Technique in service of artistry

Beyond the studio, Giselle Brodsky is the Co-Founder, Director and chief artistic adviser of Patrons of Exceptional Artists, Inc., a non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting exceptionally gifted performing artists. In 1997 she co-founded the Miami International Piano Festival and has been its Artistic Director ever since.

Giselle Brodsky's vision is to present, support and document the best new talent emerging on the classical piano scene today, occasionally identifying outstanding performers on other instruments as well. She envisioned an organization designed to discover, present and support exceptional talent and offer fresh and exciting programs to South Florida audiences. Brodsky looks for exceptional artists who, regardless of age or nationality, are profound musicians with both charisma and breadth of musicianship, who have their own distinct voices — who are not only capable of challenging convention but able to demonstrate that there are important interpretive ideas still to be expressed both in mainstream and rare repertoire.

Because of her successful track record for finding and presenting exceptional artists, Giselle Brodsky receives approximately 30 requests per month, plus scores of recordings from artists around the globe who want to participate in the festival. She has been interviewed and featured in the New York Times, Piano Today, International Piano Magazine, the Miami Herald, and Steinway Magazine.

The relationship with artists doesn't end when the curtain goes down. Artists know that Brodsky is different from other presenters: if they are selected to appear at the Festival, they are provided with world-class performance opportunities and valuable support for their artistic careers over the long haul.

Giselle Brodsky was born in La Paz, Bolivia, where she received her early musical training with the renowned Bolivian composer Gustavo Navarre. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. Having trained extensively in the Taubman Approach to piano technique since 1972, she was a member of the faculty of the Golandsky Institute from 1987 to 2011. She pioneered the “Prodigies and Masters of Tomorrow” series as part of the Festival, and took part in a three-part documentary aired on Channel 4 in Great Britain and on PBS.

Beyond her foundation activities, Mrs. Brodsky is a much sought-after piano teacher who has developed new insights into the art of piano playing — grounded in the Taubman Approach and in her own experience, analysis and observation of great virtuosos. Several of her gifted students have been accepted to study at prestigious conservatories such as Juilliard, the Curtis Institute, Oberlin, the University of Miami and the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, and several pianists have chosen to remain in Miami to be guided by Brodsky.

In 2015 she launched the Miami International Piano Festival Academy as the natural offspring of the Festival. Under her leadership the Academy expanded its mission, presenting seven unique programs across Miami and Italy. Mrs. Brodsky is a member of the US Music Teachers Association as well as its Miami-Dade and Broward County chapters, and serves as Program and Artistic Director of the MIPFA. She is also credited with assisting pianists recovering from hand injuries.