Music Syposium

Come to the Colony Theater and enjoy a musical celebration highlighted by performances from people living with disabilities. By showing how people coping with various disabilities are able to play and enjoy music, the Music Symposium will help foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the talents this community has to offer. 

Master of Ceremonies: Christina Loren

Christina arrived at CBS4 in January '07. She does traffic reports in the morning, reports for the evening broadcasts and also fills in as a Meteorologist. Prior to arriving at CBS4, she worked at KERO in Bakersfield CA.

A Fantastic Roster of Performers:

Rainbow Cirque Kids: Featuring Katherine Magnoli on vocals and Elisa Silverstein on aerial, performing Defying Gravity from the Broadway show, Wicked.

Miami Beach High Rock Ensemble - under the direction of Doug Burris: For decades now, Mr. Burris has had multiple sclerosis.Since 1972, Mr. Burris has been changing lives from a chair with wheels for thousands of South Florida students with his unique Rock Ensemble.

Miami Lighthouse for the Blind Musicians

Scott Treeman: Scott is a legally blind jazz pianist, composer and arranger. Joining Scott will be Ethelyne Morris.

Mike Gerber: Mike is a well known jazz and classical pianist.

The Healing ArtistsPerformance Project: produced by David Salih.

Brydan: Flautists Daniel Ferguson and Bryan Smith have crossed the line of autism. They are very proficient in music and are simply mesmerizing. Graduating with honors in fine arts, their mission is to give hope to people with autism and show that their is light at the end of the tunnel.

The Colony Theater

The Music Symposium will be held at the Colony Theater on Lincoln Road in South Beach. Enjoy the great performances happening in this historic venue.

Catering: Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market

We are excited to announce that catering for the ABILITY EXPLOSION Music Symposium opening cocktail reception will be provided by Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods seeks out the finest natural and organic foods available while maintaining the strictest quality standards in the industry. Whole Foods - Whole People - Whole Planet.

Event Chair: John Bennett

John Bennett grew up in South Florida.  He attended the University of Miami School of Music Engineering Technology and he worked in the music, television and film industries for almost 15 years.  He currently is co-owner of a real estate and property management company located in Miami Beach. John lives with his wife and two sons.