Schwartz Media Strategies: Miami, Florida Public Relations, Marketing, Social Media

Miami Herald: Cocktail Hour at the Arsht Center

Julia Wakefield — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:35:33 +0000

Posted by Schwartz Media Strategies, a Miami, Florida PR and marketing firm.

From the front page of today’s Miami Herald business section…commercial real estate reporter Elaine Walker reports on the newest addition to Downtown Miami’s burgeoning social scene: the Adrienne Arsht Center’s new Bombay Sapphire Lounge. The lounge, located on street-level in the Center’s iconic art deco tower (formerly part of the Sears department store that stood on the site), will cater to theater patrons, people who work Downtown, as well as the area’s growing residential population. Tapas-style dishes will be served up by Performing Arts Catering, the brainchild of famed restaurateur and event producer Barton G. Weiss. The martini shakers will start shaking at 5 pm on Tuesdays-Sundays beginning October 19 and on performance nights up to that point (hint: for a sneak peek, snag tix to the upcoming runs of Pandemonium and Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles). See you there…

Bombay Sapphire to hit Biscayne Boulevard’s Omni area

The historic Sears Tower comes to life as Bombay Sapphire Lounge, a new gathering spot that hopes to become a local hang out on Biscayne Boulevard.

By Elaine Walker

The next piece in the revival of Biscayne Boulevard’s Omni area could be Bombay Sapphire.

We’re not talking about ice blue bottles of the super premium gin lining the street, but this week’s soft-opening of a new Bombay Sapphire Lounge at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

M. John Richard, left, CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center, and Bacardi USA CEO John Esposito share a toast to the Bombay Sapphire Lounge.

The goal is that the lounge, located in the historic former Sears Tower, will become a gathering place both for patrons of the Arsht Center and others in the neighborhood seeking a hip place to hang out.

“We are very much about creating a new downtown in our neighborhood,” said M. John Richard, president and chief executive of the Arsht Center. “Bombay will help establish our neighborhood as a destination. It’s the next step.”

The Bombay Sapphire lounge, at the corner of 13th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, is the first stand-alone branded venue for Bacardi U.S.A. in the country. It’s part of a $300,000 commitment to the Arsht Center, which gives Bombay the rights to the space for the next five years.

The partnership was a good fit for Bombay, the fastest-growing super premium gin on the market, which has always tied its marketing efforts to the art and design community.

Bombay Sapphire was the second-largest selling gin in the United States based on volume in 2009, behind Tanqueray, according to Impact Databank. But the brand still faces challenges to grow its market share in Miami, where vodka and rum get more attention.

“It’s another great opportunity to connect with a Miami audience and do so in a way that’s true to the brand,” said Giles Woodyer, brand managing director for Bombay. “You can build that recognition that Bombay is a leader in the cocktail culture.”

The Arsht Center spent $1.2 million on remodeling the 1929 historical building, which had never been used since the performing arts center’s opening. It’s now decked out in Bombay’s signature blue tones with seating for about 140 people, inside and on an outdoor patio.

The opening is great news for local residents like Jonathan Stern, who normally has to go to Brickell Avenue or South Beach to go out for a drink.

“I’m super excited because we don’t have anything like this, within walking distance,” said Stern, a 27-year-old attorney, who has lived in the neighborhood for two years. “I hope it’s going to be the first of many.”

Alyce Robertson, executive director of the Miami Downtown Development Authority, believes the Bombay Sapphire opening is another step in the redevelopment of the Biscayne Boulevard corridor.

“Having a company like Bacardi open here, shows that Biscayne Boulevard is making great strides,” Robertson said. “What’s starting to happen is that you’re adding some excitement to an area that hasn’t had much retail activity.”

While the concept of standalone branded lounges is relatively new for the liquor industry in the U.S., industry experts say it’s a natural evolution. You already have companies ranging from Coca-Cola and Pop Tarts opening up stores or restaurants.

What’s made standalone lounges difficult in the U.S. is that liquor companies are not legally allowed to sell products directly to consumers.

