By Andres Tamayo
UM News

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (December 17, 2015)—The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music shined last week as two faculty and three alumni received nominations for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, which will be announced on February 15. Dean Shelly Berg, a pianist-arranger-composer and the Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music, garnered his fourth Grammy nomination in the “Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals” category. Professor Gonzalo Rubalcaba and alumni Robert and Michael Rodriguez, better known as The Rodriguez Brothers, were each nominated in the “Best Latin Jazz Album” category. Alumna Maria Schneider earned two nominations—in the “Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals” and  “Large Jazz Ensemble Album” categories.

Dean Shelly Berg

An accomplished pianist in both classical and jazz styles, Berg is a Steinway piano artist and recording artist for Concord Music Group and Universal Music Classics. He is also the host of Generation Next on Sirius XM satellite radio. Berg was previously the McCoy/Sample Professor of Jazz Studies at USC Thornton School of Music and past president of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE). In 2000, the Los Angeles Times named him one of three “Educators for the Millennium.”

“It is an incredible honor to be nominated for another Grammy Award,” Berg said. “I am so proud to be joining Michael, Robert, and Gonzalo as representatives of the Frost School of Music. Being able to watch young artists grow and learn here at UM and take their career to incredible heights is a true honor.”

The Rodriguez Brothers, co-led by pianist/composer Robert and trumpeter/composer Michael, received their nomination for their album, Impromptu (Criss Cross Jazz). Inspired by their father, who is a drummer, they began musical training at a very young age and both received full scholarships to the University of Miami. Michael finished his bachelor’s degree at the New School for Jazz Studies in New York City and Robert, after receiving his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at UM, soon followed to New York. The brothers have individually worked as sidemen for artists such as Roy Haynes, Charlie Haden, Ray Barretto, Eddy Palmieri, David Sanchez, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Locke, Carla Bley, Bob Minzter, Harry Conick Jr., Christian Mcbirde, Richard Bona, Quincy Jones, and fellow nominee Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Rubalcaba is a lecturer in the Frost School’s Department of Studio Music and Jazz and is a multi-Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-winning Cuban jazz pianist and composer. His latest nomination comes for his work on the album Suite Caminos (5Passion). Born in post-revolutionary Havana and into a musical family rich in the traditions of the country’s artistic past, his music is inspired by his culture. He earned his degree in music composition from Havana’s Institute of Fine Arts in 1983 and was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie in 1985 while playing in the clubs and music halls of Havana. Soon after, he made his way to the U.S. and landed in South Florida in 1996. His illustrious career has included recording with his own groups for several major labels, including 11 albums for Blue Note, and also with jazz luminaries Ignacio Berroa, Ron Carter, Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, Charlie Haden, David Sanchez, and many others. He also has been nominated twice for Billboard’s Latin Jazz Album of the Year.

Schneider and her orchestra are nominated for their collaboration with David Bowie on “Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)” and for their 2015 album, The Thompson Fields. Schneider has multiple previous Grammy nominations and three wins to her credit in the classical and jazz genres. The Maria Schneider Orchestra has performed worldwide, and Schneider has commissioned works and performed as a guest conductor for more than 85 groups from over 30 countries.

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During halftime of the Miami-Georgia Tech game, Judi Prokop Newman and her husband, Robert Newman, admired the new Band of the Hour uniforms and instruments made possible by their generosity.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (November 23, 2015) — The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music recognized Robert and Judi Newman for their generous support of the Frost Band of the Hour marching band at a special halftime presentation at Sun Life Stadium during last Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.

Judi Prokop Newman, B.B.A. ’63, and her husband, Robert Newman, made a significant donation this summer to support new equipment and uniform purchases for UM’s marching band. Their gift enabled the Band of the Hour to purchase 115 new marching band instruments and a full set of newly designed uniforms with a sleek, reinvented image. The Newmans are excited to contribute to the growth of UM’s pageantry arts under the visionary leadership Jay C. Rees, professor of music and director of athletic bands.

The Newmans were honored during the marching band’s halftime performance by UM President Julio Frenk and Director of Athletics Blake James, along with Rees and the entire Frost Band of the Hour.

“We were thrilled to recognize the Newmans’ contribution to the band program by surprising them with a commemorative white shako hat with orange-tipped feather plume, personally autographed by Frenk, James, Frost School of Music Dean Shelly Berg, and myself,” Rees said.

Judi Newman is a University trustee, alumna, and Frost School of Music advisory board member. Robert Newman is an honorary alumnus, ’08, and former member of the University’s Entrepreneurship Programs Advisory Board. They are longtime and beloved major supporters of the University of Miami, including a gift that named the 72,000-square-foot Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center. The Newman Alumni Center opened in 2010 and has become one of the most popular gathering places on the University’s Coral Gables campus.

At the Frost School of Music, the Newmans are major donors to the William Hipp Endowed Scholarship Fund, named in honor of the former music dean. They also provide substantial support to the school’s annual Winter Wonderful holiday gala, benefiting music mentoring scholarships for the Frost School’s Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program.

