Miami New Times' Mastermind Awards honors the city's most inspiring creatives. This year, we received more than 150 submissions, which our staff narrowed to an elite group of 30. We'll be profiling our honorable mentions, and eventually the finalists, in the weeks to come. This year's three Mastermind Award winners will be announced March 8 at Artopia, our annual soiree celebrating Miami culture. For tickets and more information, visit the website.
Robert Chumbley
Robert Chumbley is no rookie to the world of music. He is a composer, conductor, and pianist. For over 30 years he's been awarded and praised by publications including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Fanfare Magazine.
"My work ranges from solo instrumental pieces to chamber and orchestral music to three large scale ballets and two operas," he told us. Clearly, the man means business when it comes to his music.
Chumbley incorporates drama and theatrical elements when a new concert piece arises in his head.
We'll let his own words do the talking: "Theoretically, my music is quite tonal without adhering to traditional harmonic paradigms. My main interest in structure centers around harmonic rhythm; it's used to underscore theatrical and textural elements and to unify melodic fragments into a coherent and cohesive pattern." How 'bout them apples, Mozart?
His most recent work, Wordsworth Revisited, includes the violin, flute, cello, horn, piano, and percussion. The set, which is 45 minutes long, will be premiering at Florida International University this spring.
As the St. Petersburg Times describes Chumbley, "Brilliant is a word much overworked by critics, but brilliant is the only word to describe this performance."
We at Cultist, however, feel the need to spice up that praise. To us, Chumbley's sounds ricochet off our ears and into our brains, thus blowing our minds.
Honorable Mentions:
Charo Oquet
Bannavis Andrew Sribyata
Sarah Kontoff Baker
Jason Snyder
Valeria Yamamoto
Jayme Gershen
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