Audiences at this year’s Mainly Mozart Festival can expect more than just masterful musicianship. With Echoes in Motion, a bold and genre-defying collaboration between the Miami Chamber Music Society and members of the San Francisco Ballet, the festival pushes the boundaries of chamber music performance—inviting listeners to not only hear but see and feel the connections between movement, memory, and melody.
Taking place Thursday, May 29 at 8 p.m. at the Sanctuary of the Arts in Coral Gables, this performance blends classical masterworks with original choreography, live vocals, and contemporary dance in an immersive setting. The program features a curated selection of emotionally resonant pieces by composers such as Antonín Dvořák, Gabriel Fauré, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Franz Liszt, paired with new works and choreographic interpretations that deepen their narrative and expressive power.
At the heart of this multisensory production is an ensemble of acclaimed artists, including violinist Julian Rhee, cellist Jonah Kim, pianist Marina Radiushina, and soprano Maria Aleida. They are joined by dancers and choreographers from the San Francisco Ballet—Julia Rowe, Alexis Francisco Valdez, Wei Wang, and Myles Thatcher—who bring their own artistic voices to the stage.
The program opens with Dvořák’s Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 90, known as the “Dumky” Trio—a composition marked by its episodic structure and fluctuating emotional landscape. This is followed by Fauré’s Après un rêve and Rachmaninoff’s haunting Vocalise, pieces that capture longing and dreamlike transcendence. Soprano Maria Aleida’s interpretation of Delibes’ famed Bell Song from Lakmé injects operatic drama into the evening, offering vocal color that resonates against the more introspective instrumentals.
Contemporary works—both musical and choreographic—form the thematic core of the evening. Jessie Montgomery’s Peace, choreographed by Julia Rowe, is a modern meditation on internal stillness and social harmony, while Silent Woods, a lesser-known Dvořák piece, receives a new visual interpretation by Wei Wang. Lerchengesang (Song of the Lark) by Brahms continues the exploration of nature and voice through dance, while Liebestraum No. 3 by Liszt culminates the evening with Myles Thatcher’s Foragers, a piece that juxtaposes romantic yearning with present-day movement language.
Set within the atmospheric Sanctuary of the Arts—a former church now reimagined as a cultural hub—the performance promises an intimate yet expansive experience. With its vaulted ceilings and acoustic warmth, the space itself contributes to the dialogue between forms, echoing the architectural interplay of past and present.
Tickets for Echoes in Motion range from $13 to $38, with all fees included. The program is made possible with support from the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and philanthropists Margaret and Mike Eidson.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
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