OUR MISSION
Through regular concert programming, ongoing collaborative projects and hi-fidelity recordings, Musaics of the Bay provides unique opportunities for artists to discover and develop their own authentic voices, enrich and expand their professional portfolios, and cultivate meaningful relationships that bridge worlds between peoples, cultures and communities.
The Red Door
Musaics’ new performance and recording space, The Red Door, serves as a home for residencies, open rehearsals, artistic collaborations, and the creation of new works. The Red Door is a laboratory where artists can experiment, take risks, exchange ideas, and develop material in an intimate and exploratory setting.
The Red Door also supports the artists who pass through its doors by documenting and amplifying their work. Featured artists receive professional photography, hi-fidelity recordings of their performances, and a press kit designed to provide lasting materials that can support their professional careers beyond the space.
The Directors
Audrey Vardanega
Founder | Artistic Director
Pianist Audrey Vardanega is passionate about providing emerging artists with opportunities to determine their own careers by creating new artistic communities, collaborations and sustainable networks.
Christos Vayenas
Director of Programming
Christos Vayenas is an impresario committed to transforming the way in which we create, perform and experience the arts. In addition to his work with Musaics, he is the founder of the NYC-based arts organization The Autumn Salon.
The Board
Thomas Chen is an investor and board member in enterprise. An East Bay native, Thomas believes in the power of enriching communities through music and cultural activities.
Sharona Barzilay was trained as a biologist and served for many years as a school administrator and teacher. Now retired, she is better able to indulge her lifelong passion for classical music and is thrilled to support the mission of Musaics.
Christophe Rimann, an East Bay Native, is currently a Business Analyst at McKinsey and Co. in San Francisco. Christophe received a B.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University and his M.Eng also in Computer Science from Cornell University, where his research focus was on blockchain. Christophe is passionate about skiing, cooking, and entrepreneurship.
Audrey Vardanega has performed as a solo pianist and chamber musician across the United States, China, and Europe. Audrey received her B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University and her M.M. in Piano Performance at Mannes under the tutelage of Richard Goode. Audrey is passionate about cooking, traveling, and creating engaging musical collaborations.
Milad Yousufi is a pianist, composer, conductor, poet, singer, painter and calligrapher. Yousufi’s work is deeply inspired by his country and culture. Yousufi is under Simone Dinnerstein’s mentorship and considers Dinnerstein as one of his great inspirations.Yousufi has graduated from Mannes School of Music in spring 2020 and currently pursuing masters degree in composition under Dr. Dalit Warshaw's mentorship at Brooklyn College.
Meina Xu worked closely with the late Maestro George Cleve to create the Mozart Youth Camerata in 2011. She is on the Board of Directors of San Francisco’s Old First Concerts and enjoys cooking and classical music.
Isabella Salaverry Rosekrans was born and raised in California. She was a stay at home parent who volunteered in her children’s school as well as a local hospital and eventually in both men’s and women’s prisons.
ADVISORs
Simone Dinnerstein is an American pianist. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, son and dog, less than a mile from the hospital in which she was born. Simone has a distinctive musical voice. The Washington Post has called her “an artist of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity.”
Non-Discrimination Statement:
Musaics of the Bay does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, creed, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, economic status, nationality, religious affiliation or age.