Established in 1998, the Miami International Piano Festival has achieved international recognition with participants and journalists traveling from all over the world to experience fascinating keyboard events.  Set in beautiful, tropical, cultural and diverse South Florida the Festival has joined the ranks of the world's important musical destinations.

The Miami International Piano Festival boasts a roster of musicians from England, Poland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Russia, Argentina, Israel, France, Spain, Cuba the USA and more. Beyond showcasing these superb artists, the Festival offers its participants a non-competitive, richly nurturing environment in which to grow and exhibit their remarkable talents.

We are constantly searching for the most gifted musicians of the new generation, those few who are able to use technical virtuosity to speak with an original and compelling voice.  We also seek and present established great masters such as the Cuban virtuoso Jorge Luis Prats – musicians who are able to share their experience and insights with new audiences and younger artists. We are especially proud of our collaborations with the legendary and inspiring violinist Ida Haendel who has been performing for over seven decades.

The Festival’s commitment to the artists is extensive and long term.   We go far beyond just presenting recitals; our goal is to establish fruitful professional and personal relationships with each and every musician.  When needed, we provide career advice, assistance with educational advancement, housing, instruments and many other types of essential support.

Festival participants typically get a tremendous boost to their careers, affirming the discerning choices of the Festival’s selection committee. Two recent Gilmore Award recipients, Ingrid Fliter and Piotr Anderszwski were identified by the Festival's artistic committee prior to receiving this prestigious award - the highest recognition bestowed upon any pianist.  As a direct result of their Festival participation, rising new artists like Alexander Garylyuk have been offered concert engagements at preeminent concert venues such as Lincoln Center in New York City and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.  They receive invaluable exposure at Festival events and through live recordings that are released commercially on DVD – many of these recordings are also aired on the "miamipianofestival" YouTube.com channel.  The Piano Festival channel is also a great place to catch rare live performances by artists in both traditional and non traditional settings.

The Festival’s many recording projects not only serve to further the careers of the artists, but it is our hope that they will leave a lasting legacy for piano lovers and inspire new generations of classical music enthusiasts. Click here to view all of the Festival CDs and DVDs currently available on the VAI label and our new Miami International Piano Festival label. These recordings have received excellent reviews and many have reached the top of the classical charts - from the earliest recordings to the most recent.  The Italian virtuosi Francesco Libetta and Pietro De Maria have each gained tremendous exposure through the recordings. Libetta, who was first discovered by filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon at the Festival, was featured in the documentary  ”The Pianist of the Impossible” a European Gold Medal award winning film.

In 2008 the Festival began what it hopes will be a series single-composer recordings by pianists who are considered masters of interpretation.  Through the release of these recordings, the Miami International Piano Festival hopes to create the definitive library that will serve as the standard reference for generations to come.  The recording by Konstantin Lifschitz of Bach’s entire Well-Tempered Clavier has receiving outstanding international critical acclaim. A recent review in the Philadelphia Inquirer says, “ The Lifschitz disc isn't just a prize, it's a bargain: the entire Well-Tempered Clavier is on a single DVD - ... completely into his Bach zone. He is magnetic, his middle-weight sonority and near-infallible technique a clear prism for his personal and often profound relationship with this music. Though preludes are more often revelatory than the fugues, there's a consistency to his invention and polish that defies the live-concert circumstances.

On March 15 of 2009 Kemal Gekic (Croatia) presented and recorded his own Musical Marathon as part of the Master Series. That afternoon he performed Chopin’s 27 Etudes and 4 Ballades and returned for an evening performance of all 12 Liszt Transcendental Etudes. Not only does Gekic posses a daunting technique, but more importantly he imbues every piece with intelligence, complete poetic vision and artistic imagination.

In 2010 the Music Marathon tradition continued as we devoted an entire day to a single artist in our Master Series. Ilya Itin to gave 2 performances on March 7 – an afternoon devoted to Prokofiev and an evening to Rachmaninoff's 24 Preludes!

The next super human artist on the list of to present (2) single composer recitals in one day, was Misha Dacic. On March 6 of 2011, Mr. Dacic performed a LISZT MARATHON - with works from the "Weimar Years" in the afternoon and later works by Liszt that same evening.

The Festival also searches for very young artists who preserve and refresh the finest traditions of musical performance.  Up until the inception of the “Prodigies & Masters of Tomorrow”“Prodigies” program, the world had not seen a musical event that focuses on the development of emerging prodigies. Through the release of live performances and projects, viewers are offered a rare opportunity to not just hear great concerts, but marvel at the high level of musical understanding that these prodigies demonstrate. Read about the "Prodigies and Masters of Tomorrow" program to learn about the latest news and developments.