Seba Molnar / Farayi Malek

Boston Jazz Foundation's mission is to foster a safe space for marginalized artists to cultivate and create. We are dedicated to serving the diverse Boston jazz scene by providing professional development, performance opportunities, and educational resources to showcase jazz and its culture to the Greater Boston community and beyond.

Seba Molnar is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, and educator based out of Boston. Originally from Canton, New York, Molnar moved to Boston in 2012 to attend Berklee. While at Berklee, Molnar had the opportunity to study with world-renowned saxophonists George Garzone, Bill Pierce, and Tia Fuller.

Molnar has made a name for himself as an in-demand saxophonist both as a sideman and leading his own groups. Molnar has played and recorded with Grammy Award–nominated artists Patrice Rushen and Debo Ray, jazz legend George Garzone, as well as Mighty Mystic, Java Jukebox, Kat Wright, Jeff Lockhart, Tyson Jackson, and many more. Molnar frequently plays in Boston and tours around the Greater New England area. Molnar has also played a number of international shows and festivals like Charles River Jazz Fest, Boston Jazz Fest, BAM’S Fest, Newton Festival of the Arts, and the Burlington Discover Jazz Fest. Molnar’s talents have also led him to be featured on national TV and radio.

Though his music is heavily rooted in jazz, Molnar’s curiosity for new sounds and innovation has enabled him to create a wide array of music that transcends genre. In March 2020, Molnar released his debut album Level Up, featuring mentor George Garzone, with Jens Sweeting, Soso Gelovani, and Clemens Grassman. 

Farayi Malek is a jazz and contemporary vocalist, composer, and educator. She received her bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory of Music in 2017 where she studied with vocalist and composer Dominique Eade. Upon completion, she continued on to receive a master’s degree in Contemporary Performance at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in 2018, under the tutelage of world-renowned pianist and composer, Danilo Pérez. Since 2018, Malek has been a member of Danilo Pérezs Global Messengers. Their 2022 album Crisalida was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. In addition to her performance ventures, Malek is a passionate music educator. In January 2020, she founded Allegro Virtual Preparatory Instruction, an online learning platform that strives to provide students with access to the highest possible level of preparation for the study of music in higher education in order to maximize the chance of admittance and scholarship funding, and to build foundational skills for success and heightened creativity. Beyond helping students develop the necessary technical, performance, and professional skills, Allegro Virtual Prep strives to inspire each student to be socially conscious and to use their music to make a positive impact in their own communities. In September 2021, Malek joined the faculty at Berklee as an assistant professor in the Ensemble Department, as well as a pop ensemble teacher at Berklee’s City Music Boston High School Academy. In January 2022, she joined the faculty at New England Conservatory.