On November 2, 2023, the Frost School of Music hosted a star-studded gala to celebrate the opening of the brand-new Knight Center for Music Innovation, a $36.5 million, 25,000-square-foot cutting-edge performance and technology innovation hub. The new performance space sets
the standard for the elite music school of the future.
The celebratory evening showcased stand-out performances by Frost School alumni, including Jon Secada, Dawnn Lewis, and Lee Levin. It culminated with the presentation of Frost School of Music's Centennial Medals to luminaries such as Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, Ben Folds, Bruce Hornsby, Lee Levin, Carmen Lundy, Matt Serletic, and Jon Secada, making it a historic moment.
University of Miami Board of Trustees Chair Laurie Silvers, University of Miami President Julio Frenk, and Frost School of Music Dean Shelton G. Berg hosted the gala.
About the Frost School of Music’s Knight Center for Music Innovation: The Knight Center for Music Innovation is a 25,000-square-foot performance and technology space that enables the Frost School of Music to shape the future of music and set the standard for an elite music school. The new building serves as a laboratory for Frost School students and faculty to explore new ways to create, produce, and perform music. The performance spaces within the Knight Center for Music Innovation set the tone for a new era of music—from the in-person, imaginative concerts in the Robert and Judi Newman Recital Hall to the technology-enabled, innovation-infused musical experiences powered via the Thomas D. Hormel Innovation Stage, and the variety of performances broadcast for all to enjoy via cutting-edge WindowCast technology on the exterior of the building.
Designed by H3, an Arquitectonica Company, the Knight Center for Music Innovation embodies the spirit of innovation that has characterized the Frost School for nearly a century. Made possible, thanks in large part to a naming gift from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Knight Center for Music Innovation was built to cultivate and sustain the promise of the future of music innovation. It is a physical manifestation of the promise of an education at the best music school in Florida and one of the nation's top 10 music schools.
About the Frost School of Music's Centennial Medals: The Frost School of Music Centennial Medal recognizes exceptional alumni who have made significant contributions to the elite music school, the music industry, and the possibilities for how music and the arts can benefit society at large. This distinguished honor is granted to alumni who have amplified the Frost School of Music's efforts to create, cultivate, and enhance the future of music that will benefit musicians today and into the future.
The Frost School is awarding its first-ever Frost Centennial Medals at the celebratory gala that commemorates the grand opening of the brand-new Knight Center for Music Innovation and coincides with the 20th anniversary of its naming. The first set of medal recipients includes GRAMMY-award winning producer and music executive Julio Bagué; bassist and chair of the bass department at Berklee College of Music Steve Bailey; pianist, composer, and bandleader Emmet Cohen; GRAMMY-award winning producer and Frost School Advisory Board Member Emilio Estefan; GRAMMY award-winning singer, actress, songwriter, and author Gloria Estefan; singer-songwriter Ben Folds; Associate Professor of Ensembles and Associate Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University Dr. Lynne Gackle; GRAMMY-award winning singer-songwriter and pianist Bruce Hornsby; gifted pianist and composer powerhouse Asiya Korepanova; GRAMMY-award winning drummer, producer, and engineer Lee Levin; GRAMMY-award-winning songwriter and actor Dawnn Lewis; recognized operatic soprano, voice instructor, and Frost School lecturer Sandra Lopez Neill; GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer, composer, and arranger Carmen Lundy; composer, pianist, singer-songwriter and music industry executive Jorge Mejia; GRAMMY-award jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny; GRAMMY-award winner Jon Secada; Frost School Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives & Innovation Rey Sanchez; record producer, songwriter, and music executive Matt Serletic; and acclaimed jazz singer Veronica Swift.
The Frost School of Music will continue to bestow medals on distinguished alumni leading up to its 100th anniversary, which the school will celebrate in 2025.