The Dranoff & The Betsy Hotel Present LGBTQ Composer Series featuring Duo Spektra & Duo Antithesis

MIAMI - Nov. 8, 2021 - PRLog -- The Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation presents a two- part series celebrating LGBTQ+ composers and artists in concert at The Betsy Hotel on Saturday, November 13^th and Sunday, November 21^st.

Can you imagine a world without Tchaikovsky, Chopin, or Leonard Bernstein?

Brilliant artistic talent and composition has been created and performed in all artforms across history, heritage, and identity in Classical music. LGBTQ composers and artists are one of the greatest pillars of the genre. Whether they were able to be out and able to be honest about their identity in their own lifetimes or not, Dranoff2 now celebrates the incredible contributions queer composers have made to the history and contemporary performance of classical music.

The Betsy Hotel and the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation will present two concerts [celebrating the brilliance of LGBTQ + classical composers and artists and the series is named "The Full Spectrum of Light."

On Saturday, November 13^th at 7:30pm, the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation presents Duo Spectra in the gallery at The Betsy Hotel South Beach in a performance of Poulenc, Samuel Barber, Benjamin Britten, Tchaikovsky and contemporary Canadian composer Colin McPhee.

These two accomplished young pianists Inesa Gegprifti and Redi Llupa will present a rich and beautiful repertoire along with a conversation and presentation by Miami's iconic musicologist Frank Cooper. Mr. Cooper will bring over 50 years of musical expertise, historical perspective and anecdotal stories into the mix as University of Miami Research Professor Emeritus of Musicology.

The event will not only bring together the community and the opening of a live performance season for Dranoff 2 Piano, but a gorgeous and informative event of a powerful history of pride in queer music and art.

The November 13^th concert of "Full Spectrum of Light" will be at 7:30pm at The Betsy Hotel in South Beach at 1440 Ocean Drive. Tickets are $25 and available at www.Dranoff2Piano.org Student tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.

As the U.S. begins to ease international travel restrictions, Miami Beach is ready to welcome tourism and business travel from across the globe – especially from the UK! Dranoff 2 Piano kicks off with a live from London two piano concert and live event at The Betsy Hotel celebration queer composers.

On November 21^st, Dranoff 2 Piano's "Full Spectrum of Light" continues at The Betsy Hotel with a live event and virtual event with performance by Duo Antithesis. The program will present the artists live from London performing Benjamin Britten, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, and the world premiere of British lesbian composer Adriana Minou.

About Dranoff

For 34 years, the Dranoff International 2 Piano Foundation has been the world's leading champion of exclusively two piano repertoire and artistry. It is the only international foundation, accredited by the World Federation of International Music Competitions, to discover, promote, and award honors to top professional duo piano artists through its competition, commissions, and presentations of duo piano concerts. The Dranoff promotes awareness in a new generation of students of the transformational power of music and the arts through its multi-disciplinary, educational, and inspirational concert program, PIANO SLAM.

About The Betsy Hotel

A beachfront gem honored by Travel + Leisure as one of the best hotels in the world, The Betsy anchors the quiet end of iconic Ocean Drive — and has one of the most exciting neighborhoods in America as its backyard. Inside, you'll discover everything you'd expect from a luxury boutique hotel. The Betsy Hotel has hosted more than 1,000 artists in its Writers' Room that often hosts meet & greets and readings in the Library. The Plutzik family personally curates the visual art exhibits with emphasis on photography from emerging and established artists. Where art and literature end, music begins - take in nightly live jazz, chamber music performances and curated playlists that set the tone throughout your stay. The Betsy serves as the community's artistic oasis, it's the perfect place for both cocktails and culture.

About the Artists

Pianist Inesa Gegprifti was born in Tirana, Albania, where she began her piano studies at the National Arts School "Jordan Misja" under the guidance of Valbona Kasaj. She left her home country in 2006 to continue A graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee completed her D.M.A. at the Frost School of Music - University of Miami in 2017.

As a soloist and chamber musician Dr. Gegprifti has appeared in concerts across the U.S.A., Europe, and South America. Of note are the performances with the National Radio Television Orchestra of Albania and the Indian Hill Orchestra, chamber concerts in Italy, Slovenia, and Puerto Rico, as well as artist residencies at the "Vivace Vilnius International Summer Festival." She is on the faculty of the Keyboard Department at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami.

Albanian pianist Redi Llupa has distinguished himself by performing in prestigious venues in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. An avid advocate of contemporary repertoire, Llupa continuously collaborates with and performs music by living composers. He is the dedicatee of Aleksandër Peçi's Muzikë Kabaistike, Ermir Bejo's Op. 1, and Joseph Klein's Der Saus und Braus for solo piano. Since 2015, he worked closely with Pulitzer Prize winning composer George Walker He is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (B.M.), Jacobs School of Music - Indiana University (M.M.), and the Frost School of Music - University of Miami (D.M.A

Dr. Redi Llupa and Dr. Gegprifti are founding members of Kaleidoscope MusArt, a non-profit organization based in Miami, dedicated to bridging the gap between canonical classical music and rarely heard or recently composed works while prominently featuring living composers and emerging artists.

Frank Cooper, Musicologist, has a long track record as a speaker in the classroom and lecture hall, on radio and television, and at public events about music. He taught at Butler University, the New World School of the Arts, and University of Miami. For 35 years, he introduced the concerts of Indiana's Festival Music Society, a task he similarly performed for 17 years with the Coral Gables Mainly Mozart Festival.

He has presented pre-concert and in-concert lectures for Judy Drucker's Great Artist Series, the Cleveland Orchestra in Miami, the Miami International Piano Festival and other programs, spoken over the CBC (Canada), BBC (England), Radio Nederlands (Holland) and been the host for five years of "Symphony Backstage," the official television show of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Trained at the Royal Academy London and City University, where both earned Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) are Honorary Fellows at City University, London.

Petros Moschos and Dimitris Karydis' musical vibrancy, unique ensemble playing, and technical brilliance has been highly acclaimed by an ever-widening international audience. Recent performances have included concerts at the Brno International Festival, Janacek Festival, Athens and Epidavros Festival, the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Philharmonic Hall in Odessa, Olympia Theatre in Miami, Teresa Carreno Theatre in Caracas, South Bank Centre, Fairfield Hall and St. Johns Smith Square in London, and concerto appearances with Janacek Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Israeli Festival Orchestra, Florida Classical Orchestra, Brampton Symphony Orchestra and others.

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