Salastina is a visionary chamber ensemble and presenting organization.

Who We Are

Salastina was founded in 2010 by violinists Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, who continue to direct the series.
Our roster of musicians consists of Resident Artists and special guests.

Why We’re Here

Salastina’s Vision:

“Making Classical Music relevant to a forward-looking society.”

We work towards this vision through our mission:

“Salastina invites listeners to join with composers, musicians, and artists to celebrate the beauty of the past and present,
and to carry it into the future with a spirit of inclusiveness.”

What We Do

Salastina currently offers three areas of programming. All three serve our mission of connecting others to our art form in areas where we, as musicians, see a distinct need:

• In-person and virtual performances (learn more about our approach below!)

• Vital Sounds: private, virtual bedside concerts three days each week for patients in UCLA’s ICU

• Sounds Promising: our tuition-free Young Artist program

Live Performances

Join us in Pasadena, Downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, or online.

What We Play

With an eye towards modernizing the culture around classical music, Salastina presents both Happy Hour salons and an ever-so-slightly-more-traditional Main Series Concerts.

Salastina’s popular Happy Hour series began in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For 107 straight weeks, Salastina presented free online events featuring live performances by and intimate conversation with a diverse array of guest artists. Thousands of audience members delighted in the opportunity to personally interact with guest artists like Hilary Hahn, Caroline Shaw, Eric Whitacre, Alan Menken, and many, many more.

In June of 2022, the series underwent a revamp. Our goal: to keep everything that made Happy Hour great while evolving to our post-COVID reality. Happy Hours now take place in-person with a live, online broadcast viewable for 7 days from ticket purchase. The events take place at 11 AM on either Saturdays or Sundays, with mimosa and pastry receptions to follow. Happy Hour remains all about getting to know fabulous, diverse guest artists musically and personally in a fun, sociable, and completely unpretentious setting. Now we can perform live alongside them — and hang out with you in the process!

Meanwhile, our Main Series Concerts feature a handful of proprietary concert formats. These include:

• Sounds Genius: a deep-dive into a beloved masterwork

• Sounds Unknown: an exploration of the many reasons some pieces and composers haven’t gained the recognition they deserve

• Sounds Mysterious: the musical equivalent of a blind wine-tasting

• Sounds Delicious: our contemporary take on the Salon tradition — pairing gourmet food and live music in an intimate setting

• Sounds Local: a celebration of the best chamber music currently being composed in the creative capitol of the world

Where We Play

True to the spirit of chamber music, Salastina performs in intimate, comfortable venues of acoustic and aesthetic beauty. 

Click here to learn more about our venues.

When We Play

Salastina presents 5 to 8 pairs of concerts annually, plus additional special events.

View our concert calendar here.  

Why We Play

Chamber music is like the indie rock band of the classical music world. With only one to a part, personal and musical chemistry are as invigorating for us as they are imperative to the art form.

Many of us earn our bread and butter recording for major motion pictures (like this one). This affords us both a sense of relevance to popular culture and respectable quality of life.

But chamber music is what we do for fun. Salastina has been, and will always be, artist-driven. Having control over what we play, when we play it, where we play it, with whom we play it, and how we play it is the most fulfilling aspect of each of our artistic lives.

But our Why extends beyond artistic self-realization. We all believe in the power of music to bring others together; to inspire, enrich, and entertain; and to connect our cultural past, present, and future.

In this way, Salastina serves not only our own self-expression, but ultimately the society in which we live and work.