Arts in Medicine

Mr. Herrera is a Clinical Psychologist and Master of Music with a Specialization in Piano. For more than 20 years he has served as an Orchestra Director, Choral Director, Composer and Music Producer. His works have been performed at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Madison Square Garden in New York and the Teatro Colón in Bogotá, among other venues. He is currently a professor of Music Applied to Therapy in the Alternative Medicine program at Juan N Corpas University, is Director of Music for the Archdiocese of Miami and develops his private practice as a Support Psychotherapist for cancer patients.

About his work at the Miami Cancer Institute: It is the perfect place to share and connect with many patients who need to experience the healing power of art and sound. The combination of medical technology, interpersonal warmth and musical experience is the best we can give our patients, by sharing with them the gift we have received.

David Fernandez is a dynamic Cuban musician with a background and training in classical violin and classical voice. Mr. Fernandez is currently a musician with the Miami Symphony Orchestra and is a private violin instructor throughout South Florida. He is an active performer in a variety of musical settings including chamber, solo and private events. In his youth, Mr. Fernandez competed and won one of the largest international competitions in Cuba when he was only 11 years old. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree at New World School of the Arts at the University of Florida where he studied with Dr. Daniel Andai, among others. While at NWSA as a high school and college student, he won the NWSA Concerto Competition a total of four times. In addition to being a classically trained violinist, he is currently studying classical voice as a bass-baritone with Gerardo Ortega. Mr. Fernandez is a musician who has the versatility to sing and play in all musical styles including classical, jazz and other popular genres.

Vocalist and songwriter Beatriz Guzman has been steadily making her mark in Miami’s music scene since 2018. As a versatile musician, she has performed solo, duo, with small groups, in coffee shops, big bands, and in concert halls. Beatriz earned her Master of Music degree in jazz vocal performance from Florida International University. While pursuing her degree, she won the FIU University Graduate School Excellence Award, and also was a Gold Coast Jazz Society Scholarship winner. She also hold five Downbeat Music Awards in the vocal jazz and in the blues/pop/rock category. Beatriz has performed in acclaimed venues and events such as SunFest, the Miami Downtown Jazz Festival, the Jazz Education Network conference, Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Sofar Sounds Chicago and Fort Lauderdale, WDNA Miami Jazz Radio, and many more. She is currently a professor of the Jazz Vocal performance program at Miami Dade College, and is also currently recording and writing with her neo-soul group Burgundee (founding member).

Artist Statement

"Music, with its universal language, possesses an unparalleled ability to transcend boundaries and touch the deepest recesses of the human spirit. I wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of music. I have always felt that my life’s purpose is to help others. It is an honor to be part of a community that recognizes music as an integral component of holistic care, and I am committed to using my talents to soothe, uplift, and inspire all."

Ms. Lopez De Victoria is a Miami-based multidisciplinary visual artist and choreographer in artistic and synchronized swimming. She has participated in many large-scale public artworks and been featured in international exhibitions. Her work has been included in L’Officiel magazine, The Guardian, STEP Inside Design, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia and on the cover of ARTnews magazine. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and video from Florida International University, Miami, FL.

Of her work at Miami Cancer Institute: My extensive experience as an internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist empowers patients to discover beauty through creativity. I focus on the healing effects of art-making through the internal geometry of the mind and heart, the intellect and emotion, and the gradient of feelings that connect our journeys.

Bex McCharen is a visual artist and fashion designer trained as an architect. Their work creatively reimagines sustainable, inclusive futures motivated by the belief that through mutual dreaming we can bring balance to our relationship with nature. The resulting watercolors, textile works and collages are palimpsests of life-affirming mutualism that offer viewers an emotional connection to grasp our environmental responsibilities, inspiring care and healing.

Sebastian Duncan-Portuondo is a multidisciplinary artist and educator from Miami, Fla., who creates vibrant environments that engage ideas of home, exile and placemaking. His practice emerges from a background in painting and focuses on contemporary craft, critical multiculturalism and strategies for public artwork. Stained glass channels both a sacred and Cuban-American heritage in his practice, while lyrical artworks navigate ideas of ecological connection, queerness and displacement. Often collaborative, his work implicates collective memory and hybrid identities. He holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a BFA from New World School of the Arts, and a BA from Swarthmore College. He is currently an adjunct professor at New World School of the Arts.

Dr. Savitzky is an active performer, teacher, orchestral and chamber musician. She is a founding member of The Wild (a string quartet) and has performed in the viola sections of the Naples Philharmonic and the Florida Grand Opera. Robyn received a 2014 Grammy nomination for her performance on Jeremy Fox’s “All My Tomorrows.” She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in viola performance from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. She also received her artist diploma from the Frost School of Music and holds viola performance degrees from New York University and Indiana University.

Of her work at Miami Cancer Institute: As a musician, I believe in the transformative and healing nature of performance. I value the profound ways in which music can communicate ideas, concepts and expression that words alone cannot. My purpose is to share music in order to connect, comfort and uplift.

Ms. Visconti is a singer/songwriter and winner of the National YoungArts Foundation award in pop voice. She teaches dance and music therapy techniques to individuals with disabilities in the community. She earned her Bachelor of Science in public relations, advertising and applied communication from Florida International University, Miami, FL.

Of her work at Miami Cancer Institute: My hope is that I’m able to uplift and empower all community members at Miami Cancer Institute through the undeniable force of music.