By Mary Damiano, Anthony Colon and Henry Perez

	New World Symphony Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas and Miami Beach City Commissioner Saul Gross, at the February 12 commission meeting Photo: Henry Perez

The Miami Beach Board of City Commissioners met Monday, February 12, to discuss the proposed New World Symphony Expansion Project, which will include a unique, community-oriented building designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, and would literally change the way New World Symphony is viewed by the public.

This 106,350 square foot facility will feature an innovative see-through architectural design and a flexible, open-access configuration of the rehearsal and the performance space that will create new ways of engaging audiences and the local community.

The facility will include a 700-seat symphony concert hall, which will be designed in the round, with the orchestra in the middle, surrounded by patron seating.  The hall will have three primary functions: to serve as a performance space, accommodating 90 musicians; to serve as a rehearsal space; to serve as a broadcast Internet center, where master classes could be conducted and broadcast via the Internet to other sites, and where remote performances could be enjoyed locally.

The design for the expansion project includes an adjacent park bordering 17^th Street and Washington Avenue, and an enormous projection screen on the side of the symphony building that would broadcast concerts and events to the patrons in the park.  A smaller projection screen that would be strategically located in the park is also being considered.

At the February 12 meeting at the Miami Beach City Hall, Michael Tilson Thomas, artistic director of New World Symphony, spoke in favor of the project, saying that the new facility would be “inclusive” rather than exclusive, allowing people inside as well as outside to participate in concerts and events.  Tilson Thomas sees the new facility as a meeting house allowing for an open house experience, and expects the collaboration of Art Basel as well as Carnegie Hall, two organizations that have shown interest in the project.

Many Miami Beach residents voiced their opinion on the project, including arts supporters Merle Weiss, Ray Breslin, Nina Duvall, and Rick Wolfe; Cultural Arts Network Chair Nancy Leibman, and Executive Director for the Center for Emerging Art Ava Rado.

The estimated cost of the project is $150 million.  New World already has a commitment of a $90 million gift; they expect to raise $50 million in private donations and contributions.  They are asking the City of Miami Beach to come up with $15 million in grants.

The New World Symphony is a nationally and internationally recognized music academy that provides orchestras and ensembles with some of the finest musicians from around the globe.  New World Symphony also plays a large role in South Florida’s cultural life, with more than 60 performances annually (15 percent of them free to the public), as well as some 200 visits to local schools, community and senior centers.  New World Symphony is regarded by many as a true community partner, enhancing the quality of life for all South Floridians.

	Michael Tilson Thomas, artistic director on of New World Symphony, speaks to the Miami Beach Board of City Commissioners February 12 in favor of the Campus Expansion Project     Photo: Henry Perez

Supporters of the New World Symphony Campus Expansion believe the project will provide the City of Miami Beach with a new urban center and iconic landmark, significantly improving the city center and giving residents and visitors a unique gathering place of cultural value and enjoyment.  The project will also provide New World Symphony with a new facility that will enable it to continue its mission of developing the next generation of classical musicians, while remaining a vital part of the Miami Beach community.

The Miami Beach Board of Commissioners will vote on the Campus Expansion Project on Wednesday, February 21. The Miami Beach Arts Trust, the non-profit organization that produces MiamiARTzine.com, has come out in support of the project.  (For more details, read the Publisher’s Letter on the front page of this issue, urging the Miami Beach Board of Commissioners to vote in favor of the project.)

The Miami Beach Arts Trust is urging Miami Beach residents to show their support of the New World Symphony Campus Expansion Project, stressing that it is important for  Miami Beach’s elected officials hear from those who are in favor of the project. To contact the Miami Beach Board of commissioners, click this link: miamibeachfl.gov/newcity/cityhall/elected.asp

To see more photos of the February 12 Miami Beach Board of Commissioners meeting, check out the photo galley in this issue. For more information on New World School of the Arts, visit nws.edu.