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.
Angela Rey – 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