17 April 25 - MAy 1, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | Music | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | The Beat Goes On The Rhythm Foundation’s new leader brings an aspirational vision for the future. BY TOM SHACKLEFORD E arlier this month, the Rhythm Foundation announced that Adam Ganuza would become the new executive director of the Mi- ami Beach arts- and music-fo- cused nonprofit. The Miami native is settling into his new job in his home city with an aspirational col- lection of ideas. He’s now tasked with main- taining the upward momentum behind an organization known for its multicultural mu- sic and arts programming in Miami Beach and across South Florida. Since 1988, the Rhythm Foundation has brought the sounds and experiences of inter- national music and renowned touring musi- cians to the area. It notably manages the Miami Beach Bandshell, widely recognized as one of the city’s best live music venues. It also has a long list of scheduled perfor- mances, including Swedish guitarist José González, Brazilian singer-songwriter Céu, comedian Eric Andre, and Brazilian singer/ guitarist João Bosco. With the live events industry now fully re- booted from its pandemic-induced hiatus, Ganuza has his vision set on all the various opportunities for strengthening local com- munities through the performing arts. “It’s a really exciting time in the city, espe- cially for people in the arts and culture indus- try down here,” Ganuza tells New Times during a recent conversation over Zoom. “It’s quite an honor to pick up and carry forth the legacies and partnerships that have made the success of the Rhythm Foundation possible up to this point.” Ganuza is no stranger to Miami’s ecosys- tem of arts nonprofits. He first joined the Rhythm Foundation in 2012 following a chance meeting with its founder and outgo- ing director, James Quinlan, while the two were working on the same movie project filmed in Miami. After starting as a production driver tasked with picking artists up from the air- port and similar entry-level responsibilities, Ganuza worked his way to become the foun- dation’s production director. “That was my first introduction into non- profits generally, and specifically nonprofit arts and culture, and I really loved it,” Ganuza says, reflecting on his first stint at the organi- zation. Ganuza left the Rhythm Foundation in 2015 to pursue a master’s degree in public ad- ministration from Baruch College in New York City. After graduation, he returned to Miami to continue his career. “Out of that program, I ended up getting a job at the Knight Foundation on their arts and culture team,” Ganuza adds. “For the next five years, I ran this program called the Knight Arts Challenge. It was there that I really started cutting my teeth around nonprofit management, around grants, around evaluating programs, and understanding the importance of these programs to the wider picture of the community.” In November 2021, during Ganuza’s ten- ure at the Knight Foundation, the Miami- based organization awarded the Miami Beach Bandshell $1.5 million in grant fund- ing. The investment provided much-needed technological upgrades for livestreaming and multimedia production capabilities for the 60-year-old outdoor venue along Collins Ave- nue. “The Rhythm Foundation programs at the Bandshell are the centerpiece of our future cultural campus in North Beach,” then-Mi- ami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said of the venue at the time. “It’s amazing the multimedia work that’s now possible at the Bandshell,” Ganuza says of the upgraded performance space. “Part of my vision is to continue operating on that cutting edge of innovation in the performing arts, particularly with the multimedia aspects of shows.” Those multimedia production upgrades have enabled the venue to partner with PBS on a new concert programming series, Sound- waves at the Bandshell, which airs recorded performances at the Bandshell on local affili- ates WPBT and WXEL. “This is kind of a first, and we’re sort of baby-stepping the thing,” Ganuza notes of the Foundation’s latest initiative to expand the reach of its arts programming. “We think PBS is a perfect partner for this project because, ultimately, what we’re trying to do is build understanding and empathy through the arts and culture.” Though the Foundation produces arts programming through various programs and partnerships across Miami-Dade County and nearby cities like Hollywood, Ganuza proudly considers the Miami Beach Bandshell the crown jewel of what the organization repre- sents to the community. “We’ve got some great projects associated with the Bandshell happening,” he says in an optimistic tone of excitement. “Our vision is to keep pushing what’s possible with the tele- vision show, with the projection mapping, and with our programming, and making sure that the Bandshell continues to be a cultural asset for the community.” Ganuza isn’t the only one at the Rhythm Foundation who is optimistic about the change in leadership. Quinlan, Ganuza’s predecessor and the foundation’s founding director, is also confi- dent in Ganuza’s vision for taking the Rhythm Foundation to the next level. “I was so thrilled to see Adam rise to the top of the list for the board,” Quinlan tells New Times via email of Ganuza’s appoint- ment by the foundation’s board of directors as his successor. “His understanding of where we have come from and the opportunities that lie ahead is a unique asset. He has been instrumental in nurturing the integration of the arts and digital media nationally.” “James, having both a past and current re- lationship with Adam, suggested we consider him as a potential candidate,” Rhythm Foun- dation board president Dara Schoenwald also tells New Times. Schoenwald has been an ac- tive board member for at least the past 15 years and the board president since Novem- ber 2021. “We were looking for someone with a background and ex- perience in nonprofit, especially cultural arts administration, grants, fundraising, and music produc- tion,” Schoenwald says of the process. “We also preferred someone with a deep level of understanding of the local Miami arts eco- system, but one with national reach and net- work and who could engage at the highest levels of local municipal and county govern- ment.” “Adam understands our curatorial mission as cultural arts presenters, as well as the op- erational aspects of producing live musical performances,” she adds. “When you add his time at a major funding institution, it was clear he had a unique and winning combina- tion of experience and skills that would be highly beneficial to our organization.” With the lengthy hiring process behind them, Ganuza and the Rhythm Foundation leadership can now look ahead as Ganuza puts his visionary ideas in motion with sup- port from his team. “Part of the vision is to provide value to the community outside of the ring of the Band- shell or outside the four walls of a particular theater,” Ganuza adds. “One of my big goals, like a vision statement, is I would like to get to a point where the Rhythm Foundation can produce a show where folks may not have heard this band before, but they’ll know that it will be good by virtue of the fact that it’s a Rhythm Foundation show.” For the local Miami kid who was part of the first graduating class at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High in North Miami Beach and spent his youth attending hip-hop shows at the Scott Rakow Youth Center, this is Ganu- za’s opportunity to leave a positive impact on the city he considers home. “Listen, it’s quite a legacy to carry on and to try and take to the next level,” Ganuza points out. “It’s a responsibility that I by no means take lightly. I’m just super excited about everything to come.” [email protected] ▼ Music Adam Ganuza is the new executive director of the Rhythm Foundation. Photo by OS Photography Studio “IT’S QUITE A LEGACY TO CARRY ON AND TO TRY AND TAKE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.”
