CONNECTING COMMUNITIES
THROUGH THE ARTS

VISION

Co-founded by siblings Maximilian and Esmeralda Swietelsky with the help of their founding member friends, Rising Stars Miami is a non-profit community outreach organization of teenagers who visit underserved South Florida communities, teaching and engaging kids to explore the Performing Arts. Rising Stars Miami also awards grants to community centers and scholarships to individuals for the study of the Performing Arts and provides performance opportunities to aspiring young artists.

Our Talent

Esmeralda Swietelsky

Founder | 16

Esmeralda is the Co-Founder of Rising Stars Miami with her brother, Maximilian, and has taken on her leadership role quite naturally and effectively. She loves working with her Rising Stars Miami colleagues and using her talents to teach kids and inspire them to learn more about the arts. Esmeralda has been ...

performing and studying voice, dance, and acting since the age of six, and is also a pianist and student of Marina Berberian of Hi Key Piano Studio. She has performed in numerous musical theater leading roles at Area Stage Company including productions of The Wizard of Oz (Wicked Witch of the West), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie), and Roger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Cinderella). She took vocal lessons with Rebecca Ashton for several years and performed in many shows during Rebecca Ashton’s Advanced Ensemble. She has also studied opera under Manny Perez, of Manny Perez Vocal Studio, and performed opera in Italy at the Cremona International Music Academy. Esmeralda is a junior at Ransom Everglades School and a member of three National Honor Societies. She is the founder and secretary of the REading Club, and Chemistry Coordinator of the Science National Honor Society. She is also part of the Ransom Everglades varsity sailing team. Over the past two years, Esmeralda has found a passion in ceramics and throwing on the wheel. She has also worked at Books & Books in Coconut Grove.

Maximilian Swietelsky

Founder | 18

Maximilian was born and raised in Miami and has always had a passion for music. His Venezuelan-Italian mother and Austrian father, as multicultural as his hometown, exposed him to music of all kinds – classical, jazz, Latin, opera and other performing arts. He was encouraged early on to learn different instruments, to pursue his artistic expression. Max is an award-winning classical pianist and has twice ...

been awarded the honor of being a Chopin Foundation of the United States Young Pianist. He has been accepted to the prestigious Cremona International Music Academy and performed in the Cremona Summer Music Festival in Cremona, Italy. He is a four-time Coral Gables Music Club Scholarship recipient for piano and was just elected to be the 2020-2021 President of the Coral Gables Jr. Music Club. In addition to classical piano, Max plays jazz alto saxophone, piano, and drums, and is a member of his school’s signature jazz combo, the Ransom Everglades RE Combo. Max was accepted to the University of Miami Frost School of Music Honors Jazz summer program and performed in the Honors Band during the music festival. Max and his RE Combo bandmates traveled to Philadelphia in February and won a second prize at the prestigious 2020 National Jazz Festival. They have also performed at many jazz venues in Miami such as the Olympia Theatre and the Hampton House, and for private events. Max credits his abilities as a musician and his love of music to the support of his parents and his music teachers. As he got older, he realized that not all kids have been given this lifetime gift. In 2018, when he was a sophomore, Max founded Rising Stars Miami (RSM) as a community outreach nonprofit with his sister, Esmeralda, as a way of giving the gift of music to young kids like themselves in their community. Since then, they have been combining their love of the performing arts with community service to support under-resourced kids who want to explore their talents as musicians, dancers, and actors. Under Max’s leadership, RSM has visited several South Florida community centers to perform, teach, and inspire kids to the arts. Max reached out to musicians, teachers, and arts organizations to help with sponsorships and RSM was able to award scholarships to individual students and grants to community centers for the study of the arts. In 2019, after hearing about their success with kids in the community, Breakthrough Miami invited RSM to teach the Arts & Culture class on weekends to their 6th. Grade scholars. Max and his sister and friends taught acting, dance, songwriting, and different instruments. RSM also sponsored a professional opera performance of The Magic Flute for the whole Breakthrough Miami student body. With the arrival of the pandemic in March 2020, RSM began to teach the Breakthrough kids virtually, which they continue to do for the Fall Semester. This summer in July, Max created an introductory History of Jazz course for the Breakthrough Miami Virtual Summer Institute and taught kids about jazz twice a week for 6 weeks. His aim was to create the same spark of interest and love for jazz that he had experienced himself. It was a rich learning experience for everyone and he loved teaching and the idea that he was introducing a new generation to this greatest American artform. Besides music, Max’s other passion is engineering. He has been exploring the “world of STEM” throughout high school through his extracurricular activities and summer academic programs. Now a senior, he has been a key member since freshman year of the RE Robotics team, which qualified this year for the State Championship and all the way up to the 2020 World Championship. Other STEM pursuits this past summer included the Inspirit AI machine learning and RE Data Science courses. He has since started an independent year-long research project with machine learning to study steel defects which he will present in a competition this winter. Max is also a great athlete and has been a member of the Jr. Varsity Soccer and Varsity Lacrosse teams throughout high school. Max has begun to apply to universities, choosing those with strong engineering and arts programs with an emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. He wants to follow his engineering passion while continuing to evolve as a musician. He can see himself joining student organizations and Jazz Clubs where he can connect with peers as passionate about jazz and music as he is. On the STEM side, he would love to continue designing and programming robots and will become active with student robotic clubs and organizations. Having founded Rising Stars Miami and seeing the positive results of connecting diverse communities through the arts, Max wants to continue doing community service in whatever community his university will be. He loves getting together with his RSM team and working with the kids they teach, which is rewarding for everyone involved, even if it is virtual. This year has taught Max and the RSM students that no matter what happens in life, one must continue to move forward and that the arts are an important and enriching part of life. He looks forward to awarding new scholarships this year and to continuing to grow the Rising Stars Miami family.

