site.btaBulgarian Lora Aroyo Turns Her New York Home into Concert Venue

Bulgarian Lora Aroyo is a Computer Science Professor in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and a Research Scientist at Google Research in New York, the USA, where she has been living since 2018. In 2021, she and her husband opened the doors of their New York home and turned it into a concert venue, an initiative aimed at supporting their musician friends left without work and income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with BTA, Aroyo talks about the initiative, artificial intelligence in music, the link between computer science, mathematics and music, and life in New York.

Tell us a little more about yourself. When did you move to the USA, and what led to that decision?

My connection to New York began long before I moved here permanently in 2018. Back in 2012, while I was a computer science professor at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, I came to New York on a sabbatical at International Business Machines Corporation. I later spent a few years as a visiting professor at Columbia University and also worked as Chief Scientist at a startup called Tagasauris based in New York. 

As New York was becoming the center of my professional life, it also won my heart. I met my future husband, Chris Welty, with whom I now share both research and life. At one point, I simply realized that New York had become my new home.

You are the founder of Salon 58. When did the idea come, and how did it start?

Salon 58 was born in late 2020, when the pandemic left many of our musician friends without venues and income. We decided to act, first by opening our own home, then inviting friends and music lovers to do the same. We turned our homes into intimate concert halls where 100% of ticket revenue goes directly to the artists.

The initiative quickly gained momentum. After our official launch at the National Arts Club in May 2021, our repertoire expanded to include jazz, opera, and chamber music. In the difficult COVID years, when large concert halls were closed, our home concerts became a safe haven for the New York music scene.

Salon 58 established itself as a space that supports young talent from institutions like The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, while also attracting well-known performers. It creates a unique opportunity to experience both the music and the musicians up close.

This year, Salon 58 Inc became a registered non-profit organization. Our mission remains the same, my husband and I cover all organizational expenses so that 100% of ticket sales support the musicians directly.

How do you choose the performers you invite? And how often do concerts take place?

At first, we aimed to support our musician friends, but the initiative quickly grew beyond that. We often invite performers we’ve heard on New York stages who have impressed us deeply. Many come with ready programmes and use the opportunity for a dress rehearsal or to add an extra concert to their tour.

We strive for a balanced programme each season, with new faces, audience favorites, and a variety of genres. Our goal is always to offer something new - new composers, musicians, styles, and discoveries for the audience.

Your work also involves artificial intelligence (AI). What is your view on AI’s role in music?

AI opens up a universe of possibilities, but in the end, it is the human who is the expert, the one who selects and refines the final result. I believe the purpose of AI is not to replace human creativity but to serve as a creative collaborator. It’s a powerful new tool that allows us to interact with the masters of the past, explore new creative directions once thought impossible, and expand the boundaries of what we call art.

Do you plan to return to Bulgaria one day?

I don’t know what the future holds. When I lived in Bulgaria, I never imagined the wind would carry me to the Netherlands for more than 20 years. And while I was living in the Netherlands, I had no idea that one day New York would become my home.