Festival Miami 2009 will feature a diverse line up of 20 concerts over the course of one month grouped into four themed categories: Great Performances, Creative American Music, Music of the Americas, and Jazz and Beyond.

Great Performances will include seven classical music concerts featuring homegrown talent and big-name visiting artists. “We’re excited to feature the first-class artistry of Frost School faculty and students alongside acclaimed guest artists during Festival Miami 2009,” said Frost School Dean Shelton G. “Shelly” Berg, artistic director of the festival.

The festival’s opening night on Friday, October 2 at 8 p.m. in Gusman Concert Hall will feature the Frost Symphony Orchestra performing Robert Schumann’s Overture to Faust, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor), and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1.

The evening is titled Celebrating the German Romantic Tradition. Frost piano professor and chair of the piano department, Tian Ying is the featured soloist. Of Tian Ying, the Boston Globe proclaimed, “If we are lucky, others will play as well; no one is going to play better.”  Thomas Sleeper will conduct the Beethoven and Brahms; his protégé, doctoral student Zoe Zeniodi, will conduct the Schumann.

On Wednesday, October 7 at 8 p.m. in Clarke Recital Hall, Frost School of Music students will perform works by Frost student composers on the Emerging Young Composers concert. Many Frost School student composers have achieved illustrious careers after graduation, as is the case with recent alumnus Steve Danyew, whose recent work On Green Mountains will be featured on the November 2009 Octarium recording release, Modern Masters, alongside works by Libby Larsen, John Corigliano, and Steven Stucky.

On Sunday, October 11 at 8 p.m. in Gusman Concert Hall, the Frost Chamber Players, Frost artist faculty members, will perform a varied evening of chamber music. Featured faculty will include the Bergonzi String Quartet (Glenn Basham and Scott Flavin – violin, Pamela McConnell – viola, and Ross Harbaugh – cello), and saxophonist Dale Underwood, French hornist Richard Todd, and pianists Tian Ying, Paul Posnak, and J.B. Floyd. Cellist and Frost doctoral student Ashley Garritson will also perform. New faculty member Richard Todd will appear in his debut performance at the Frost School. Todd is principal horn of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

To reach the Festival Miami Advance Ticket Sales Office, call 305-284-4940. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For a complete listing of concerts and to order tickets online visit www.festivalmiami.com or e-mail [email protected] for additional information.