About
The Bay Area Music Association was founded in 2007. BAMA is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young talents by promoting and exposing individuals of all ages and levels to music. BAMA offers a wide range of events, including competitions, festivals, master classes, and seminars by professional musicians.
We began by holding music festivals around the Bay Area with a focus on discovering young raw talents and giving them opportunities to expand in the musical arena. Since 2007, the Young Artist Music Festivals have grown to bi-annual events held in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, Palo Alto, San Carlos and Foster City.
By 2008, higher professional levels and changes in repertoire requirements led us to a new direction – the Music Legacy Festival. In the winter of 2010, we held our first Honor Recital, where the best students from the Music Legacy Festival performed. The same year we transformed the Music Legacy Festival into the Music Legacy Open Competition, welcoming world famous pianist Yefim Bronfman as our distinguished patron.
In 2014, the Bay Area Music Association launched another event: the US International Music Competition, a competition of a different format from Music Legacy Open Competition. We are pleased to have more Bay Area participants as well as contestants from other countries.
Members of Bay Area Music Association always looking to provide new and different opportunities for young musicians to perform. In 2017, we started a new online only competition. With the advanced technology of the 21st century, there are no more borders for music.