It’s why you will find branded liquor lounges in places like airports and arenas. Bacardi has Grey Goose and Dewar’s lounges at AmericanAirlines Arena, as well as Casa Bacardi at the Miami International Airport.

“What consumer goods companies are doing is trying to move along with this whole new dimension of social bonding,” said Tom Pirko of BevMark, a consulting company. “You want to get closer to your consumer. You have to become a meaningful part of their lives instead of just selling them something.”

Operated by Barton G’s Performing Arts Catering, the Bombay Sapphire lounge will officially open to the public on Oct. 19. Until then, it will only be open on performance dates.

On the menu will be a wide-range of specialty cocktails featuring the signature spirit and a menu of light bites. While Bombay is the featured brand, the lounge will feature a full liquor bar. The food runs the gamut from $6 for a trio of flavored popcorn to a $9 paella crab roll and $15 lobster rolls.

Barton G. Weiss expects that to start about 75 percent of the business from Arsht center patrons and 25 percent from the neighborhood. He doesn’t expect it to cannibalize existing sales at Prelude by Barton G., the restaurant inside the Arsht.

“The vibe is completely different,” he said. “This is fun food, but it’s not whimsical. You’re not going to have smoke and fire blowing out of the place.”

Miami Herald: New mall plans may signal a retail revival

Julia Wakefield — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:51:20 +0000

In the first sign that South Florida’s retail development sector still has a pulse since the recession took hold, Flagler Development and AMB have announced plans to move forward with The Shops at Beacon Lakes, a new 45-acre retail development planned for west Miami-Dade. Plans call for a 470,000 ‘big box’ shopping plaza that will draw national retailers and smaller tenants alike. According to Alan Esquenazi at Continental Real Estate Companies, “We’re seeing retailers take interest in South Florida again, as long as they can afford it.” The news marks a bright spot in a retail sector that saw new project completions fall by nearly 50% nationwide in 2009, with only 70 million square-feet of retail product slated to deliver in 2010, the lowest level on record, according to national industry research. More, from the Miami Herald’s front page story…

Posted on Wed, Aug. 18, 2010

Plans for new malls may signal a retail revival

BY ELAINE WALKER

In the first sign of life the South Florida retail market has seen in years, two major developers are dusting off plans for new big-box shopping centers and looking to recruit tenants.And another developer has recently signed contracts on land for two more retail projects.

The earliest any of these Miami-Dade projects — Gables Station and The Shops at Beacon Lakes — would be ready for shopping in late 2012 or 2013. But some developers think it’s time to start testing the waters again. It’s the first activity since new development ground to a halt in 2008, a victim of the recession and the credit crunch.

Flagler and AMB Property Corporation are feeling confident enough to revive plans for The Shops at Beacon Lakes, which may be the first big box shopping center in Miami-Dade or Broward counties to move ahead since the recession. Workers have spent the past month clearing a 42-acre tract on the north side of State Road 836 west of Florida’s Turnpike.

“The timing is good right now,” said Alan Esquenazi, senior vice president of Continental Real Estate Companies, which is handling leasing for Flagler. “We’re seeing retailers taking interest in South Florida again, as long as they can afford it. As retail demand comes back, so does development.”

CHAINS’ CHANCES

Local real estate brokers say that most of the retailers looking to expand in South Florida are successful existing chains like Target, Marshall’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and Total Wine. The market also is presenting opportunities for newcomers like Bye Bye Baby, Dick’s Sporting Goods, ALDI and hhgregg.

The key reason for the interest in South Florida — and Miami-Dade County in particular — is that it remains an underserved market for many big-box retailers and one where average sales volumes well exceed the national average. In Broward most of the current retail leasing activity is about filling vacancies in existing shopping centers.

What has changed dramatically are the rent prices retailers are willing to pay. Prices could easily be 30 to 40 percent lower than they were pre-recession.

Plus, retailers are no longer willing to gamble on a nontraditional site that doesn’t conform with their prototype.

“There is much stronger scrutiny made on deals and are they going to generate enough sales to offset the cost,” said Beth Azor of Azor Advisory Services. “If not, the retailers will go to Peoria.”

