Grammy-winning pianist Tal Cohen and University of Miami jazz faculty will mentor the next generation of pianists in front of a live audience every Tuesday in September at The Betsy Hotel's Piano Bar on Ocean Drive.

The free series, Piano Masters & New Voices, runs from Sept. 8 through Sept. 29 at 1440 Ocean Drive in the Art Deco Historic District. Each evening begins at 6 p.m. with a set by Cohen, followed by a featured University of Miami student performer. No cover, no minimum.

Cohen, a Miami-based pianist who won the Barry Harris National Piano Competition and performed to a sold-out crowd at the Sydney Opera House as a Freedman Fellowship recipient, selects the student performers alongside Martin Bejerano, associate professor and head of the Jazz Piano Program at UM's Frost School of Music. Bejerano, a Grammy and Latin Grammy-nominated pianist himself, is a longtime member of drummer Roy Haynes' Fountain of Youth band.

On Cohen's website, saxophonist Joe Lovano praises him as "among the best of a very few young inspired pianists I've encountered in my travels… Tal's playing is full of passion, focus and creativity."

The September lineup pairs Cohen with a different student each week: Dan Pappas on Sept. 8, Bix Cole on Sept. 15, Ethan Frank on Sept. 22 and Ben Collins-Siegel on Sept. 29. All four are upper-level undergraduate or graduate jazz pianists at UM, selected for the chance to perform live and connect with Miami's music community.

Following an August run at the same venue, the September installment continues the partnership between The Betsy Hotel, The Betsy Community Fund at The Miami Foundation and the Jorge Pérez Family Foundation CreARTE Program, according to Soul of Miami's event listing. The CreARTE program has invested more than $16 million in South Florida arts access and education since 2019, according to Modern Luxury.

The Betsy describes its live music programming as the longest-running series on Miami Beach, with performances seven days a week. Attendees at Piano Masters & New Voices can pair the music with dinner at LT Steak & Seafood or drinks and light fare at The Piano Bar.

Admission is free. Tickets are available at eventvesta.com/events/159839/t/tickets.

Upcoming community events:

• Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29: Piano Masters & New Voices, The Betsy Piano Bar, 1440 Ocean Drive, 6–11 p.m. Free.
• Sept. 15: Miami Beach town hall on affordable housing, details at miamibeachreview.com.