Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jane(Xinjian) Huang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jane(Xinjian), thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I am the event director and opening DJ of Kaleido Music Festival, which was a live music show featuring mostly original music, held at the San Francisco Community Music Center early this spring. The show provided a platform for local independent musicians to showcase their musical talents, also bridging the gap between local audiences and the local music community.

I came up with the idea of this music festival back in 2024. Having lived in the Bay Area for several years with a dedication to music and performance art, I observed that while public events abound, people here tend to be more engaged with tech conferences rather than with live performances, especially for original songs without alcohol. I’m not saying no one wants to go to concerts, but most of the big names performing at Oakland Arena or Chase Center are often from out of state or even overseas.

The Bay Area is rich in cultural and artistic diversity, but compared to music industry centers like Los Angeles, with its many record labels, or New York, with its abundance of performances and media resources, the music scene here is more “indie” and “experimental.” It’s more of a place where musical styles are born rather than a star-making factory. Artists from the Bay Area are often strong in musicality and creativity, but they don’t necessarily incline to fit into the global mainstream market.

That always felt like a missed opportunity to me. It inspired me to create a venue more accessible and relatable to the public, while also blending well with the unique personalities of our local music community. That was how Kaleido Music Festival came to life.

Jane(Xinjian), before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been working with music for a long time. With a BFA and an MFA in music, my personal works/collaborations have won awards from notable competitions such as the MUSICACOUSTICA-Beijing Composition Competition and the 8th CSFF (China International New Media Short Film Festival). Alongside my academic pursuits, I’m also actively involved in commercial music production. My debut single “Not Worried” was released under my stage name Armed Byrd, and is available on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. I also work as a music director, supporting small local performance businesses in the Bay Area, with my largest production staged in a venue accommodating over 900 audience members.

Assisting other artists’ performances gave me hands-on experience in various areas of music and event production, which helped me tremendously when preparing for my own event: I handled nearly every aspect of the preparation for Kaleido Music Festival, including (but not limited to) early artist outreach, visual design (posters, website, and social media), sponsorship acquisition, ticketing system setup, and stage sound design.

The show was successfully held on April 26, 2025, at the CMC Concert Hall in San Francisco, and was featured in coverage by Sing Tao Daily.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

There’s often a gap between the way things are taught in school and the way they actually unfold in life. As people with a degree in music, we should take a step back and consider things from the perspective of those who are not that into music, which usually helps gain a more balanced perspective.

I got this from my fundraising experience for the music festival, which was definitely not an easy path. It was a pleasure to work with so many great music artists in the Bay Area who have gained recognition. Most of them have a body of established work, and some have even contributed to the music production of well-known TV programs and animated series. However, when I confidently went to meet potential sponsors with the pitch, accompanied by a reel made from the artists’ works, I was met with a cold reality — the sponsors weren’t as concerned with the performers’ credentials nor the quality of the music. In fact, what they care most about is how closely the audience overlaps with their potential consumers, which meant I had to make major changes to my pitching plan, emphasizing the connection between the festival’s target audience and the sponsors’ businesses, as well as the benefits the performances could bring to them.

Intuitive or not, good music alone does not guarantee a good performance.

Art schools should introduce more practice-oriented courses, allowing students to develop the various skills that will be crucial for their future artistic careers in the real world, rather than reinforcing so-called “academic standards” in an attempt to act as gatekeepers. In addition, local art departments and media organizations should offer more incentives for art events, such as venue discounts and promotional channels, especially for small-scale events that are just starting out. If popular art events can be branded and integrated into the city’s image, they could also help attract tourists and art-related investments, boosting the city’s visibility and prosperity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.armedbyrd.com
• Instagram: @armed_byrd
• Other: https://www.kaleidomusicfestival.com