Isabella Polak

Team Manager | 16

Isabella Polak has been a member of Rising Stars since 2019. She is a junior in the Visual and Performing Arts magnet at Coral Reef Senior High and has been studying theater and voice since she was 9. Over the past few years, ...

she has spent her time as an assistant stage manager for a local theater, and has also started writing scripts for Holocaust Impact theater and articles for several websites. As for performing, she has recently found a passion in straight plays and set design at her high school. Aside from participating in the performing arts, Isabella has a big presence in her community, as she is the historian of Miami Dreamcatchers, a non-profit organization focused on granting end-of-life wishes for hospice patients, and is the Team Manager for Rising Stars Miami. Having a positive impact on her community is very important to her.

Addison (Addie) Griñan

Founding Member | 16

Addison (Addie) Grinan has been a founding member of Rising Stars since 2018, she is a junior at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart and a long-time supporter of the arts. She has enjoyed ...

acting and being part of the “stage-family” for over seven years. She has been involved in musical theater both on stage and behind the scenes. Her love of acting had placed her in such roles as Mrs. Darbus in High-School Musical, Queen of Hearts in Alice and Wonderland, Jovie in Elf, Scuttle in the Little Mermaid, Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, and Beth in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Recently, Addison has taken to working behind the scenes, helping out with lighting, costuming and set design. Her most recent work has been helping with her school’s production of Clue: On Stage. In addition to acting, Addie spends her free time working with various clubs and missions to immerse herself in her community; she recently traveled to Sumpango, Guatemala to stay and help out at a local orphanage. She is grateful for any opportunity she has to give back to her community. She founded the Carrollton Book Club in order to share her passion for teaching that she gained through Rising Stars to others. Addie has most recently joined her school’s sailing team, which she received an award for in May, and is part of many other clubs and honor societies. Addie is elated to give back through one of her favorite mediums Rising Stars Miami.

Mela Lew

Founding Member | 16

Mela Lew has been a founding member of Rising Stars since 2018 and is currently a Junior at Ransom Everglades. She has been practicing and performing the violin since the age of 5. Over the years, ...

she realized that she wanted to integrate her passion for the Performing Arts into her everyday life, and her involvement with RSM helped spark her interest. Since she was little, she has been involved in various orchestra programs and competitions such as Great Miami Youth Symphony, UM Frost School of Music, and the Youth Fair to name a few. Most recently, she performed at Carnegie Hall as a selected finalist of the Honors Performance Series with renowned composer and conductor, Kirt Mosier (2022). Aside from her love for performing arts, she enjoys painting, photography, sailing on the Ransom Sailing team and expressing her interest in the Humanities. Upon graduating from high school, she plans to minor in music in order to continue her love for performing arts. Mela is incredibly excited to be a part of Rising Stars and will continue to give back to her community through her admiration and her ever-growing enthusiasm for the arts.

