Mainly Mozart Still Providing First-Rate Classical Music Performances Online
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – For 28 years, the Mainly Mozart Festival, presented by the Miami Chamber Music Society, has been bringing first-rate classical music performances to South Florida audiences in Coral Gables.
The festival was scheduled to start up again for their season in May.
Artistic Director Marina Radiushina told CBS4's Lisa Petrillo by mid-March they knew concerts weren't going to happen because of COVID-19.
"We were really fortunate to have a fantastic partner with the University Miami Libraries," she said. "Together we came together and decided that basically we were going to create seven programs that were going to go live at the same time that the regular mainly Mozart concerts would have."
The concerts were live in May and June, with curated broadcasts now available online.
The concerts feature a top notch lineup of artists in performance and conversation, sharing behind-the-scenes insights, excerpts from past performances and live musical moments.
"We contacted musicians all around the world, first-rate musicians out there, and we're very fortunate to secure a musicians for the seven programs and this is how the whole thing started," Radiushina said.
Zlatomir Fung, first prize winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, performed from his living room in Massachusetts.
"This is one of the upsides of the situation that our audiences got a chance to go into the living rooms of these amazing artists, Grammy award-winning artists, winners of major national music competitions, and they chatted with us and played for us for their living rooms. They answered questions live from their living rooms," she explained.
Mainly Mozart pivoted because of this new normal, but is still providing a much welcomed musical escape.
"We are about music and we are about community and we are about connecting people and about experience beautiful moments together," Radiushina said. "This year is only different because it was all online. But nonetheless we were able to manage to connect people and create moments of beauty."
You can find the seven performances on Facebook at Miami Chamber Music Society and by the end of the week on their website at mainlymozart.com.
