As a young pianist growing up in Venezuela, Kristhyan Benítez attended Vanessa Perez’s concerts, admiring her from the audience long before the two would share a stage as collaborators. On Sunday, March 1, the two take the stage together in Miami, where “A Fuego Lento” makes its North American premiere.
“When I was growing up, the piano world in Venezuela was very small. I went to every Vanessa concert—I always wanted to play like her,” says Benítez. “And now we end up being family and playing music together. It’s full circle.”
Though they did not attend school at the same time, both Benítez and Perez, who are now based in New York City, were shaped by Venezuela’s Emil Friedman School, a primary-through-secondary school known for its strong emphasis on music. One of the school’s guiding philosophies, they said, was “there is no culture without musical culture.”
“A Fuego Lento” — meaning a “simmering fire,” was created by Perez, Benítez and Stephen Buck, composer and arranger. The Miami performance at Pinecrest Gardens will mark the first time the composer will hear the program performed live despite being a central figure in its creation. Buck, Perez’s husband, created the two piano arrangements that translate popular and folk songs into the language of classical piano.
“For this project to work, you need the right people who really understand the idea,” says Benítez. “With Vanessa, Stephen and myself, it feels complete—like a kind of holy trinity.”
Perez says that “A Fuego Lento” grew out of their shared interest in presenting Latin American music in a way that reflects both their classical training and their cultural backgrounds. The program brings together works from the classical tradition, as well as Latin American popular and folk songs, all arranged for the piano. The artists describe the project as a translation, taking music heard in Latin American homes and communities and reimagining it for the classical piano.
Benítez noted that while classical music can feel inaccessible to some audiences, this program is for everyone.
“People can feel a little threatened by classical music, like they need to know everything about its history,” says Benítez. “Classical music is not one thing. It’s a huge universe, with many languages, many traditions and many stories.”
The program is about connection, says Perez.
“If people leave feeling connected to the music in some way, then that’s what matters.”
For Perez, who was born in Miami, the premiere is also a homecoming of sorts.
“A lot of my family and friends will be there,” she says. “Bringing this program here feels very personal.”
The North American premiere also marks the first time the program will be presented before a largely Latin American audience.
“When we premiered the program in Europe, the audience was really listening to how we played classical music,” explains Perez. “That was the test there—whether we were serious classical musicians.”
Benítez says that coming to North America, especially Miami, is a different test.
“It’s about how the Latin American music is received, and whether that connection is really there.”
Executive Director of Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion Emily Cardenas says that the timing of the Miami premiere also carries added weight, as political turmoil in Venezuela and broader immigration debates have weighed heavily on the South Florida community.
“Now with everything that’s going on, politically in Venezuela, and with the unfortunate scenarios that we’re seeing in the news tied to undocumented immigrants, I feel that Latin Americans are feeling a sense of unity,” says Cardenas. “Bringing Vanessa and Kristhyan here, that unity will spill over into the experience. Music is the great unifier—no matter who you are, or what your politics are, or where you come from.”
“A Fuego Lento” was brought to Miami by Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion. Cardenas, who saw the program as a natural fit for Dranoff’s Latin 2 Piano series, was surprised that the program, which premiered in Europe in 2023, had not yet been performed in the Americas.
“This program should be in Latin America, it should be in Miami, and it should be wherever there are large Latin audiences,” says Cardenas. “This is music people may have heard in their homes, from their parents or grandparents. There’s a sense of nostalgia there, and I think audiences are ready to embrace it.”
The concert is presented in partnership with Miami-Dade County Auditorium as part of its Away From Home series, launched while the historic venue undergoes renovations. The series supports programs likely intended for the auditorium but held in alternative spaces throughout the county while the renovations are completed.
“A Fuego Lento,” which makes its North American premiere in Miami.
Cardenas says that Pinecrest Gardens was chosen deliberately. Unlike a traditional concert hall, the outdoor setting encourages a more relaxed experience, one she felt matched the spirit of the music and the personal nature of the program.
“I wanted people to feel at home,” explains Cardenas. “Yes, these are classically trained musicians and it’s a classical program, but I didn’t want a straight-laced format concert experience. Pinecrest Gardens is lush and beautiful, and the music of Latin America deserves to be heard in an environment that feels like the climate and culture where it thrived.”
Cardenas believes that many in the audience will feel a sense of familiarity.
“Whether it reminds them of their childhood, their family, or a place they come from, this is music that lives in people’s memories,” she says.
While the program may create a sense of nostalgia, Benítez would also like the audience to feel a sense of hope afterwards.
“Hope to listen more, hope that things can get better,” Benítez says. “Music can be a vehicle for healing, and that’s very important to us.”
WHAT: Latin 2 Piano: A Fuego Lento
WHEN: 4 p.m. Sunday, March 1
WHERE: Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 SW Red Road, Pinecrest
COST: $65, $45, $5 student tickets.
INFORMATION: 305-572-9900 or www.pinecrestgardens.org
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