While Beacon Lakes may be the first out of the starting gate, developer Jeff Berkowitz is close behind. Plans are back on the drawing board for Gables Station, a vertical big-box shopping center with four floors of retail planned for a 4.5-acre site at 4811 Le Jeune Rd.

“Now is the time to commit, in order to get projects delivered in three years,” said Berkowitz, who hopes to begin construction in a year on the 300,000-square-foot project, which would include about six anchor stores.

“One would expect the economy will be back in three years,” Berkowitz said. “At least to the extent, that retailers can move forward to fill major gaps in their market plan, especially in a market like Coral Gables that has such a high barrier to entry.”

Bob Shapiro, president of Master Development, is feeling confident enough that in the last 45 days he put two sites under contract on Flagler Street. The locations: a 31-acre former golf course at West Flagler and 92nd Avenue and a 37-acre former mobile home park at West Flagler and 102nd Avenue.

“The market is dethawing, but it’s not totally unfrozen yet,” Shapiro said. “I think there are do-able deals. Everybody is going to have to take a little bit less, including the developer. There are not going to be any grand slams, but there will be some singles and doubles.”

But the stumbling block for any of these projects could be the ability to make a deal with retailers that works financially. A litmus test of the market will come next week, when developers and retailers from around Florida gather in Orlando for the International Council of Shopping Centers convention.

`VERY SLOWLY’

“Deals are starting to happen, but very slowly and infrequently,” said Stephen Bittel, chairman of Terranova, a Miami Beach retail real estate firm. He is particularly skeptical about the viability of leasing a project the size of Beacon Lakes in the current market.

“You can always fill it up,” Bittel said. “But can you fill at at a price that makes sense?”

A developer like Flagler and its partner AMB expects to have an advantage because they’ve owned the property at 1970 NW 129th Avenue for nearly 10 years. That’s a key reason Flagler decided to develop Beacon Lakes on its own, unlike last time when plans called for selling the property to Regency Centers.

“We have the lowest cost basis so we can delivery a quality project at a cost that makes sense for the retailer,” said Brian Latta, senior project manager of development at Flagler. “Depending on demand, the project can be built in phases.”

The current plans call for about 450,000-square-feet, including two major anchors, plus about five additional big box stores and more than a half-dozen outparcels for restaurants and banks. When Regency Centers pulled out of a similar design in late 2008, they already had lined up commitments from at least four tenants: Target, Kohl’s, Ross Dress for Less and T.J. Maxx.

Some brokers believe those previous commitments will make it easier for Beacon Lakes the second time around.

“Those tenants believed in the market at some point,” said Greg Masin, senior director of retail with Cushman & Wakefield. “The rooftops are still out there and there is still a need for that kind of use in the marketplace. These tenants are willing to do business — it’s a question of, under what terms and conditions?”

“Pay To Play” In The Digital Age: What It Means For PR, The Media, and Credibility

Julia Wakefield — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:55:20 +0000

by Aaron Gordon, Vice President, Schwartz Media Strategies

Unfortunately, the issue of ‘pay to play’ relationships in the media is nothing new: I once read that as many as 20% of marketers confess that they’ve purchased advertising space or entered into ‘marketing partnerships’ with publications to secure preferential editorial coverage – and that number has probably grown in recent years as many news outlets get “creative” in offering new marketing opportunities.

I view the trend as an extension of product placement in the entertainment arena; it’s really no different than featuring a BMW in an action movie or a movie star drinking a Coke. But with those programs, the stories are fictional, and their purpose is to entertain. The news media, on the other hand, is expected to operate by a different set of editorial guidelines, to ensure that trust is at the core of their message delivery.

All that said, there are additional reasons to be concerned with the relationships between marketers and news delivery sources now that online news outlets and blogs are picking up steam and gaining credibility. In my opinion, the online realm creates a whole new unsettling platform for marketers who are willing to engage unethically, primarily because online news sources are not bound to the same ethical guidelines as traditional ones (we’ve even seen fake bloggers create buzz around stories that have found their way into legitimate news outlets).