Georgia Strump

Founding Member | 18

Georgia is a 12th grader at Westminister Christian School. She recently performed in the world premiere of a new West End musical at The London Palladium...

She has been actively involved in theater for eight years through Miracle Theater, Area Stage, The Grove Players and her school. She has played the role of Tallulah in Bugsy Malone, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan, Aunty Em in The Wizard of Oz and Mrs. McCarthy in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. She has also appeared in many other theatrical productions and showcases. Georgia has extensively studied singing and has been a part of the Miami Children’s Choir as well as the WCS Ensemble group. Her hobbies include writing songs, playing the guitar and piano, film making, dance, as well as running track and cross country. This summer, Georgia was accepted into the Juilliard music program in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Berklee songwriting program in Boston. Last summer, Georgia was chosen to participate in the advanced songwriting program at The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. She has also studied multiple summers at the Frost School of Music at The University of Miami and has won numerous Excellent and Superior level medals at both the District and State Thespian competitions. Georgia is very excited to be a part of The Rising Stars and loves working with the kids because they are so enthusiastic.

Gabriella Hernandez

Member | 16

Gabriella Hernandez has been a member of Rising Stars since 2022. She is a Junior in the Visual and Performing Arts magnet at Coral Reef Senior High. She has been performing since she was 5 in dance and musical theatre. She has performed in ...

12+ different dance shows and 10+ musical theatre shows since she began studying in the arts. Over the past few years she has found a passion for directing, stage management, and choreographing for various different plays and musicals done at her high school. She is extremely active in the VPA program at her school as she has been Class Representative for the Class of 2024 for 3 years and is on the board of the Thespian Club. In her sophomore year Gabriella was able to compete at the District level for her Student Choreography number and her troupe’s large group. She was given the opportunity to compete with the large group at the state level and is preparing to compete once again this year. Gabriella’s most recent show was a production of Mamma Mia at her local community theatre where she has been volunteering during her free time. Aside from her love of the arts, Gabriella enjoys helping out in the community. She is the secretary of Miami Dreamcatchers, a non-profit organization focused on granting end-of-life wishes for hospice patients. Being active in her community not only through the arts but in many other ways is very important to her and she is very excited to be able to do that through Rising Stars Miami as well.

Zack Fisher

Member | 16

Zack Fisher is a junior attending New World School of the Arts in the music strand. He plays ...

a few instruments, such as guitar and french horn, and has performed for over 5 years. Zack enjoys playing guitar and going out with friends in his free time.

Evelyn Yu

Member | 16

Evelyn Yu is a 16-year-old attending Ransom Everglades School in the junior class. She is currently pursuing violin and piano since the age of 5, and also plays the guitar and cajon. Throughout her life, ...

she has been heavily involved in the musical community by participating in several programs and performances such as being in her school orchestra as well as taking private lessons in both piano and lesson since elementary, performing in honors orchestras, being a member of her elementary jazz combo, All-State Symphony Orchestra, multiple Greater Miami Youth Symphony summer orchestras, GMYS Symphony Orchestras, Ransom Everglades Advanced Chamber Orchestra since 6th grade, Ransom Everglades Advanced Chamber Quartet, and Ransom Everglades String Quartet. This past year, she performed with 2022 Honors Performance Series Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, New York as a selected finalist, also participating in a workshop with director and conductor Dr. Jeffery Redding. She also plays the violin and piano during select services, charity events, and community events at the Chinese Baptist Church of Miami. In addition to musical studies, she sails competitively on the Ransom Everglades varsity sailing team, as well as various summer, spring break, and year round club programs. Most importantly, being introduced to Rising Stars has allowed Evelyn not only to teach something she loves, but also to communicate and reciprocate the musical passion and knowledge she has acquired in her life.

