About Us
Karrie Griffiths
President/Founder, Music in Miami, Inc.
Karrie Griffiths (Flute) is the Founder of Music in Miami and creator of Three Sundays in July; a chamber music series in its 5th year of existence. She has been an active professional musician in South Florida for over 20 years. She served as principal flute of the Symphony of the Americas under the baton of Maestro Brooks-Bruzzi and Maestro Pablo Meiggs.
Karrie's goal is to create an active chamber music series involving South Florida professional musicians and composers. Living in such a diverse area as Miami, she believes there is plenty of room for unique musical experiences for music lovers!
Ms. Griffiths received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master's Degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. She has studied with John Hicks, Jeanne Larson, Principal of Dallas Symphony, Murray Panitz, Principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra and David Cramer, Assistant Principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has been a participant in the highly regarded music festivals at Interlochen and Jackson Hole Wyoming and has done extensive studio work and recitals. In Philadelphia she was part of the flute and harp duo, Linos. She has performed with the Atlantic Coast Orchestra, Miami City Ballet, Florida Grand Opera and is freelance artist throughout South Florida and the Eastern Seaboard performing with classical guitarist and composer Jose Lezcano. She has performed in the Festival Internacional de Flautistas en el Centro del Mundo in Quito, Ecuador, and has performed a New England tour with Jose Lezcano.
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Her teaching studio is located at Kalos Music and Art School in Aventura, FL and she continues to create programming and perform throughout the eastern seaboard.
Eugenia Mendez
Kalos Music & Art School
Eugenia is a Venezuelan pianist and singer, music teacher, specialized in piano, graduated at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst or Superior School of Music and Performing Arts of Mannheim/ Heidelberg- Germany. Since 1995, she has performed in very important venues, festivals and jazz clubs in Germany, Austria, England, United States, Mexico and Venezuela. Her singular feature is her ability to take on, not only the academic piano repertoire, but also jazz and new trends, as well as mastering scat and improvisation in singing.
Her artistry explores the aesthetics of the great Venezuelan, American and European composers and those of the Latin American traditional and jazz music, in a search for affinities and contrasts between rhythms and styles from different cultures and periods.
As part of the Kalos Music and Art School Academic Director role, Eugenia is in charge of the development of contents for the Music Initiation, piano, Ensemble, Harmony and Musical language programs, among others.
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Winner of the Wiener Musikschulen 1991 annual competition
Michael J. DiGregorio
Bassoonist Michael J. DiGregorio received a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and a Master's degree in bassoon performance from the University of Miami.
Over the past 36 years Michael has served as principal bassoon with many orchestras in South Florida, including Symphony of the Americas, Gold Coast Symphony, Gold Coast Opera Orchestra, Boca Pops Orchestra, Florida Sunshine Pops, the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony, Palm Beach Pops, and the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra.
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He has also performed with the Florida Philharmonic, South Florida Symphony, Naples Philharmonic (FL), The Symphonia (Boca Raton), and as a soloist with the Westmoreland Symphony (PA), University of Miami Symphony Orchestra, and the IUP Symphony Orchestra. Michael also is a freelance saxophonist and can be seen performing at various venues in Wilton Manors, FL (listen at SaxyTime.net). In addition to performing, Michael is an elementary music teacher in the Broward County Public Schools and received his National Board Certification in 2010.
Alejandro Caballero
Alejandro Caballero received his Bachelors in Music Education and his Masters in Instrumental Performance for Clarinet from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, Coral Gables, Florida. Mr. Caballero’s has studied under Albert R. Rice (clarinet curator/historian, and author), Linda G. Silva, and Dr. Margaret Donahue, performer and Professor at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He has also studied under Ethan Sloan, University of Boston, as well at the Tanglewood Institute. During his time at the Tanglewood Institute, he entered the world of conducting through both observations of and conversations with the late Seiji Ozawa. Mr. Caballero has continued to study conducting with Mr. Gary Green, former Director of Bands at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, and various other symposiums. He has also had the opportunity to be under the baton of Mr. Thomas Sleeper, Maestro James Brooks, and Pablo Mielgo.
