About Rey Music & Arts

Rey Music & Arts works at the intersection of music education and performance. We produce classical, Brazilian, and Afro-diasporic events and artists for events across New York, and run programs that make these traditions accessible to people who've never encountered them — a festival audience hearing a full Brazilian bateria for the first time, a nine-year-old discovering the ins and outs of Lincoln Center, an adult finding out at 40 that they can dance.

We work trilingually in English, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish, reflecting our working relationships with artists and cultural organizations across the Americas and Europe. Classes are taught primarily in English, though some visiting artists teach in their own first language (Brazilian Portuguese or Spanish) and programs can be translated to reach wider audiences.

About the Founder

Angela Rey's musical path began at age four, where an initial curiosity for the keys evolved into rigorous classical training under Alla Gladysheva of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. That foundation soon expanded outward — into classical violin, salsa piano, Latin percussion, and jazz — culminating in a B.A. in Global Jazz Studies from UCLA, where she studied under Arturo O'Farrill.

Her transition into teaching was driven by a desire to bring that same discipline to others, and over 14 years she has formalized that practice as a Steinway Educational Partner and member of the New York State Music Teachers Association, achieving a 100% ABRSM pass rate including honors across methods ranging from Kodály to Russian pedagogy.

Today, Angela combines that teaching practice with a career producing New York residencies for teaching artists across disciplines — from musical theater to Afro-Brazilian dance technique — and booking artists for public and private projects throughout the city. She performs as conductor and percussionist with Mambembé New York and Grupo Ribeiro, with performance ties to Carnaval in Salvador, Bahia.

RECOGNIZED BY —

Steinway & Sons – Educational Partner

Bachelor of Arts in Global Music Studies (UCLA)

New York State Music Teachers Association – Member

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

PROFESSIONAL IMPACT —

14+ years of teaching experience

200+ students taught, ages 3 to 60+

100% pass rate on ABRSM Exams

Curricula spanning ABRSM, Kodály, Faber, and Russian pedagogical methods

Instruction adapted for neurodivergent learners

Direct working relationships with artists and cultural organizations in NYC, the Tri-State Area, California, and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil

Exploratory

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Adaptable

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Technical

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Literacy

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Exploratory ✻ Adaptable ✻ Technical ✻ Literacy ✻

Meet the Team

  • Angela Rey

    FOUNDER

    Angela Rey is a pianist, percussionist, teacher, and cultural producer based in Brooklyn. She began piano at four and trained classically under Alla Gladysheva of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, later earning her degree in Global Jazz Studies from UCLA. She has taught privately for fourteen years and holds an Educational Partnership with Steinway & Sons, preparing students for ABRSM examinations, recitals, and auditions. As a percussionist she performs and conducts with Mambembé NYC and performs with Grupo Ribeiro and Maracatu Baque, working in samba reggae, maracatu, and Afro-Brazilian traditions from Bahia. She produces Afro-Brazilian arts programming in New York, and is a member of the New York State Music Teachers Association.

  • Marley Manalo

    ADMINISTRATOR

    Marley Manalo supports Rey Music & Arts as our administrator, helping keep scheduling, communications, and the day-to-day details running smoothly for our students and families. A writer and artist with a background in fashion, photography, and editorial storytelling, she studied Creative Writing at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco — the same school where Angela trained in classical piano — and is now pursuing Film & Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz, founding Limitless Magazine and collaborating on Smudge Magazine along the way. She brings that same creative attention to every family's experience with the studio.