The Kalos Arts
Ensemble
Original chamber music for intimate salon settings — an evening of active listening, transcendence, and encounter.
Information for Hosts, Sponsors & Presenting OrganizationsWhat is an Evening with the Kalos Arts Ensemble?
"The purpose of meeting tonight is to set aside a few hours of life to be filled, surrounded with vibrating air — and through that, to touch what is transcendent."
The Kalos Arts Ensemble presents Objects & Grief: An Evening of Chamber Music — a 55-minute salon concert of original works by composer and pianist Gustav Hoyer, anchored by internationally acclaimed violinist Teimuraz Janikashvili. The evening begins before the first note, as guests gather with light refreshments. When they are invited to find their seats, the composer opens not with a program note but with a question: how do we hear music?
The spoken presentation guides listeners into a quality of attention that most music never asks for. Hoyer speaks briefly before each work — honest, personal context that opens the listener without explaining the music away. The music itself is instrumental: no words, no narrative. It is, as Hoyer describes it, the sculpture of vibrating air — you sit in a tub of vibrating air together, sharing those vibrations with each other. What passes from the musicians' hands through the air is reconstituted in the listener's own soul.
The evening closes with a post-concert reception: wine, food, and the ensemble present to meet the audience. The composer in the room, the performers at arm's length, 75–150 people who came to listen. This is an encounter that concert hall formats cannot replicate.
Light as a Second Language of the Music
"If I could show your eyes what your ears will hear — how would we do that?"
Illustrative · Each column represents one instrument's live audio spectrum
Salon performances include a bespoke real-time lighting environment built specifically for these events. The system captures the live audio of each instrument as it is played, analyzes it across the full frequency spectrum, and drives DMX-controlled stage lighting in real time.
Each instrument has its own light bar, showing the full profile of its sound — the fundamental pitch and all the overtones — translated into color: reds for the lowest frequencies, rising through the spectrum to violets and blues for the highest energies. A second layer of ambient lights washes the room in the color of each instrument's fundamental, driven by intensity — how loudly or softly the instrument is sounding. The piano displays which specific notes are sounding across its full range at any given moment.
Audiences are cradled in light the way they are already being cradled in the sound waves of the music. The goal is not storytelling. It amplifies and reinforces; it does not compete or explain. This is not a light show. It has been built to deepen the encounter.
The Ensemble
Internationally acclaimed soloist and concertmaster. Solo debut age 8, Georgian National Orchestra. Trained Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Since 2004, regularly engaged with leading European orchestras including the National Orchestra of Spain and Barcelona Symphony. Endorsed by the AFM as an artist of extraordinary ability. Based in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Degrees in violin performance and Suzuki pedagogy, Wheaton College and The Hartt School. Concertmaster, Nutmeg Symphony Orchestra and Manchester Symphony Orchestra. Private Suzuki studio since 2003. Based in Windsor, Connecticut.
B.M. Performance, University of Memphis; M.M. Performance with Suzuki Pedagogy, University of Hartford. Member, Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra since 2012. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Composer and pianist. Works recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Budapest Film Orchestra for Navona Records. Chairman, Board of Directors, Kalos Arts Foundation. Fort Collins, Colorado.
What Is Involved in Hosting
The Kalos Arts Ensemble performs in donated or low-cost intimate venues — churches, university halls, private homes, galleries, and arts centers. Hosting is not a conventional presenter arrangement. You are not booking a touring act; you are partnering to bring something specific to your community, and your local knowledge, relationships, and networks are central to making it succeed.
Venue Requirements
- A high-quality piano — concert grand preferred; an upright of professional quality may be considered depending on the venue
- Seating for 75–150 people in an intimate configuration — close to the performers, not stadium-style rows at a distance
- Stage area sufficient for four seated string players positioned adjacent to the piano
- Ability to control ambient lighting to allow the pcm2dmx lighting system to function as designed
- Space for a post-concert reception — can be the same room or an adjacent area
- Acoustic quality appropriate for unamplified chamber music
What Hosts Do
- Donate or secure the venue at no cost to the ensemble
- Promote the event actively through your local networks — email lists, social channels, community relationships, and personal invitation
- Identify and connect potential ticket buyers — personal invitation is the primary driver of attendance at salon events
- Coordinate local logistics — parking, access, reception setup
- Optionally: help identify local donors or sponsors who can underwrite a portion or all of the event costs
Attendance, Tickets, and Costs
These events are designed to be financially accessible — not to generate profit. Every concert requires support beyond ticket revenue to fully cover expenses. Understanding the economics helps hosts and sponsors know exactly what is at stake and how they can help.
Seats per event. Venue capacity up to 150; 100 is the working planning number.
Based on a mix of general admission, premium reserved, and student pricing.
Per event, covering all performer fees, travel, reception, and marketing. Varies by geography.
Ticket Pricing
| Category | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird | $28 | First 40 tickets; rewards advance commitment |
| General Admission | $35 | Standard pricing for the majority of seats |
| Premium Reserved | $48 | Front rows; limited to approximately 25 seats |
| Student | $15 | University and college audiences; audience development |
Closing the Gap
Every event runs a deficit of approximately $1,400–$1,800 per concert after ticket revenue. This is not a design flaw — it is the cost of keeping ticket prices accessible and performer fees professional. The gap is closed through patron and sponsor support, not by raising ticket prices or reducing what musicians are paid.
The Kalos Arts Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) religious nonprofit (EIN 92-2740649). All donations from sponsors, patrons, and underwriters are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
How Hosts Can Help Close the Gap
Kalos Arts Foundation · 501(c)(3) Religious Nonprofit · EIN 92-2740649 · Donations are tax-deductible as charitable contributions
Bring the Salon
to Your Community
If you are interested in hosting a Kalos Arts Ensemble salon — or in learning more about sponsorship and underwriting opportunities — we welcome the conversation.
The ensemble is currently booking events for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027.
Early conversations help ensure date availability.