American pianist Jacob Mason made his appearance the classical music scene in 2013, when he performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 1 with the New World Symphony alongside conductor Joshua Gersen. Since then, he has built a performing career that has taken him to countries including Switzerland, Italy, Spain. He has been invited to play at the Miami International Piano Festival, Kaleidoscope MusArt, Escape2Create, and the Birmingham New Music Festival.
Luis Urbina was born in Caracas, Venezuela . He began his musical studies at the age of 9 on the piano and at age 10 with the cello. He was considered a prodigy in his middle school and high school music programs, where he served as a musical leader and role model for other students. He feels privileged to be part of the Miami International Piano Festival family that provides the opportunity not only to work with Giselle Brodsky, but also the artists of her festival that reside in and out of Miami. He has had the opportunity to study with Frank Cooper, Misha Dacic, Jorge Luis Prats, Ilya Itin, and Kemal Gekic, all of whom he considers close mentors. Luis attended Florida International University in the Spring of 2011 to study with Kemal Gekic. Urbina is currently performing regularly as a solo and collaborative pianist.
