The vision
Music and Meditation Santa Barbara was created to unite the healing power of mindfulness with the expressive depth of live classical music. Each event offers a carefully designed journey—from guided meditation to concert performance—inviting audiences to quiet the mind, open the heart, and experience music with heightened awareness and emotional clarity.
The music repertoire and performers, as well as the venues, are thoughtfully chosen to reflect the special vision of the project, creating a rare blend of intimacy, inspiration, and community. This unique series embodies a vision of well-being and artistry, brought to life by its founders and team.
The founders
Antonio Artese, DMA
Founder and Artistic Director
Antonio Artese is an Italian pianist and composer whose career bridges classical tradition, jazz improvisation, and multi-sensory performance.
Trained at the Conservatorio “Santa Cecilia” in Rome and holding a Doctorate in Piano Performance from UC Santa Barbara, Artese has performed widely across Europe and the United States, collaborating with leading classical and jazz artists. His recordings include Italian Sketches, Voyage, and Two Worlds (ABeat Records, 2022), premiered at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara.
As a cultural innovator, he has founded and directed numerous festivals and concert series, including Mysterium—multi-sensory concerts uniting sound, light, and scent—and Cryptic Music at the Marino Marini Museum in Florence.
His collaborations with Prof. Ennio Granieri in the field of Neuroaesthetics explore the deep connections between music, perception, and the mind. Since 2017, he has served as Dean of the Global Academic Program at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.
With Music & Meditation Santa Barbara, Artese invites audiences into a unique space where meditation and live music converge to inspire presence, balance, and inner harmony.
antonioartese.com
Jessica Kolbe
Founder and Meditation Guide
Jessica Kolbe is a nationally recognized Tai Chi and Qigong teacher who has dedicated more than two decades to sharing the healing power of these ancient practices.
A Senior Trainer with the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC), Jessica has taught workshops and certification programs across the United States and abroad, including at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, La Casa de Maria in Montecito, and 1440 Multiversity in Scotts Valley.
Her work blends movement, breath, and mindfulness to promote physical vitality, emotional balance, and inner peace. She has led classes for the City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation and Santa Barbara City College. Jessica has created wellness programs for organizations such as Cottage Hospital and Procore, and is a frequent presenter at national conferences and the Mayo Clinic.
Through her long-running TV program Qigong with Jessica Kolbe, she has brought these practices to students worldwide.
For Music & Meditation, Jessica will guide the audience through a gentle meditation, preparing mind and body for a deeper experience of the music. Her approach invites participants to quiet the mind, connect with the breath, and open themselves to the healing resonance of sound.
Based in Carpinteria, Jessica continues to lead local classes on the beach and in gardens, online sessions for global audiences, and retreats to China, Japan, Costa Rica and Bali, always with the same goal: to help others discover balance, vitality, and presence through the art of mindful movement.
www.qigongsb.com
Rachel Egenes,
Director of Community Engagement & Events
Rachel Egenes is a multidisciplinary artist, singer, and coach whose work explores the voice as a transformative bridge between creativity, healing, and inner awareness.
A graduate of Stanford University with advanced certification in Voice and Movement from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, she has also trained extensively in Sound Healing and Vocal Alchemy with Sacral Sounds in Los Angeles.
Her career spans international performance and production, with appearances for CBS (New York), Channel 4 and the BBC (London), as well as Off-Broadway theater and interdisciplinary collaborations across music, dance, and visual art. She has created and directed projects at venues such as Soho House, Tribeca Film Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, and Art Basel Miami Beach.
Now based in Santa Barbara, Rachel offers vocal alchemy journeys and voice study at the Music Academy of the West, guiding both youth and adults in discovering the voice as a source of presence, empowerment, and connection.
At Music and Meditation Santa Barbara, she brings her vision of the voice as a meditative practice—an instrument of healing and inspiration that opens pathways for deeper listening, creative engagement, and shared community experience.
rachelegenes.com
Reflections
“The silence must be longer. This music is about the silence. The sounds are there to surround the silence.”
— Arvo Pärt
“Silence is not the absence of sound but the presence of all sounds together, as if they were suspended.”
— Olivier Messiaen (quoted in Griffiths, Messiaen and the Music of Time)
“The music is within your heart, your soul, your spirit … I just go within.”
— Alice Coltrane
To experience music more fully, we can prepare ourselves in the same way we would for meditation: by grounding the body, calming the breath, and bringing attention to the present moment.
Instead of listening passively, we engage actively — noticing the textures, silences, and emotional landscapes as they unfold.
This mindful listening transforms a concert into a journey inward, where each note resonates not only in the air but also within our consciousness.
Music and Meditation Santa Barbara
Quiet the Mind, Let the Music In
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