Julian H. Kreeger, attorney, pianist, classical music critic and longtime CARTA board member for the Dean’s Leadership Advisory Board, was selected as a 2020 Knight Arts Champion by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The 2020 Knight Arts Champions recognize individuals who play vital roles in uplifting and promoting the arts in Miami and contribute to growing South Florida as a rich hub of art and culture. Each selected champion will direct $10,000 – provided by the Knight Foundation – to a local artist or arts organization of their choice. This year, 19 champions were selected.
“It feels great to have been chosen for this award,” Kreeger says. “I am delighted by it and by my relationship with FIU.”
Kreeger selected the Friends of Chamber Music Miami (FOCM), where he currently serves as president, as his Knight Arts Champion recipient.
Since 1955, FOCM has been presenting world-renowned classical musicians – both chamber musicians and soloists alike – to South Florida. Its mission is to preserve the art of chamber music performance and to build appreciative audiences for the art form among people of all ages. FOCM also offers outstanding educational opportunities for South Florida’s advanced music students, including masterclasses and lessons for musicians at FIU’s School of Music.
In recent years, many FOCM concerts and performances have also taken place at the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center.
During Kreeger’s 60-year career, he also served on the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar, was program annotator and classical music advisor for the Florida Philharmonic, co-founded Audiofon Records in 1979, taught Art and Music Law at the University of Miami Law School and lectured on classical music at CARTA’s Miami Beach Urban Studios (MBUS) in a series titled “Tuesday’s with Julian.”
In 2013, Kreeger donated what is believed to be one of the largest private collections of classical piano music to the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts. His collection, widely known as the “Kreeger Collection” consists of more than 27,000 classical musical recordings. The collection is currently housed in the Green Library of FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus (MMC).
To learn more about Friends of Chamber Music Miami, visit https://www.miamichambermusic.org/
To learn more about the Knight Foundation and the 2020 Knight Arts Champions, visit https://knightfoundation.org/press/releases/knight-foundation-announces-investments-in-support-of-innovation-and-excellence-in-miami-arts-amid-the-pandemic/
