In 2017, a pianist and beloved local piano instructor had a dream to bring some of the world’s most talented musicians to an island paradise.
Well-known for her visionary ideas, it was with these principles that Amarylli Fridegotto embarked on her most ambitious idea yet; launching the Key Biscayne Piano Festival.
The KBPF’s holiday season concert, kicking off their 2025-26 season, will be held at 7 p.m., on Thursday, Dec. 11 at the Key Biscayne Civic Center.
Fridegotto’s mission to bring classical culture to the Key did not begin in 2017.
As early as 2008, Fridegotto had started a youth orchestra on Key Biscayne. She then was one of the founders of the Key Biscayne Winter Concert Series, officially beginning her journey as a cultural organizer and reference for music lovers around the island.
When embarking on the adventure of starting the festival, Fridegotto recruited friends and community members who shared her passion for the idea. Among them: Giannina Minervine, Diana Coppola, Belen Cristino, Ana Mora, Alejandro Servalli, Judge Marcus Bach, Veronica Mosse, Erika Garcia-Miro, Patricia Cabrera, Sylvia Westphal, Nicole Aldrich and Ana Wolfington.
A full house audience at a KBPF concert during the 2024-25 season.
“The community came together behind me,” Fridegotto said. “I had this idea and, with friends who believed in the idea and helped at concerts or financially, and with the help of private sponsors, the Key Biscayne Community Foundation, and now the Village of Key Biscayne, we were able to host eight concerts in our first season and have only grown from there.”
In a place like Key Biscayne, where attendance is anything but secured, the festival has always beat the odds. From its inception, concerts have always been completely packed, even before the concerts became free.
With audience members ranging from music lovers to first-time classical music concertgoers, the conclusion is always the same: the community wants more.
Maximo Canino, a local student and a young pianist who has studied with Amarylli for over a decade, has been consistently attending concerts since the beginning.
“I especially love the Q&A part. It’s special to be able to ask musicians who are so well-known and good at what they do things like how many hours they practice a day, or how they approach a new piece,” Canino said.
In its eight active years, the festival has provided the community with more than 35 concerts, welcoming thousands of attendees from all over South Florida, including general consuls and celebrities across industries. It has gained recognition across the state as a prominent musical presence, putting Key Biscayne on the map for its cultural relevance.
This year, the festival is bringing back their annual holiday season concert, an event community members now look forward to. Featuring a live orchestra, festival representatives, volunteers, and the “First Responders Choir” come together to build an unforgettable night for Key Biscayne.
Whether it be inspiring the future musicians of tomorrow or gathering community members for a night of Jingle Bells, the Key Biscayne Piano Festival has become a cultural pillar for the Village of Key Biscayne. Concertgoers have gotten used to the monthly concerts, and look forward to the nights of music in store for this upcoming season.