Union Square Soirée: Catharsis and the Human Experience of Listening 

with Dr. Ramilya Saubanova and Juan Gonzalez, founders

Episode Description

When world-class musicians meet audience and community in the intimate setting of an historic Baltimore townhome, exceptional things happen. 

In this episode of The Sum of All Wisdom, host Scott Catey speaks with Ramilya Saubanova and Juan Gonzalez, founders of Union Square Soirée, a Baltimore-based salon concert series reviving the historic tradition of intimate house concerts.

Hosted in a beautifully restored 1872 Baltimore rowhouse, Union Square Soirée brings together classical musicians, jazz artists, and emerging performers for concerts where audiences sit just feet from the performers—close enough to see the physical artistry behind the music.

Scott and his guests explore:

·       the revival of the salon concert tradition

·       how intimacy changes the experience of live music

·       the importance of supporting young musicians

·       how salon concerts create community and cultural conversation

·       why audiences are rediscovering small-scale live music in a digital age

·       art for audiences versus art for art’s sake 

·       music, artists, food, wine, and… coffee!

The conversation also touches on Baltimore’s musical culture, the role of conservatories like Peabody Institute, and the power of music performed in human spaces rather than on distant stages.

Juan also reveals a little known secret about Vivaldi’s compositional technique and his musical innovations. 

If you love classical music, live performance, music history, intimate concert experiences, and how each of these can help contribute to the revitalization of a great American city, this episode offers a fascinating look at how a centuries-old tradition is finding new life today.

Names, Locations, and Organizations, Mentioned in this Episode

People

·       Daria Vasileva, https://dariapianist.com/

o   NB: Daraa will be a guest on the podcast in a few weeks!

·       Jackson “Jackie” Wu, https://www.unionsquaresoiree.com/jackie-wu

·       Tristan Latchford, UK Composer (https://www.tristanlatchford.com/about.php) 

·       Daniel Crozier, Composer (Rollins College, Florida, nephew of Fred Rogers) https://www.danielcrozier.com/bio/ 

·       Barbara Mikulski (https://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_Mikulski.htm) 

·       Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars (https://www.sallybabyssilverdollars.com/)

·       Jonathan DePeri (https://www.gcinschool.com/artist/jonathan-deperi) 

Places

·       Union Square neighborhood, https://livebaltimore.com/neighborhoods/union-square/

·       Fells Point (Neighborhood in Baltimore, https://baltimore.org/neighborhoods/fells-point/) 

Organizations

·       Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, https://peabody.jhu.edu/ 

·       Creative Alliance in Baltimore (https://creativealliance.org/) 

About the Guests

This episode features Ramilya Saubanova and Juan Gonzalez, the founders of the Union Square Soirée salon concert series in Baltimore, Maryland. Union Square Soirée is a unique initiative that brings together emerging and established artists to create intimate, memorable musical experiences that connect talent with the community. 

Guest Information

Dr. Ramilya Saubanova is the founder and president of the Union Square Soirée, as well as a concert pianist with over 23 years of experience performing in prestigious venues across Russia, Europe, and the U.S. She holds Specialist, Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Kazan State Conservatory and the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to her work with the Soirée, she founded the Tatar Music Concert Series in the U.S., blending music, history, and art to offer one-of-a-kind cultural experiences. Ramilya is also a passionate educator and mentor to young musicians. Her debut solo CD will be released in 2026, featuring works by Brahms, Medtner, Latchford, and Crozier.

Juan Gonzalez is founder and vice-president of the Union Square Soirée, where he combines his love for classical music and history with his passion for community engagement. His goal is to foster an appreciation of classical music while connecting local musicians with a wider audience, creating a platform where both emerging and established artists can shine. Juan brings a rich background to the initiative, with over 20 years of experience as educator, advocate, and patron of the arts. 

Websites & other links

Union Square Soiree

·       https://www.unionsquaresoiree.com/ 

·       https://www.instagram.com/unionsquaresoiree/ 

Ramilya Saubanova

·       https://ramilyasaubanova.com/ 

·       https://www.youtube.com/c/RamilyaSaubanova 

·       https://www.instagram.com/ramilya_saubanova/ 

Music featured in this episode:

Ballade No. 4 by Frédéric Chopin
Used with permission.
Artist-preferred link

Étude Tableaux in E flat minor, Op.39, No.5: Appassionato by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Used with permission.

About the Show & Production Notes

Written, produced, and hosted by Dr. Scott Catey, The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form, reflect...

Episode 1: Andre Floyd: The Deep Wisdom of a Working Musician

Episode Summary

In this inaugural episode of The Sum of All Wisdom, Dr. Scott Catey sits down with longtime friend and musician Andre Floyd, to discuss his life, career, and philosophy. 

We talk about the stories we carry, how meaning evolves, and how lives are sometimes unexpectedly intertwined. Andre looks back over a life and career lived as a musical “cobbler,” and he talks about resilience, amplifying marginalized voices, uplifting community, and creating opportunities for self-determination and self-respect among young people from cultures that often get erased or misrepresented. He also remembers the ways he has used music for good throughout his life, teaching Montessori, providing music therapy, and the importance of sharing music, especially in difficult times. 

What unfolds is not just a conversation about gigs and bands, but about pivot points—those moments when life gets turned over, takes a new direction, or transforms. From singing the National Anthem at Wrigley Field in 1982, to playing pool with Seamus Heaney, to performing at Luke’s alongside Montana icon Jay Rummel and others, Andre reflects on what it means to build a life by “cobbling together” community, opportunity, talent, and instinct.

Music as life is full of both possibility and responsibility, and Andre shares his wisdom on both, and more. 

In This Conversation

• Growing up in an Air Force family and finding the guitar at age 11 
• Cubs vs. Expos: Singing the American and Canadian national anthems at Wrigley Field—and in the wrong key 
• The Chicago years: mentorship, management, and cultural education 
• The Missoula barstool literary scene
• Jay Rummel: brilliance, anger, and artistic obsession 
• Mood Iguana, Tapas Records, and the sociology of collaborative music-making
• Religion, separation, and community fracture 
• America’s unresolved racial history and its cultural consequences 
• Teaching and mentoring Native youth in Arlee, Montana

About Andre Floyd

Andre Floyd is a Montana-based musician whose career spans decades of performance, recording, collaboration, and community-building. The son of an Air Force Tech Sergeant, Andre’s early life moved from Alabama to Kansas, Maine, Panama (where he kept an ocelot as a pet and dated Tata Vega), and eventually Montana.

He has performed across the country and around the globe, with some of world’s most storied artists. His band Mood Iguana was a staple of the regional scene before he dissolved it rather than allow it to become less than his original vision.

Today, his work increasingly centers on mentoring Native youth in Arlee, Montana—offering tools for self-definition and nontraditional success.

Links

Facebook

Spotify

Music Featured

“Your Garden” by Andre Floyd

“Found True Love” by Andre Floyd

Used with permission.

About the Show

The Sum of All Wisdom: Conversations on Music, Makers, and Meaning is a long-form podcast exploring the lived experience of working musicians and music-adjacent creatives whose work shapes communities in visible and invisible ways.

Written and hosted by Dr. Scott Catey, produced by Ravenna Studios.