Sidney Scholl

Member | 16

Sidney Scholl joined Rising Stars in 2021. She is a junior at Coral Reef High in the drama magnet. She enjoys ...

sewing and making costumes. She is happy to be able to volunteer with this team and bring happiness to the kids! She plays lacrosse at her school and is in many clubs like the book club, ecology club, psychology club. She is a singer as well, she has been doing it since she was 9 years old. She has been in countless productions at an array of different theaters and spaces. From Charlie Brown to Harry Potter and Into the Woods. She loves being onstage as much as being behind the scenes. She is part of the costume crew in her drama magnet.

Izzy Chong

Member | 16

Diana Gonzalez

Member | 16

Diana Gonzalez has been a member of Rising Stars since 2021. She is a junior in Ransom Everglades and has been a participant in the theater program since sixth grade. Diana focused on ...

the performing aspect of theater in middle school as she was an ensemble member for most of the middle school productions. In high school, however; she is more involved in technical theatre and has worked in lighting design and stage management. Some shows Diana has worked on include Clue, Little Shop of Horrors, and A Christmas Carol. Diana is also an active member of Breakthrough Miami and loves to volunteer and participate in Student Government at her school. After high school, she plans to continue working on technical theater in college and continue building on her leadership and management skills through theater and community service.

Liam Malik

Member | 16

Liam Malik has been a member of Rising Stars Miami since 2022. He is a junior at Ransom Everglades School. He has performed with various musical groups at his school, such as ...

the Symphonic Band and the Chamber Ensemble. He can play the bass, guitar, bass clarinet, contralto clarinet, and cello, and has experimented with the alto saxophone and the oboe. In the past, he has performed lead roles in school-organized plays. More recently, he has moved away from artistic pursuits in order to focus on academics and athletics, as he was recently named captain of the varsity track and field team, and is a member of the varsity football team. However, his passion for the arts remains strong, as he intends to join the Jazz Band as a bassist next year, where he will perform with a group of talented musicians around Miami. He is a member of the American Sign Language club, as he suffers from moderate hearing loss in both ears, and participates in outreach events to support the deaf community of Coconut Grove.

Emma Polak

Member | 17

Emma Polak has been a member of Rising Stars since 2022. She is a senior at Mast Academy in the Cambridge program. She has danced at ...

a local dance studio in Coral Gables for 5 years. She competed in numerous dance competitions and competed many solos. She also has won first place in her categrory for her solo at the “edge” dance competiton. She is also a part of the yearbook team at her school and likes to take pictures of the athletics at Mast Academy. She has been a part of yearbook for 2 years.

Natacha Gamby

Founding Member | 13

Former Member

Natacha has been exposed to music from a very early age. She has been on the National Roll for the Piano Guild Auditions for the past six years. ...

The Junior Creative Collaborator, Vice-President of the Coral Gables Jr. Music Club and a member for the past four years. She currently attends seventh grade at Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic School where she is a member of their Elite Chamber Choir and one of the news anchors for their Broadcasting Team. She was the first place winner of the Elocution Competition at STA 2018. Natacha played violin with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony Orchestra for the past two years and continues to study violin at her school. Although music is her passion, she greatly enjoys dance and is in her eight year of Ballet training. She has performed in numerous productions of beloved ballets such as he Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Coppelia among others. She has a great interest in technology and graphic design, always with strong determination to create art. Natacha has taken part in many musicals including the role of Marta for the beloved classic the Sound of Music with the Miami Childrens Theatre. She currently takes voice lessons from Grisel Lussier and attends the Edge Voice and Performance Studies at STA. In the Spring of 2018 she was awarded a scholarship for Musical Theatre from the prestigious Coral Gables Music Club. Natacha is extremely excited and thankful to join the group of Rising Stars Miami and hopes, that through them, she can make an impact in our community!

