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Anna Klimala and the Miami Music Project

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Anna Klimala and the Miami Music Project

Introduction to Anna Klimala. 1:31 min. Interview: Raymond Elman.  Post-Production: Lee Skye. Music:  Miami Music Project.  Recorded via ZOOM  5/7/2026, Miami.

 

ANNA B. KLIMALA is a nationally recognized nonprofit executive, music education visionary, classically trained double-bassist, and community impact leader who has dedicated her career to using music and the arts as catalysts for social change.

As President & CEO of Miami Music Project, she has transformed the organization into one of the largest tuition-free music education programs in the United States, reaching more than 33,000 young people and raising over $25 million in public and private funding, with 100% of program alumni graduating high school and continuing to higher education.

Anna co-founded the Teaching Artists Training Institute and is a Founding Board Member and former Treasurer of El Sistema USA. Her leadership has earned national and international recognition, including the 2024 Music Cities Award for Best Initiative Supporting Diversity and Inclusion. An award-winning speaker and social impact leader, she is passionate about using music education to advance equity, youth empowerment, and community transformation.

Anna serves as a Member of the Community Advisory Board, of FIU’s Research Center in Minority Institutions.

— https://miamimusicproject.org/

 

The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 30 seconds and 4 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.

 

SERENDIPITY:    1:22 min.

Where did you grow up, and what was your first awareness of art of any discipline?

 

UNDERSTANDS ARTISTS’ NEEDS:    0:37 sec.

Is that your double bass in the corner behind you?

 

EMPATHY:    2:15 min.

Growing up near the Auschwitz extermination camp, were you aware of its history or shielded from it?

 

SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES:    2:08 min.

When did you become passionate about making music?

 

SERENDIPITY:    1:58 min.

Why did you switch from playing the piano to the double bass?

 

SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES:     1:03 min.

What was your next step after high school?

 

SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES:     1:48 min.

How did you transition to the United States?

 

SELF-CONFIDENCE:     1:23 min.

What happened after you finished school?

 

PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS:    1:03 min.

Did you already speak English when you started living in the United States?

 

OPEN TO CHANGE, FLEXIBILITY:    0:42 sec.

How did moving from the climate of Poland to the Miami tropics impact you?

 

SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES:    0:51 sec.

Have you had the opportunity to perform in the New World Center designed by world renowned architect Frank Gehry?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND:    2:17  min. 

Tell us about your transition from performing to managing.

 

CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND:    3:10 min.

Tell us about the Miami Music Project.

 

COMMUNITY VALUES:    1:32 min

Has the Miami Music Project become a role model for the rest of the world?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:    3:37 min.

How did you develop your management skills?

 

EMPATHY:   2:01 min.

What are a few of the highlights of your experience with Miami Music Project?

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:    0:52 sec.

Have you met Miami-raised astronaut and jazz musician Winston Scott?

 

COMMUNITY VALUES:     3:28 min.

Which communities benefit the most from Miami Music Project?

 

COLLABORATION:     2:02 min.

How did you meet our mutual friend, jazz vocalist Nicole Henry?

 

UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART:     2:22 min.

Given the diminishment of government funding for the arts these days (2026), what’s your strategy for fundraising?

 

STRONG DRIVE FOR ACHIEVEMENT:     2:33 min

If funding isn’t a problem, what’s your vision for Miami Music Project?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:     0:56 sec.

What’s your favorite movie?