular and classical performances from around the world. With state-of-the-art performance facilities in Miami for the first time, Carnival Center will offer to South Florida audiences the best and most diverse theater, music, and dance—with a dedication to entertain, challenge, and educate all segments of the community. For more information, visit www.carnivalcenter.org.

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