Mr. Caballero started his career as a performer, conductor and educator in 2001 as a band director in South Florida. After building the band the program from 23 students to 90 students in three years as well as assisting in the creation of a musical theatre program where he conducted and acted (in one role) three full stage musicals. This includes Once on this Island, Into the Woods, and Violet. He left secondary education to become a sought after clinician for clarinet instruction, woodwind sectionals and ensemble rehearsals throughout South Florida. It was during this time, going into 2007, he began his his tenure at the Symphony of the Americas. Mr. Caballero started as assistant principal clarinet in the Fall of 2007. He was then promoted to Principal Clarinet in the Fall of 2008. Mr. Caballero was the Principal Clarinet to the Symphony of the Americas for the last 14 years, finishing his tenure as Principal Clarinet in the Spring of 2022. In that time Mr. Caballero has also performed with the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, the Boca Philharmonic, and as a substitute in rehearsals for the Florida Grand Opera, and the Miami Symphony.
Mr. Caballero is currently still performing in South Florida as well as continuing to be an Educator and clinician. He is currently teaching as the Orchestra Director at South Miami Middle School for the Arts.
Ranses Colon
Ranses Colon (Double Bass) is one of the most sought-after bassists in Miami, both for live performance and for recordings. He plays all the electric basses, 4, 5 , 6 and 7 string, including fretless, as well as the baby bass and upright acoustic bass. He has made many recordings and worked with artists such as Ricky Martin, Placido Domingo, Juan Gabriel, Nestor Torres, Enrique Chia, Celia Cruz (band leader), Juan Luis Guerra and Oscar de Leon. The album "Tribute to Lecuona", with Enrique Chia, was nominated for a Grammy in 2002. He also performs live on a regular basis in the South Florida area, working in all genres of music. He is the preferred bassist for tango performers who come to the Miami area to perform. He currently plays principal bass with the Miami Chamber Orchestra, performing chamber, Latin and folklore music.
He has recorded and performed in almost every style of contemporary music, from rap to classical, jazz to Latin, danzon to reggae. He has played with Peter Nero, Giovanni Hidalgo, Ira Sullivan, Michele Camilo, Ray Barreto, Paquito D'Rivera,Mr Bebo Valdes,Chucho Valdes Jr,Mr.Cigala, J. P. Torres, Hilton Ruiz, Jean Pierre Rampal, Mistlav Rostropovich, Bernadette Pieter, Gloria Estefan, Cachao's all start (band leader), Pete conde Rodrigues, Henri Fiol, Lebron Brothers, Adalberto Santiago, among others. He also was in the movie "Havana Nocturne," playing bass. He toured Europe with Mangu in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Born in 1964, he brings a strong classical background to his playing. He was co-principal of the Symphony of Caracas in Venezuela for ten years. Mr. Colon also produces and arranges. The first album that he produced and arranged, "Rose," was released in 2002. He has done arrangements for El Puma, and Tropicana All-Stars. He also works with the Paul Cohen big band and the Frank Derrick big band.
Kay Kemper
Classically trained harpist and musician, Kay Kemper has had over 30 years professional playing experience. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, her teachers include Joan Harrison Ceo, Lucile Lawrence and Alice Chalifoux.
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Kay has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, and Orquesta Filarmonica de Caracas in Venezuela. She has also participated in the summer music festivals at the Interlochen National Music Camp, Tanglewood Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival.
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A versatile performer, Kay enjoys giving lecture recitals, playing chamber music, or providing ambience with background music. She has performed on 3 cruise ships and seen many different ports around the world.
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As an active freelance musician in South Florida since 1990, Kay performs regularly with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra and Palm Beach Symphony, the Palm Beach Pops, Florida Grand Opera Orchestra, and the Southwest Florida Symphony in Ft. Myers, as well as various private functions in the area. She maintains a private teaching studio and has just completed a 4 year term as President of the South Florida Chapter of the American Harp Society.