Jacob Wolfe

Founding Member | 17

Former Member

Jacob’s passion for the performing arts sprouted at a young age when he took up the piano at age 4. After a strong 6 years of playing the piano,...

he desired to learn a more versatile instrument, the guitar. Since age 10, Jacob has been perfecting his abilities on the guitar, being able to play a wide variety of styles. He has been playing lead guitar and singing as a core member of the Temple Beth Am Youth Choir for six years. Jacob is a Junior at Ransom Everglades School where he is an active member of the school’s Rock For Relief club, a non-profit club that hosts concerts to support different organizations or relief efforts. Jacob has attended Ransom Everglades since sixth grade, where he participated in their drama program from 6th-8th grade. He has acted in, produced, and written various shows and plays associated with the program. In addition to his love for the performing arts, Jacob has a passion for engineering and technology. In 8th grade, he joined Ransom’s VEX IQ Robotics team. Since then he has moved on to working in a much more interesting field of robots, Battlebots. He competed previously designed three and fifteen-pound Battlebots, before designing, machining, assembling, and competing his own 15-pound bot. He is proficient in multiple 3D design programs and will be learning how to code in a Computer Science course next year. Jacob is extremely excited and thankful to be a founding member of Rising Stars Miami and hopes that together, we can all make a positive impact on our community.

Kiran Desai

Founding Member | 17

Former Member

Kiran is a 16 year old student interested in piano, photography and volunteerism. His musical career began at age 6 when he first came across a ...

piano and sheet music and immediately sat down to plunk out and annotate a new song of his own. Since then, he has studied jazz piano for ten years with a private teacher and at several of the country’s top music summer schools including Berklee, the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and the Stanford Jazz Camp where he received the best piano soloist award. He is an active member of two of the jazz combos at his school, Ransom Everglades, and looks forward to studying music theory next year at the AP level. In addition to jazz piano, Kiran has played several shows with pop and rock bands. Kiran is also interested in photography and loves the ability to make art himself while documenting other artists and athletes. He has been published in US Lacrosse Magazine, was selected for and published in Ransom Everglades’ Inklings arts magazine, and has interned and shot for several music festivals including iiipoints, Astroworld and Rolling Loud and several online publications. He is currently an intern with DRKT, a Miami based creative agency. Finally, and most importantly, Kiran loves giving back to the community and loves working with kids and thus really enjoys the outreach opportunities and connection that Rising Stars provides.

Isabella Villa

Founding Member | 16

Former Member

Isabella is a sixteen-year-old Junior at Carrollton School of the Sacred heart. She acquired a passion for dance at an early age and is a current...

member of the dance team at Carrollton. In addition, Isabella was a member of the LDDF Dance Studio competitive Company Team for four years. Now Isabella expresses her love of dance through Rising Stars Miami, where she can expose kids to the performing arts. She is fully bilingual (English and Spanish) and also has 10 years of mandarin studies.

Devon Lane

Founding Member | 18

Former Member

At the age of five Devon started playing piano and singing. He kept up his love of music through his elementary years winning school talent...

competitions and received the lead in several musicals. In 6th grade he was awarded the piano seat in the Jazz band in Miami’s top Jazz program at South Miami Middle School. This honor is reserved for 8th graders. With this SMMS band full of talent - they went on to win straight Superiors for three years in every competition. He competed in Orlando, Atlanta and Washington DC. He was also elected to perform in the Miami Superintendent’s Honor Band. Devon added percussion to his instruments at SMMS and began playing drum set and snare in Wind Ensemble in addition to the Jazz piano. In the 2016-17 high school year Devon was awarded a coveted position in the prestigious New World School of the Arts. He played in the New World Wind Ensemble, Jazz Combo and Orchestra. During this same year he began playing the Bassoon with University of Miami’s Shalala outreach program and is now in his 4th year. In the 2017-2018 school years he was awarded Drum Captain and lead and marched in numerous parades throughout the city. He is currently at Robert Morgan High in the Performing Arts strand. He plays in the Jazz band on Piano and the Wind Ensemble on Bassoon. He is currently working on a musical as well. While music is an integral part of his life - community volunteering is even more important to him. Devon began volunteering in elementary school and has enjoyed mentoring in many programs in the summers and spring and winter breaks with Touching Miami with Love, Kix Youth For Christ in Homestead and on missions in the Bahamas, Nicaragua and Columbia. When a group of friends approached him about founding Rising Stars it was a natural next step to what he was already doing. Rising Stars has been a terrific community program and spring board for giving back with talented friends. Devon has a strong GPA and is on the Principals Honor Roll. He loves the outdoors, his Labrador Toby, his brother Andrew and Mom and Dad. He spend part of his summer at the family home in North Carolina where he hikes in the Smokey Mountains and enjoys time out on the lake.

