The Henry Mancini Institute is a comprehensive, multi-genre graduate training institute for aspiring professional musicians at the Frost School of Music in Miami, Florida. HMI's mission is to nurture the future of music through professional opportunities for its students, and to impact the lives of others through inspiring community engagement programs. The institute is made up of writers, arrangers and musicians who play a multitude of musical styles, including classical, jazz, latin, world music and others. They often work with artists and composers on the cutting edge of today’s music to create unique and contemporary blends of these genres.

Vanessa Fourla - flute

Greek flutist Vanessa Fourla has performed and presented in numerous national and international conferences, including the National Flute Association convention, Florida Flute Association convention, Midwest Clinic, Florida State Music Teachers Association, Korea International Wind Band Festival, and International Festival Flute Meetings. Vanessa is currently transcribing for flute and piano Chopin’s music, and she performs and presents her transcriptions extensively around the United States. Her enthusiasm for organizing and promoting classical concerts, her passion for teaching, and her background in arts presenting has led to her current position on the board of the Miami Music Teachers Association: Director of Marketing and Media Relations & Webmaster. Vanessa is also Assistant Program Chair for the 2020 National Flute Association convention in Dallas, Texas.

 An avid orchestral flutist, Vanessa has performed under the baton of notable conductors Gerard Schwartz, Carl St. Clair, Jeff Beal, José Serebrier, Mark Gorenstein, Thomas Sleeper, Constantine Kitsopoulos, and Karolos Trikolidis. She also played principal flute on the Latin Grammy-nominated Sony Latin recording of Jorge Mejia An Open Book: A Memoir in Music, 25 Preludes for Piano and Orchestra.

 A doctoral candidate at the University of Miami-Frost School of Music, Vanessa is Teaching Assistant to the Frost Flute Studio and Henry Mancini Institute Fellow. As winner of the 2018 Frost Concerto Competition, she will perform the Reinecke concerto with the Frost Symphony Orchestra this season.  Vanessa received her Master of Music degree from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at the California State University, Long Beach, with a graduate assistantship and full scholarship. She was also a Cole Scholar, the recipient of the Mitchell A. Berman Endowed Student Award, recipient of the College of the Arts Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity Award, and the University Wind Quintet flutist. Vanessa completed her Bachelor of Music in her native country, at the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, and taught at music schools before moving to the U.S. to resume her studies.

 Vanessa’s teachers include Trudy Kane, John Barcellona, Rena Urso, Darrin Thaves, Othonas Gkogkas, Katrin Zenz, and Reni Tsalapati. While attending the Galway Flute Academy in Switzerland and CSU Summer Arts “The Complete 21st Century Flutist” programs, she was honored to study with Sir James Galway, Carol Wincenc, Ian Clarke, Robert Dick, Marianne Gedigian, Nicola Mazzanti, Steve Kujala, and Ali Ryerson.

https://vanessafourla.com/

Jesse Gilday - clarinet

Jesse Gilday’s clarinet playing has been described by the South Florida Classical Review as “carefully and beautifully shaped” and “precise.”  Originally from Troy, NY, Mr. Gilday performs in Florida with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Miami Lyric Opera, New World Symphony, Symphony of the Americas, The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, and numerous chamber ensembles following his time in New York City as a freelance clarinetist.  He performed on the 2018 Latin Grammy-nominated Sony Latin recording of Jorge Mejia’s An Open Book: A Memoir in Music. This summer, Mr. Gilday will perform at International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest for the third time, where he and Duo Electrique colleague Claire Grellier of Four Play Clarinet will premiere works for clarinet and bass clarinet. Jesse is also a past finalist in the ICA Orchestral Audition Competition.

 Mr. Gilday is the clarinetist for the NODUS Ensemble, the contemporary chamber music ensemble-in-residence at Florida International University, where he serves as clarinet faculty. He is a teaching artist at Miami Music Project, a non-profit educational organization inspired by the Venezuelan program El Sistema, which advocates social change through music. Passionate about the education of young musicians, Mr. Gilday also teaches woodwinds for the Greater Miami Youth Symphony and conducts clarinet and woodwind workshops and master classes for South Florida high school band programs.

 Mr. Gilday is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Miami – Frost School of Music, where he holds a Henry Mancini fellowship and served as doctoral teaching assistant. At the Frost School, he has performed with Grammy winner Jorge Mejia and Emmy winner Jeff Beal, House of Cards composer. Mr. Gilday holds degrees from New York University, Baylor University, and Gordon College. His clarinet teachers include Margaret Donaghue Flavin, Pascual Martinez-Forteza, Richard Shanley, Alan Olson, William Kirkley, and Dennis Smylie. Mr. Gilday is also a five-time world-qualifying Irish dancer and site director of the Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance – Miami.

Yianni Iliadis - piano

Pianist Yianni Iliadis, has enjoyed concerto performances, solo recitals, and chamber music concerts in the US and abroad. He is on the faculty of the Killington Music Festival in Vermont, instructor at the Frost Preparatory program at the University of Miami, and also maintains a private studio. Yianni frequently collaborates on recitals, competitions, masterclasses, and chamber music concerts. He has played with artists such as Valerie Coleman, John Barcellona, and Daniel Andai, and performs at many conferences and music series. These include the Liszt Festival of the Liszt American Society, Florida Flute Association Convention, Florida State Music Teachers Association Convention, and frequent invitations to the Kaleidoscope MusArt concert series.

Yianni is a doctoral candidate at the Frost School of Music - University of Miami, where he is piano teaching assistant. At the Frost School, he is primary instructor of undergraduate group piano classes, teaches private piano lessons, accompanies recitals, and is the assistant of the Keyboard Department. His interest in piano pedagogy fuels his current research project on devising material for group piano classes. Yianni graduated from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University – Long Beach with a Master of Music. During his time at CSULB, he was awarded a full scholarship, Graduate Assistantship in the Keyboard Studies program, Frank A. Lee & Elaine Richey Scholarship, Award of Exceptional Ability and Outstanding Achievements in the Area of Keyboard Studies, and the College of the Arts Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity Award. Yianni completed his Bachelor of Music at the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece. He also holds the Piano Diploma from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, where he graduated with the Outstanding Performance Award. As winner of the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki and the CSULB concerto competitions, he has performed with the Symphony Orchestra of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony.

Yianni’s teachers include Santiago Rodriguez, Tian Ying, Naoko Takao, Shun-Lin Chou, and Margarita Efraimidou. His chamber music coaches include Craig Richey, Trudy Kane, John Barcellona, Charles Castleman, and he has performed in master classes with notable pianists Edward Wolanin, Norman Krieger, Joseph Kalichstein, and Mikhail Voskresensky.