Written By Jonel Juste
Originally published on artburstmiami.com.
Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion, formerly known as the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation, begins its 2024-2025 season with a forward-looking mission, embracing a broader musical vision. Launching on Sunday, Nov. 24, the organization’s upcoming concerts aim to present classical compositions while reflecting Miami’s diverse cultural landscape, according to Emily Cardenas, Dranoff 2 Piano’s new executive director.
Cardenas explains the name change as a shift in identity, too.
“Dranoff was never a foundation in the way foundations are viewed today because it doesn’t award money, so the word ‘foundation’ created a false impression,” she says. “Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion makes much more sense because now the name is an accurate reflection of what it is doing musically.”
Cardenas, who joined the organization in August, emphasized that Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion’s new direction will blend the traditional classical compositions of its two-piano repertoire with musical influences from Brazil, West Africa, and beyond, offering a broader representation of cultural influences relevant to Miami’s community.
“As we move forward, we need to be true to our new name and mission by fusing two-piano repertoire with music of many more genres and cultures. That means we need to seek out pianists who represent those many cultures,” says Cardenas. “Organizations like ours with classical roots tend to be Eurocentric, but we have a responsibility to seek out and showcase more artists from the Americas, the Caribbean, and the African diaspora.”
In line with its redefined identity, Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion’s upcoming season celebrates musical diversity with performances that will appeal to a wide range of audiences, spanning classical music, West African rhythms, and Brazilian sounds.
The season opens on Sunday, Nov. 24 at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center with “Back to Beethoven,” a classical two-piano concert with Ukrainian duo Olha Chipak and Oleksiy Kushnir. The program will feature Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony in Franz Liszt’s challenging two-piano arrangement, which, according to Cardenas, “is very popular among classical music enthusiasts and happens to be a specialty of Chipak and Kushnir.”
The performance also marks a homecoming of sorts for Chipak and Kushnir, who last performed in Miami in 2018. The married couple has earned international acclaim for their innovative interpretations of classical pieces, often using percussion to enhance the symphonic depth of their performances.
“This is music you can never get enough of,” says Kushnir, describing the duo’s long-standing relationship with Beethoven’s work. “The Ninth Symphony is Beethoven’s unique kind of cinema in both form and depth. The tireless fighter takes us into his worlds beyond our understanding of the physical and metaphysical, and under the spell of this energy, the ground trembles and floats.”
Chipak and Kushnir, who met at the Music Academy in Lviv, Ukraine, have honed their craft over years of collaboration and competition. Their journey together wasn’t always smooth, however, as they initially clashed in their artistic visions. “Our story as a piano duo had a difficult start,” shares Chipak. “When we first explored chamber music together, we had endless artistic disagreements and often loudly.” Over time, however, their partnership blossomed, ultimately leading them to win prestigious competitions and become a celebrated duo on the international stage. “After winning first prize nothing could stop us,” exclaims Chipak.
For Chipak and Kushnir, returning to Miami with Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion represents an opportunity to share Beethoven’s monumental work with a new energy. “We previously presented a version of the symphony with four singers in the final movement in Miami in 2018, but this new version with percussion promises to be a surprising discovery,” according to Chipak. The addition of timpani to Liszt’s two-piano arrangement, she noted, “boosts the volume and the heartbeat of the orchestration, making it even more expressive.”
On Sunday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. at the Miami Beach Bandshell, Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion will celebrate Black History Month with a concert titled “One Song,” featuring genres that span folk, gospel, jazz, and original compositions inspired by African rhythms. The program will be led by Nicole Yarling, a Broward County based jazz musician and educator whose work often explores the intersections of African American musical traditions.
According to Cardenas, the concert will be “a joyful show that will take us through the history of music in America influenced by African rhythms. It will be an education under the tutelage of none other than Nicole Yarling and her hand-picked ensemble, so you can bet she’ll take us from church to the jazz club.”
The season’s programming also includes the annual Piano Slam showcase at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 at the Adrienne Arsht Center.
Titled “Music of My Past … Sounds of the Future,” the event fuses classical and pop music with spoken word poetry—an example of the organization’s mission to break down barriers between genres and make classical music accessible to wider audiences. The season will conclude at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 9 at the Coral Gables’ Sanctuary of the Arts with “From Rio to Miami,” a concert celebrating Brazilian music, including classical, samba, bossa nova, choro, baião, maracatu, and jazz. Pianists Thito Camargo and Phil DeGreg will perform works by some of Brazil’s most renowned composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Pixinguinha, João Gilberto, Hermeto Pascoal, and Egberto Gismonti.
In addition to bringing diverse musical genres to its audiences, Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion is also working to reach broader audiences through new venues across Miami-Dade County, according to Cardenas. The executive director explains that performing in spaces such as the Miami Beach Bandshell and the Sanctuary for the Arts in Coral Gables helps connect with communities that may not typically engage with classical music.