Peter Mendiola

Founding Member | 17

Former Member

Peter is a Junior at Ransom Everglades High School. His hobbies include fishing, lobstering, swimming, boating, reading and writing. He also...

plays Lacrosse on his school’s team. His background in acting include being in the school play, which was an amalgamation of radio skits from the 1930s and 40s, in the eighth grade. His background in writing includes writing an innumerable amount of skits and scenes, most of which are comedic. He aspires to be a screenwriter and movie director.

Fernanda Garcia Moreno

Founding Member | 17

Former Member
Fernanda was born in Mexico City in 2003, and came to the US in 2005. She then moved to Moscow, Russia...

in 2008 and began playing the piano and the violin. She has lived in Miami since 2011, and has continued to play the piano, and has since learned to play the guitar. Since 2011, she has been playing the piano at the Frost School of Music, and is self taught in the guitar. She is currently a Junior at Ransom Everglades, and is very excited to be a part of Rising Stars Miami, and contribute to making an impact in the community by inspiring others to follow their passions for music and the arts.

Ava Bean

Founding Member | 13

Former Member
Ava is a rising 8th grader at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart and an aspiring actress. She is thrilled...

to be a part of Rising Stars Miami. She loves working with the kids and is very grateful to The Swietelsky family for all the amazing opportunities they’ve given her. Ava’s previous credits include: Wizard of Oz jr (Cowardly Lion), The Wedding Singer (George), Shrek Jr (Donkey), Seussical (Wickersham), Into The Woods (Witch), Cinderella (Fairy/Ensemble), Thoroughly Modern Millie jr (Rita), The Lion King (Timon/Ensemble), and 42nd Street (Ensemble).

Harry Veith

Founding Member | 18

Former Member

Harry is an alto saxophonist who has had a long standing passion for music. Starting on the violin at the age 7 he quickly grew fascinated by the world of...

music. In elementary school he joined the school orchestra as well as the Greater Miami Youth Symphony String Orchestra. In his elementary years he also participated in a summer program at the University of Miami focusing on jazz composition and theory. Entering middle school at Ransom Everglades School he transitioned to the alto saxophone, where he performed in a number solo and ensemble performances. He has continued his pursuit of musical study and performance in the Ransom Everglades High School Band and now the Coral Gables Senior High Jazz Band. Outside of school, Harry has participated in the Greater Miami Youth Symphony Jazz Band and attended a Jazz Intensive with Latin-Grammy-Award -winning musician Ed Calle. Beyond music, Harry enjoys academics and volunteering. He was inducted into the Ransom Everglades National Science Honor Society and is an AP Scholar with Honors. This past summer he was selected to conduct research on glaucoma at the renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute through the University of Miami’s Howard Hughes High School Scholars Program. This will be Harry’s third year volunteering at the Barnyard in Coconut Grove, Florida where he has tutored underprivileged children on a weekly basis. Harry has enjoyed helping with activities at the Barnacle Historic State Park in Coconut Grove, Florida and has been active assisting the homeless with Plymouth Congregational Church attending a mission trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania sponsored by the church.

RSM Scholarship for the Arts Recipients

Guillermo Barrera

Scholarship Recipient | 8

We met Guillermo Barrera at Branches Florida City Community Center and we immediately fell in love with his enthusiasm and his willingness to jump in to everything we were showing him! Guillermo, who is in second grade, won a Rising Stars Miami Scholarship to the Broadway Bites Theater Workshop at Area Stage Company this summer and was a real star!

Jeanna Chevalier

Scholarship Recipient | 11

Kamariya Ferniza

Scholarship Recipient | 11

ESSENCE OF DANCE TEAM Virrick Park Community Center

RSM Grant Recipients

Essence of Dance Team is a talented group of young dancers at Elizabeth Virrick Park Community Center in Coconut Grove who are achieving amazing success under the artistic direction of Vicky Rivers. They placed 3rd in the State of Florida in the JV HIPHOP category at their first year as competitors in the 2019 PopWarner Dance Competition!