In a small Catholic church near Miami, eminent performers and eclectic audiences come together for concerts—from classical to klezmer. Julie A. S. Williamson, who started the series, doesn't sing a note or play an instrument. But she knows music can do more than entertain. "Music can be a changing force in people. No matter the age, ethnicity or profession, people from different backgrounds find the same joy in the same thing. They can find similarities among themselves instead of differences."
Though a church is the venue, these aren't church concerts. When the audience gathers at St. Martha Church in Miami Shores, the 700 men and women filling the upholstered oak pews couldn't be more diverse: Brazilian immigrants, retired Jews, Southern Baptists, gays and lesbians, all welcomed by a Spanish priest. Some are music aficionados. Others are hearing classical music for the first time. After the performance, musicians and concertgoers mingle over an international menu (wine and cheese, Haitian pumpkin soup, Colombian empanadas—prepared by faithful volunteers). "People frequently comment that they're sitting next to someone or talking to someone they normally would never have met," Williamson says. And that's just what she'd hoped.
Williamson created the St. Martha-Yamaha Concert Series in 2005. She introduced a friend, Paul Posnak, a pianist and professor of keyboard performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, to St. Martha's pastor Federico Capdepón, who wanted to open the church doors for concerts. Posnak secures performers, who play on a conservatory grand piano and revel in the church's acoustics, which are made particularly fine by the building's cantilevered walls, beamed oak roof and upholstered pews.
The annual five-concert series attracts international talent, including Latin Grammy winner Nestor Torres, members of the Cleveland Orchestra and medalists from the Dranoff International Two Piano Competition. Williamson's husband, Bob, '66, MBA '68, quips that the series offers "world-class concerts at movie-ticket prices, and we throw in the popcorn for free."
In her professional life, Williamson is a real estate attorney and a certified mediator. As the series' volunteer impresario, she does it all—from raising money to keep tickets at an affordable $10 to pouring wine to helping with the post-party cleanup. She routinely attends community events, reaching out to disparate groups and inviting them. Working with county schools, Williamson ensures that families in a parenting program get free tickets. As part of the artists' contract, the musicians also perform free at schools.
At a time when many arts groups are struggling, the series sells out and is solvent. "There's a radiance about her that attracts people," Posnak says. "It's very hard to say 'no' to Julie. She knows how to make things happen." For Williamson, the concerts' power doesn't end when the playing stops. "There's magic in beautiful music," she says. "I believe it can make you a better person and the world a better place."
LIZ DOUP is a reporter for the Sun-Sentinel in Florida.