In an attempt to bring regulations up to speed with the evolution of media, the Federal Trade Commission implemented disclosure guidelines for bloggers last October, requiring them to make mention when they’ve receive any kind of compensation for their coverage – whether it’s a straightforward cash payment for a positive post (which is not expressly prohibited), or a free product for review.

Point being, we’re going to see a widening gray area between what is and isn’t “news” in the coming years. All of this amounts to more credibility for genuinely-earned editorial content – which is where the focus of our public relations campaigns is and always has been.

ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY EMBARKS ON 5TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Julia Wakefield — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:19:48 +0000

As the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts approaches its fifth anniversary, our city is reminded of how far the Center has come in only five years, and the impact it has made on our community in such a short time. Not only is the Center a cultural hub and the crown jewel of Miami’s arts scene, but it has also become an economic engine that has driven more than $1 billion in public and private investments in its neighborhood. It’s also made critical investments in its community, including free arts education programs for local children at a time when budgets are being cut and resources becoming more and more scarce. For these reasons, corporate and private citizens are stepping up to support the Adrienne Arsht Center, recognizing the value it holds for our community. Read on to learn about the Center’s past, present, and future, and to find out about a string of celebratory programs coming up over the next few months.

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Of Miami-Dade County Embarks on 5th Anniversary Season

Miami’s business, civic and cultural leaders will celebrate milestone at Center’s 5^TH Anniversary Season Gala on October 28, 2010. 5^TH Anniversary Donor Wall campaign raises more than $2 million; newly-engraved walls will be revealed at Gala event.

As the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County enters its fifth year serving South Florida, its leaders are rolling out a special 5^th Anniversary Season that will celebrate the institution’s success as a presenter of world-class programs that reflect Miami’s diverse population, an economic engine in the City’s thriving urban core, and as a model public/private partnership that has made critical investments in important community-based initiatives.

The Adrienne Arsht Center’s mission will factor prominently into a special 5^th Anniversary Season Gala event to be held on the stage of the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House on Thursday, October 28, 2010. A focal point of the Gala evening will be the dedication of two newly-engraved donor walls featuring the names of hundreds of individuals, families, businesses and organizations that have supported the Center dating back to its initial planning phase. The wall’s newest additions will be names that participated in the Adrienne Arsht Center’s 2010 Donor Wall campaign, which raised more than $2 million as said by Suzanna Valdez, the Center’s Vice President for Advancement.

The success of the Donor Wall campaign is only the latest in a string of milestones that have defined the Adrienne Arsht Center’s first four years. These range from philanthropist and businesswoman Adrienne Arsht’s $30 million gift and the presentation of the Center’s first complete summer season in 2008, to the recruitment of M. John Richard as President and CEO and the decision to pay off the institution’s bank debt seven years early. The past two years have seen the Center achieve steady financial performance, new audience cultivation, membership and new donor growth, and both commercially- and critically-successful programming endeavors. In addition, the Center has added new amenities designed to enhance the patron experience, such as the 2009 opening of specialty restaurant PRELUDE By Barton G. and the planned fall 2010 debut of a new street-level BOMBAY SAPPHIRE LOUNGE, a Bombay Sapphire Gin-branded lounge. Today, the Adrienne Arsht Center is revered as a fixture in South Florida’s cultural landscape and as a centerpiece of Downtown Miami’s transformation into a vibrant urban center.

“While the Adrienne Arsht Center has set out to achieve many objectives, the common thread throughout our mission is our role as a new ‘town square’ for Miami, a place where members from all corners of our community come together to share transformational experiences that enrich the mind and soul,” said M. John Richard, President and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “As we reflect on our past and look to our future, we are confident that we have established the Adrienne Arsht Center as an invaluable component of our community landscape, be it through diverse programs, innovative arts education initiatives, or our role as a catalyst for economic development. The success of our Donor Wall campaign sends a clear signal that our mission enjoys broad-based support throughout our community.”