The Frost Band of the Hour is the marching and pep band at the University of Miami. It is the largest and one of the most exciting, visible, diverse, and involved student groups on the UM campus, performing challenging custom musical arrangements and contemporary drum corps-style drill design.

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Celebrating the Stamps Scholarships are, from left, front row, Alyssa Mena, Marissa Takaki, Dominick Metro, and Antonio Urrutia, and, from left, back row, Senior Vice Provost William Scott Green, Joseph Shomar, Hailey Mody, President Julio Frenk, Natalie Miller, and Frost School Dean Shelly Berg.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (September 25, 2015) – The University of Miami recently welcomed eight new Stamps Scholars from across the country for the 2015-2016 academic year. The Stamps Scholarships, which provide full cost of attendance plus extensive enrichment opportunities to outstanding academic achievers and talented students, are funded by the generosity of Penny and E. Roe Stamps, through the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, and UM.

“Ensuring that academically deserving students from diverse backgrounds have access to a world-class education at the University of Miami is central to our mission,” said UM President Julio Frenk. “I am honored that the Stamps family has partnered with us to provide our Stamps Scholars with the brightest of academic futures.”

The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation partners with visionary colleges and universities, including UM, to award multi-year scholarships to select students from a wide array of disciplines. The Stamps Scholarships are UM’s most selective and prestigious scholarly awards, and this year’s recipients include three Stamps Leadership Scholars and five Frost School of Music Stamps Music Scholars.

“Penny and I could not be more proud of our partnership with the University of Miami,” noted E. Roe Stamps, who founded the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation along with his wife Penny. “For nine years we have witnessed outstanding students with big dreams become Stamps Scholars at UM and it is very gratifying to see this year’s recipients talk about the foundation for success they expect to build in college. We look forward to watching these scholars achieve great things in life and their profession, thanks to their UM education and experience.”

“The University of Miami is very grateful to Roe and Penny Stamps for their incredible generosity and commitment to higher education,” said Thomas J. LeBlanc, UM executive vice president and provost. “Stamps Scholarships attract some of the most exceptional students in the country and provide the support necessary for these outstanding students to realize their highest aspirations.”

Throwing up the U with President Frenk, David Grossman, of Nashua, New Hampshire, plans to study physics and philosophy on his Stamps Scholarship.

The Stamps Leadership Scholarship is an elite academic award that provides driven and talented scholars opportunities for professional and leadership development in the fields of research, policy, technology, business, industry, government, health care, and education. Stamps Leadership Scholars are eligible to receive funding for study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, conferences, and leadership development opportunities.

This year’s incoming Stamps Leadership Scholars and their areas of interest are David Grossman, of Nashua, New Hampshire, philosophy and physics; Hailey Mody, of Duluth, Georgia, Spanish; and Joseph Shomar, Miami, Florida, mathematics.

“This scholarship provided me with a great opportunity to attend the school of my dreams,” said Mody. “I have learned that with hard work and determination anything is possible, and I’m excited to take those traits into my future as a Stamps Leadership Scholar.”

The talented young artists who make up the Stamps Music Ensembles benefit from a unique transformative academic and musical experience. In addition to performing with large ensembles of the Frost School of Music, Stamps Music Scholars also represent the Frost School when they perform at special functions throughout the community.

The incoming Frost School of Music Stamps Music Scholars are Alyssa Mena, Hialeah, Florida; Dominick Metro, Winter Park, Florida; Natalie Miller, Watauga, Texas; Marissa Takaki, Glenview, Illinois; and Antonio Urrutia, Miami, Florida. As instrumental performance majors, the freshmen scholars will make up the Stamps Woodwind Quintet. The Stamps Distinguished Ensembles also include the Stamps String Quartet, Stamps Brass Quintet, and Stamps Jazz Quintet.

“I am beyond grateful and lucky to be part of such an exciting and enriching music program,” said Takaki, who plays bassoon. “The opportunities granted to the Stamps Woodwind Quintet surpass anyone’s idea of a college experience. It is a privilege and an honor to be a part of the Stamps Chamber Music Program.”

Beginning in 2006 at their alma maters, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Penny and E. Roe Stamps created merit scholarship programs for undergraduates. The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation expanded its reach with similar programs at the University of Miami in 2009, and in 2010 at Barry University, Caltech, University of Florida, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and UCLA. Since then, the list has grown to 43 academic institutions, including the University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame, University of Virginia, Wake Forest University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Penny and E. Roe Stamps served as campaign vice chairs for Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami. Roe is a member of UM’s Board of Trustees and the Visiting Committee at the Frost School of Music, and also recently served on the Presidential Search Committee.

The Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios complex was designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

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The Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios received the Urban Land Institute Southeast Florida Chapter’s Project of the Year  Award at its Vision Awards ceremony, held recently at the JW Marriott Marquis in downtown Miami. Opened in February, the 41,089-square-foot twin-building complex consists of two large classrooms and 77 teaching studios for private lessons, chamber music rehearsals, and interactive classes.

