2026 FIU Music Festival: Liszt & Jiménez: Piano, Song, and Virtuosity

Celebrate Liszt’s birthday with Kemal Gekić, José López, and Sonya Baker, pairing Liszt with Afro-Cuban composer José Manuel Jiménez. Celebrate Franz Liszt’s birthday with pianists Kemal Gekić and José López and guest soprano Sonya Baker in a festival concert spanning solo piano, chamber music and song. The program pairs Liszt’s solo works with music by Afro-Cuban composer and virtuoso pianist José Manuel Jiménez (1852–1917). López presents Jiménez’s solo piano works and two chamber compositions, while Baker—who made her Carnegie Hall debut with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas—joins him for a selection of Lieder. FIU Artist-in-Residence and longtime Miami International Piano Festival artist Kemal Gekić brings his celebrated command of Liszt to the composer’s solo piano works. His performances and recordings have earned international acclaim, including the Rosette Award from The Penguin Guide to Classical Recordings for his recording of the Rossini-Liszt transcriptions. Presented in collaboration with the South Florida Chapter of the American Liszt Society, the concert places a towering figure of the Romantic era alongside a compelling Afro-Cuban voice deserving of wider recognition. Need an accommodation or accessible materials? Contact the Office of Universal Access and Digital Compliance at [email protected] or 305.348.1576. FIU is a State University System of Florida member, Equal Opportunity, Equal Access, and Affirmative Action Employer for individuals with disabilities and veterans. FIU provides equal opportunity in its programs, events, and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, and any other legally protected basis. For inquiries regarding nondiscrimination, contact FIU's Office of Title IX and EEO Compliance (TITLEIX) at 305.348.2785 or email [email protected].