The Miami native is settling into his new job in his home city with an aspirational collection of ideas. He's now tasked with maintaining the upward momentum behind an organization known for its multicultural music and arts programming in Miami Beach and across South Florida.
Since 1988, the Rhythm Foundation has brought the sounds and experiences of international music and renowned touring musicians to the area. It notably manages the Miami Beach Bandshell, widely recognized as one of the city's best live music venues. It also has a long list of scheduled performances, including Swedish guitarist José González, Brazilian singer-songwriter Céu, comedian Eric Andre, and Brazilian singer/guitarist João Bosco.
With the live events industry now fully rebooted from its pandemic-induced hiatus, Ganuza has his vision set on all the various opportunities for strengthening local communities through the performing arts.
"It's a really exciting time in the city, especially for people in the arts and culture industry down here," Ganuza tells New Times during a recent conversation over Zoom. "It's quite an honor to pick up and carry forth the legacies and partnerships that have made the success of the Rhythm Foundation possible up to this point."
Ganuza is no stranger to Miami's ecosystem of arts nonprofits. He first joined the Rhythm Foundation in 2012 following a chance meeting with its founder and outgoing director, James Quinlan, while the two were working on the same movie project filmed in Miami.
After starting as a production driver tasked with picking artists up from the airport and similar entry-level responsibilities, Ganuza worked his way to become the foundation's production director.
"That was my first introduction into nonprofits generally, and specifically nonprofit arts and culture, and I really loved it," Ganuza says, reflecting on his first stint at the organization.
Ganuza left the Rhythm Foundation in 2015 to pursue a master's degree in public administration from Baruch College in New York City. After graduation, he returned to Miami to continue his career.
"Out of that program, I ended up getting a job at the Knight Foundation on their arts and culture team," Ganuza adds. "For the next five years, I ran this program called the Knight Arts Challenge. It was there that I really started cutting my teeth around nonprofit management, around grants, around evaluating programs, and understanding the importance of these programs to the wider picture of the community."
In November 2021, during Ganuza's tenure at the Knight Foundation, the Miami-based organization awarded the Miami Beach Bandshell $1.5 million in grant funding. The investment provided much-needed technological upgrades for livestreaming and multimedia production capabilities for the 60-year-old outdoor venue along Collins Avenue.
"The Rhythm Foundation programs at the Bandshell are the centerpiece of our future cultural campus in North Beach," then-Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said of the venue at the time.
"It's amazing the multimedia work that's now possible at the Bandshell," Ganuza says of the upgraded performance space. "Part of my vision is to continue operating on that cutting edge of innovation in the performing arts, particularly with the multimedia aspects of shows."
Those multimedia production upgrades have enabled the venue to partner with PBS on a new concert programming series, Soundwaves at the Bandshell, which airs recorded performances at the Bandshell on local affiliates WPBT and WXEL."Part of my vision is to continue operating on that cutting edge of innovation in the performing arts, particularly with the multimedia aspects of shows."
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"This is kind of a first, and we're sort of baby-stepping the thing," Ganuza notes of the Foundation's latest initiative to expand the reach of its arts programming. "We think PBS is a perfect partner for this project because, ultimately, what we're trying to do is build understanding and empathy through the arts and culture."
Though the Foundation produces arts programming through various programs and partnerships across Miami-Dade County and nearby cities like Hollywood, Ganuza proudly considers the Miami Beach Bandshell the crown jewel of what the organization represents to the community.
"We've got some great projects associated with the Bandshell happening," he says in an optimistic tone of excitement. "Our vision is to keep pushing what's possible with the television show, with the projection mapping, and with our programming, and making sure that the Bandshell continues to be a cultural asset for the community."
Ganuza isn't the only one at the Rhythm Foundation who is optimistic about the change in leadership.
Quinlan, Ganuza's predecessor and the foundation's founding director, is also confident in Ganuza's vision for taking the Rhythm Foundation to the next level.
"I was so thrilled to see Adam rise to the top of the list for the board," Quinlan tells New Times via email of Ganuza's appointment by the foundation's board of directors as his successor. "His understanding of where we have come from and the opportunities that lie ahead is a unique asset. He has been instrumental in nurturing the integration of the arts and digital media nationally."
"James, having both a past and current relationship with Adam, suggested we consider him as a potential candidate," Rhythm Foundation board president Dara Schoenwald also tells New Times. Schoenwald has been an active board member for at least the past 15 years and the board president since November 2021.
"We were looking for someone with a background and experience in nonprofit, especially cultural arts administration, grants, fundraising, and music production," Schoenwald says of the process. "We also preferred someone with a deep level of understanding of the local Miami arts ecosystem, but one with national reach and network and who could engage at the highest levels of local municipal and county government."
"Adam understands our curatorial mission as cultural arts presenters, as well as the operational aspects of producing live musical performances," she adds. "When you add his time at a major funding institution, it was clear he had a unique and winning combination of experience and skills that would be highly beneficial to our organization."
With the lengthy hiring process behind them, Ganuza and the Rhythm Foundation leadership can now look ahead as Ganuza puts his visionary ideas in motion with support from his team.
"Part of the vision is to provide value to the community outside of the ring of the Bandshell or outside the four walls of a particular theater," Ganuza adds. "One of my big goals, like a vision statement, is I would like to get to a point where the Rhythm Foundation can produce a show where folks may not have heard this band before, but they'll know that it will be good by virtue of the fact that it's a Rhythm Foundation show."
For the local Miami kid who was part of the first graduating class at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High in North Miami Beach and spent his youth attending hip-hop shows at the Scott Rakow Youth Center, this is Ganuza's opportunity to leave a positive impact on the city he considers home.
"Listen, it's quite a legacy to carry on and to try and take to the next level," Ganuza points out. "It's a responsibility that I by no means take lightly. I'm just super excited about everything to come."