Designed by award-winning architects Yann Weymouth and HOK and built by Skanska USA, the facility is touted as the first building project in Coral Gables designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, with sustainable features such as energy-efficient windows, rooftop solar panels, and cisterns that reduce water and electricity usage.

Eddy Lopez, senior project manager, and Richard Jones, associate vice president, accepted the award on behalf of UM’s Department of Facilities Design and Construction.

The ULI chapter’s annual design awards honor individuals and regional real estate projects that exemplify the ULI’s mission and demonstrate a proactive commitment to excellence. Other finalists for the Project of the Year Award included Harbourside Place in Jupiter, Florida, the New River Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Production Studio at Florida International University’s North Miami campus, and the restoration of the historic Vagabond Hotel in Miami.

In addition to the teaching studios, the complex, made possible by philanthropists Phillip and Patricia Frost, whose landmark gift in 2003 renamed UM’s music school in their honor, includes two oversized rehearsal halls, a reception and information center, and a furnished breezeway. Featuring a new grand entrance into the school, the studios honor Patricia Frost’s lifelong commitment to music education as an elementary school principal and higher education advocate.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (August 25, 2015) – The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music at the University of Miami has received a major gift from longtime supporters for 115 new marching band instruments and a full set of newly designed uniforms with a sleek, reinvented image. The Frost Band of the Hour will debut the instruments and uniforms at the Hurricanes’ opening home game at Sun Life Stadium on September 5.

Alumna Judi Prokop Newman, who earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration in 1963, and her husband, Robert Newman, made a significant donation this summer to support the equipment and uniform purchases, Dean Shelly Berg of the Frost School of Music announced. Judi Newman is also a University of Miami trustee and Frost School of Music advisory board member. Robert Newman is an honorary alumnus and member of the University of Miami’s Entrepreneurship Programs Advisory Board.

A special recognition ceremony with the Newmans will take place on November 21, during the Frost Band of the Hour’s University of Miami football halftime show at Sun Life Stadium.

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Robert and Judi Newman are longtime and beloved major supporters of the University of Miami; their gifts include one that named the 72,000-square-foot Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center. The Newman Alumni Center opened on October 10, 2010, and has become one of the most popular gathering places on the Coral Gables campus. At the Frost School of Music, the Newmans are major donors to the William Hipp Endowed Scholarship Fund, named in honor of the former music dean. They also provide substantial support to the school’s annual Winter Wonderful holiday gala, benefiting music mentoring scholarships for the Frost School’s Shalala MusicReach Program.

The 2015 Frost Band of the Hour is taking marching band to new heights with its custom musical arrangements, inventive drill choreography, and a revitalized focus and energy. The Newmans are excited to contribute to the growth of UM’s pageantry arts under the visionary leadership of Jay C. Rees, professor of music and director of athletic bands.

New York costume designer Michael Cesario fashioned the new Band of the Hour uniform for manufacturer Fred J. Miller, Inc. (Blue Devils, Carolina Crown, Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment). Cesario is a member of the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame, best known for popularizing a new era in the look of modern bands. FJM’s revolutionary “Cesario Collection” is recognized for comfort, innovation, craftsmanship, and performance.

Cesario’s distinctive look for the University of Miami highlights the school’s green and orange colors, complemented by an asymmetrical shape with crisp tailoring for impact, versatility, and shimmering style. Even the white feather plume of the shako hat is tipped in orange. The band’s drum major, also known as field conductor, is similarly outfitted in white.

Rees worked closely with Cesario to create a uniform that is “slimming, eye-catching, and representative of who we are today.” He praises the designer’s work and vast experience for Broadway, television, theatre, drum corps, and marching bands across the country.

“The Band of the Hour’s new uniform adds excitement to our field choreography, and it sparkles under the lights,” said Rees. “It is constructed with a durable, washable fabric and removable parts, making the care and cleaning much easier for our students.”

Rees not only promises to excite audiences with the band’s sleek, sophisticated appearance but with the group’s sound impression as well. “We take pride in bringing entertainment value to the college football experience,” he said.

Along with new uniforms, the Frost Band of the Hour will be marching with new instruments purchased through Jupiter Band Instruments and Mapex Marching Drums. The Frost School’s bulk order of marching brass, woodwinds, and drums is one of the largest ever placed in the history of the instrument company.

The order of 96 new Jupiter wind instruments includes marching French horns; marching trumpets; pro line trumpets; marching euphoniums; trombones; four-valve and three-valve sousaphones; and alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones. Nineteen new Mapex marching drums include snares, multi-tenors, and bass drums.

“Jay Rees is one of the most dynamic and innovative athletic band directors in the world,” said Dean Berg, “and this magnificent gift from Judi and Bob Newman will empower a sound and style befitting the great work of Professor Rees and his students.”

The Frost Band of the Hour is the marching and pep band at the University of Miami. It is the largest and one of the most exciting, visible, diverse, and involved student groups on the UM campus, performing challenging custom musical arrangements and contemporary drum corps-style drill design. For more information about the Frost Band of the Hour, visit www.bandofthehour.org.