OUR STORY
The ASTRAEUS Collective was formed out of our mutual desire to reinvigorate the world of classical chamber music. From performing in decommissioned cotton mills to orchid greenhouses and Brooklyn brownstones, you can always expect a visual and auditory feast of delights when at an ASTRAEUS experience.
Created in San Francisco in 2018, the founding members of ASTRAEUS met as students at the renowned San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where they honed their skills under some of the world’s best chamber musicians. Dissatisfied with the traditional concert hall experience, they began their Bar Series at Monroe, a San Francisco nightclub where they presented everything from Beethoven to Lady Gaga in a sleek and modern environment.
ASTRAEUS quickly gained traction and was added to the roster at InterMusic SF, during which period of time they partnered with major institutions such as Stanford University and CSU East Bay to work with student composers and premiere their works. ASTRAEUS also created their Commissioning Initiative, in which they sought to specifically sponsor the commission of a work by an LGBTQ+ composer: Derek Tywoniuk was the inaugural winner with his string quartet ‘never (always) not’.
In 2023, founding members Mia Rose Nardi-Huffman and Samuel Nelson moved the Collective to Brooklyn, New York, where they have expanded the roster to include visual artists, vocalists, electronic music producers and more. Nowadays, you can find ASTRAEUS Collective concerts touching down all over the New York Metropolitan Area in spaces ranging from art galleries and DIY venues to intimate house concerts.
Follow The Collective on Instagram at: @astraeus_collective for frequent updates and show postings.