Fort Lauderdale's
| Renée LaBonte Pianist |  |  |
 Vice-President, Executive Director Symphony of the Americas Renée LaBonte brings to her position as Executive Director of the Symphony of the Americas, based in Ft. Lauderdale, over 30 years of experience in the field of music, both as a concert pianist and as a symphony orchestra manager. Renée is a 2007 honoree of Florida Grand Opera's DIVA Impressario Award, recognized for her contributions to the Arts in Broward County. She has gained worldwide recognition for orchestral performances and recitals through Europe, Latin and South America, the Orient and the US. She has appeared with the National Symphonies of Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Greece, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Malaysia's Mozart Festival, as well as with the internationally acclaimed Budapest Chamber Orchestra, Cappella Istropolitana, the Czech Moravian Virtuosi, and the Hungarian Virtuosi in Budapest's famed Vigado Theater. As an administrator, she gained worldwide recognition with dynamic leadership as Co- Founder of the Florida Music Festival & the So. Florida Symphony, placing each in a position of acclaim for its international concert tours, for which she has received recognition from the President and Congress of the US, Guatemala and El Salvador, as well as Florida's Secretary of State. She arranges the Symphony of the Americas series based at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, as well as Summerfest, annually featuring a major foreign orchestra in residence. She was instrumental in the production of Seasons of Change, a PBS arts documentary filmed on location in Budapest, featuring the Hungarian Virtuosi, as well as a producer, musician and soloist on over 10 compact discs. She holds a teaching degree from the St. Louis Institute of Music, has studied at the Manhattanville College in NY, with William Harms of the Curtis Institute, and Gerald Snyder of the Cleveland Institute, and has coached with Leonard Rose, Joachin Achucarro and Anthony diBonaventura. Her scholarships have included the St. Louis Institute of Music and the Milwaukee College of Music. She served on the faculties of Florida Atlantic University and Broward Community College. In addition to Symphony activities, she frequently reviews grants for the Florida Div. of Cultural Af?fairs, adjudicates for Florida State Music Teacher's Assoc. She is listed in the World Who's Who of Women, received the So. FL Business Journal's "Up and Comer's Award," and voted "Woman of the Year" by Women in Communications. She is the 1994 honoree, and President Emeritus of the Broward Cultural Foundation. |