The mission-driven nature of the Adrienne Arsht Center’s diverse, year-round calendar of programs is at the heart of the institution’s success. The Center’s first four years saw 1,536,662 patrons attend 1,855 events and performances including Broadway musicals, sold out jazz concerts, hip-hop shows, and everything in between. Consistent with the Center’s ‘world-class, community-based’ mission, these programs have showcased international talent as well as local artists. In addition, the Center serves as home to three renowned resident companies: the Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy. Going forward, the Center will continue to present a diverse platform of programs as part of its annual Signature Series platform, which includes Jazz Roots, Broadway in Miami, the Center’s annual summer season, and the Masterworks Season, which in 2010 received a three-year, $600,000 challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Center’s reputation for presenting successful programs extends far beyond its calendar of performances. With arts education a central component of its mission, the Center has welcomed tens of thousands of children for programs including Rock Odyssey, a made-for-kids musical version of Homer’s Odyssey; AileyCamp Miami, a summer dance camp for at-risk youth; and countless other initiatives developed in partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In fact, the Adrienne Arsht Center’s “Learning Through the Arts” initiative, which spawned Rock Odyssey, has been praised as a national model for how performing arts institutions can complement students’ in-classroom educations. In all, 60,000 students have passed through the Center’s doors in its first four years.

These educational initiatives, like all of the Adrienne Arsht Center’s community programs, are made possible by a combination of public and private funding. Through its first four years, the Center has evolved as a magnet for individuals, corporations and grant-making organizations seeking to make a positive impact in the Miami community through investments in the arts, the $2 million Donor Wall campaign being the latest example.

Private funding sources are attracted to the Center’s strong public sector support and sound institutional and financial management, evidenced by consecutive years of balanced budgets in 2008 and 2009 and consistent revenue growth on an annual basis, according to Performing Arts Center Trust chair Ricky Arriola. “The Adrienne Arsht Center’s success is a testament to what the public and private sectors can accomplish when they partner in pursuit of a common goal: enriching the quality of life in a community through the power of the performing arts. Today, the Adrienne Arsht Center is much more than a world-class presenter of programs. It is an engine for private investment in our community, a hub of activity for our region’s business leaders, and a vital component of Miami’s status as an international destination,” said Mr. Arriola.

Central to its mission, the Center has also solidified its role as an accessible resource for Miami’s vibrant cultural arts community. Partnerships with other arts organizations range from programmatic collaborations and educational seminars for non-profit groups, to joint marketing and fundraising ventures and shared operational expenses. In a public display of the Center’s impact in the Miami community, September 12, 2010 will mark the institution’s first annual Fall for the Arts Festival, a community-wide fair that will showcase more than 100 local non-profit organizations and arts groups.

“In just four years, the Adrienne Arsht Center has established its presence as one of our community’s most impactful cultural institutions,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. “Beyond its primary role as a presenter of programs that reflect Miami’s rich diversity, the Center continues to support the work underway at countless other non-profit groups that enhance our community’s quality of life. At the same time, the Center is serving as an important catalyst for economic growth in our urban core, having generated more than one-hundred million dollars in new investment since construction began. Given this track record, it’s no wonder that the Center has become a magnet for private funding sources seeking to complement the public’s investment.”

Mike Eidson, vice chair of the Performing Arts Center Trust, echoes Mayor Alvarez’s belief that the Center’s location will prove to be among the institution’s chief assets going forward. “Miami received a gift when the Adrienne Arsht Center’s world-class facilities were constructed in 2006. Since then, the Center has emerged as a cultural centerpiece in the thriving Downtown Miami area. Moving forward, this institution will continue to spur economic growth in its backyard, uniting our community around the performing arts in the process.”

For additional information about the Adrienne Arsht Center’s 5^th Anniversary Season, visit www.arshtcenter.org. To RSVP for the 5^th Anniversary Season Gala, please call 786-468-2020 or email gala@arshtcenter.org.

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from private contributions to the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation through its Visionary Society membership program and Encore Circle major gifts program; American Express Company; Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Arison Arts Foundation; Association of Performing Arts Presenters; Bank of America Charitable Foundation; Dade Community Foundation; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Ford Foundation; Funding Arts Network; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Community Connections Fund of MetLife Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts; Southern Arts Federation; The Cowles Charitable Trust; The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is one of the world’s leading performing arts organizations and venues. Made possible by Miami-Dade County’s largest ever public/private-sector partnership, the Center is home to the Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet and New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy. In addition, numerous South Florida arts organizations perform in its theaters regularly. Since opening in 2006, the Center has emerged as a leader in offering and presenting innovative programming that mirrors South Florida’s diversity, as a catalyst for development in Miami, and as a host of impactful community outreach and education programs.

Designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the venue is comprised of the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, the black box Carnival Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, a restored Carnival Art Deco Tower, the Peacock Foundation, Inc. Studio, the Peacock Foundation, Inc. Education Center, and the outdoor Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts. The Carnival tower, an architectural icon from one of Miami’s oldest Art Deco buildings, houses the street-level BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Lounge (scheduled to open in fall 2010).Events impresario and restaurateur Barton G. Weiss brought his signature style to the Center in 2009 with PRELUDE BY BARTON G, a full-service upscale restaurant featuring pre-purchase parking, dinner and performance tickets.

New Funding for the Masterworks Season at the Adrienne Arsht Center

Julia Wakefield — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:44:10 +0000

Posted by Franky Arriola, Social Media and Communications Specialist, Schwartz Media Strategies.

As the Adrienne Arsht Center enters its 5th year enriching and engaging Miami with the power of the performing arts, the community’s support has never been stronger. In fact, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has just committed $600,000, to be matched by $1.2 million of private sector support, to help continue the popular and culturally-important Masterworks Season, a series of classical music and dance programs and performances. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the Center’s five-year milestone than to ensure world-class, community-based programming for the next five years and beyond.

Read the Haute Living story below for the details.

New Funding for the Masterworks Season at the Adrienne Arsht Center
By Diana Gdula on August 3rd, 2010

The world would be a much different place without music and dance. Lucky for South Florida, Miami is synonymous with entertainment and culture, and nowhere are the arts more exalted than at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, one of the world’s leading performing arts organizations and venues playing host to the Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony, America ’s Orchestral Academy . The Adrienne Arsht Center is able to bring some of the world’s premiere performances to South Florida with public support and private contribution to its programs.

The Masterworks Season at the Adrienne Arsht Center will provide distinguished classical music and dance performances in South Florida through 2013 with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a foundation that advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities. The $600,000 Knight Foundation Challenge Grant will be matched with $1.2 million of private sector support, through private and corporate funding. The Masterworks Season series was launched by the Adrienne Arsht Center in 2009, and has since brought world-class concerts and performances to its center, drawing thousands of enthusiasts.

“Following an inaugural year that was embraced by our patrons and participating artists alike, we are committed to solidifying the Masterworks Season as a permanent fixture in our repertoire of annual Signature Series. The Knight Foundation’s gift will help us do just that,” M. John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center , says. “We encourage members of our community to demonstrate their appreciation for the Knight Foundation and love for classical music and dance by answering this important funding challenge.”

The 2010-2011 season, named the John S. and James L. Knight 2010-2011 Masterworks Season in honor of the Foundation’s aim to fund cultural projects that enrich and engage the community, will be the first Masterworks Season to benefit from the grant. This season marks the Adrienne Arsht Center’s fifth anniversary season making it all the more celebratory, and will feature the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Classical Music Series, the Signature Dance Series, and four Pops performances.

John S. and James L. Knight 2010-2011 Masterworks Season:
•Tania Pérez-Salas Compañía de Danza, Oct. 2
•Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Nov. 15
•Hubbard Street Dance Chicago , Dec. 11
•The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis , Dec. 26
•Michael Bolton, Jan. 17, 2011
•Joshua Bell, Jan. 18, 2011
•Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, Feb. 2, 2011
•Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie, Feb. 9, 2011
•Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Feb. 17-20, 2011
•The 5 Browns, March 30, 2011
•Yuri Bashmet and Evgeny Kissin in Concert, April 21, 2011
For tickets to any Masterworks Season performance or to subscribe to the series, call the box office at 305.949.6722 or visit www.arshtcenter.org. To donate to the Adrienne Arsht Center in support of matching the Knight Foundation’s grant, contact Churé Gladwell at 786.468.2242.