Behind the Scenes

The Miami International Festival has earned an enviable reputation as an important, annual international music festival known for presenting an outstanding group of world-class artists who have received great exposure and career boosts through their Festival performances.

The Festival takes great care to create a special atmosphere for its artists, lecturers and staff that is warm, stimulating, and filled with mutual respect and cooperation. The Festival’s commitment to developing and promoting the careers of the next generation of great pianists would not be possible without the collaboration of many outstanding professionals in the field of music. We invite you to meet the passionate group of people that work behind the scenes to make the Festival’s dreams a reality:

Giselle Brodsky, Artistic Director and co-founder
– Learn more about Giselle Brodsky’s inspiring story.

Tony Adzinikolov, CEO of Non-Dual-I Studios
As the official producer of the Miami International Piano Festival films, Adzinikolov works closely with each performer to capture the true essence of the live concert experience. He is the brilliant producer of our first documentary “Prodigies and Masters of Tomorrow” which aired extensively on PBS. He has produced over a dozen videos of live concerts and special projects that have been released and distributed worldwide on DVD by VAI, (Video Artists International). As an accomplished pianist and composer, Tony’s insight and dedication to each project is invaluable.

Frank Cooper
Harpsichordist, music historian and research Professor of music at the University of Miami School of Music, Frank Cooper is the senior artistic advisor and annotator of the Miami International Piano Festival. Professor Cooper offers the artists a special opportunity to discuss and develop creative ideas for programming. This truly renaissance scholar is a great source of knowledge and inspiration to the artists and a riveting lecturer .

Ernie Gilbert. Founder of VAI (Video Artists International)
Mr. Gilbert serves as Festival consultant and was the producer of many of the original recordings from the Miami International Piano Festival that were released on his classical music label. He offered a unique opportunity for our artists to have their recordings available to a worldwide audience.

Igor Gruppman
Violinist virtuoso, and former concert master and associate conductor of The Florida Philharmonic has been collaborating closely with the Festival since 2002, adding another dimension through his innovative and creative ideas.

Peter McGrath
An independent, highly respected sound engineer and one of the most sought after experts on piano recordings, McGrath offers the utmost quality in reproducing and recreating the experience of the live recitals. For many years, McGrath recorded the Florida Philharmonic under James Judd and now travels to the great stages around the world capturing the magic of great performances to be enjoyed by millions.

Roy Quesada
Is a Costa Rican born photographer who lives and works in Miami. Roy Quesada Photography specializes in fine art and architectural photography. You can visit his web site at www.royquesada.com. His photographs of many of the artists grace their Festival DVD and CD covers.
“It is a wonderful experience to photograph the gifted artists sponsored by The Miami Piano Festival. It has been rewarding to get to know them and to know that this organization will help launch them on pathways to successful careers in music.”

The Festival Team

Katerina Kavouklis, the Festival’s Marketing Director and the original designer of our award-winning website is once again part of our dynamic team, refreshing and re-branding our image utilizing the latest tools of the technological revolution. She also offers her extensive expertise in marketing and strategic business development.

Carolyn Caldwell, CEP brings to our organization 20 years of experience in sponsorship and fundraising strategies. After nearly 10 years with the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Andrea Dougherty O’Naghten, MBA, GPC joins our team as Lead Grant Writer.

Barbara Muze, who formerly served as the Festival’s Executive Director, serves in an advisory capacity and administrative consultant.