Title
A Resolution of the City Commission approving the commissioning of an original musical score for use by the city and for integration with the city’s centennial inspired virtual/digital experience, Gables GO!, in partnership with the University of Miami and Frost Symphony Orchestra; and authorizing the city manager or their designee and City Attorney to negotiate an agreement with the parties (unanimously recommended by the Cultural Development Board approval/denial vote: 6 to 0).
Body
The City Commission has consistently championed the arts and fostered innovation, leading to the creation of a world-class public art collection and the city's recognition as an award-winning, globally renowned Smart City.
In honor of the city’s centennial, and in collaboration between the Historical Resources & Cultural Arts and Innovation & Technology departments, a digital/virtual “path” titled “Cables GO!” is being developed for thirty+ cultural sites highlighting the city’s history, identity, and artworks.
Through a dedicated web-based application, each site will include a selection of experiences such as images, text, holograms, interactive information sharing/gathering, and music.
While content like images and information may pre-exist, music that is site-specific and aligns with the aesthetic of Coral Gables requires the expertise of an artist skilled in composing musical scores that resonate both literally and figuratively.
About the project:
The concept for commissioning a city score is to compose an original musical score in honor of the city’s centennial that will play at different cultural sites, creating a unique atmosphere for each location.
This original composition will apply integrated live data to prompt a unique and innovative experience each time the experience is activated.
The track will dynamically modify in real time based on up-to-the-minute information, such as foot traffic, weather, or time of day, making the music feel alive, responsive, similar but always different.
This innovative approach blends art and technology, ensuring each visit offers a fresh and immersive auditory experience that reflects the energy of the moment.
About the partnership:
The University of Miami, Frost School of Music, through Dean Shelton (Shelly) G. Berg, has agreed to partner on this project, exploring the following items.
• Composition support
• Recording
• Mixing
• Overall assistance producing the experience
• Student led initiatives such as:
Publishing rights & licensing
Orchestration
Pro-tools application
• Digital file preparation
• Public performance of final composition
• Marketing
Dean Berg is an award-winning educator with 39 years of leadership in higher education and is the Dean and Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. He is a Steinway piano artist and five-time Grammy-nominated arranger, orchestrator, and producer.
About the partnering faculty artist:
Carlos Rafael Rivera serves as Chair and Associate Professor at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music in Media Scoring and Production. Passionately sharing his extensive knowledge as an educator, Rivera demonstrates unique skills, and the essential experience needed to integrate compositions with new technologies.
Rivera is a Grammy and three-time Emmy winning composer with a multifaceted career in Film, TV, and the Performing Arts. His work includes scores for Netflix’s GODLESS, for which he received a Primetime Emmy; THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, for which he won his second Primetime Emmy and first Grammy Award; and most recently, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY with Apple TV+ for his third Primetime Emmy. Carlos also scored Universal Pictures’ A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES, starring Liam Neeson; the hit show HACKS for HBO Max; Universal’s CHUPA; as well as the global hit LA REINA DEL SUR 3 for Netflix/Telemundo.
This past year, Rivera’s score for the Apple TV series LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, starring Brie Larson, received two Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) nominations, including a win for main title sequence, and he released scores for the Netflix limited series GRISELDA, starring Sofia Vergara; and Bleecker Street's EZRA, starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and Robert DeNiro.
Funding for the project is designated through the city’s approved CIP budget funded by Art in Public Places fees for centennial public art programming related to Gables GO!
On December 17, 2024, the Cultural Development Board reviewed the proposed element of commissioning an original musical score by Carlos Rafael Rivera for Gables GO! and made a motion recommending approval to the City Commission.
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