We had the good fortune of connecting with Beatriz Ayala-Muñiz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beatriz, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I love this question because it makes me think about identity and how we get to choose and define who we are as we change and grow; for me, never the same yet always rooted in one truth. I am from Puerto Rico, a fact I am proud of. There’s a lot to be said about being from a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean with one of the most complicated historical contexts and current reality. Yet, I will keep it light: I owe my entire essence to this place. The way I speak, eat, walk, dance, relate to others, the way I feel; passion forward, resilient, edgy, warm, la música por dentro, a mix of idealism with brutal truths and the belief that we are capable of reaching the impossible. We are community-based and driven, my childhood and my parents taught me how to be a connector of people and ideas, and to be someone in constant creation of spaces where people feel they can connect, belong and feel joy,

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I like to think that in the world we live in today we are all artists in some way. I have two arts that bring me joy: 

1) connecting with people and connecting them to opportunities and experiences outside of their reach
2) finding and curating experiences through music to bring about elevate people’s feelings and emotions
These two forms of art inform the tech music company I founded called Musicasa. A marketplace connecting music lovers with emerging, independent artists through highly personal home concerts. Think of it as Airbnb for live music where hosts share the homes with a community of artists and guests.  A combination of networking with music discovery in someone’s home! Our vision is to turn homes into cultural epicenters where the people connect through the arts.

We’ve done more than 220+ concerts with more than 6.5K people in attendance. People with homes that fit 15 to 40 people can join as a host and turn their homes into a concert space for their friends or an extended curated network of people all while getting paid! Join us here: musicasaa.com

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Let’s imagine it is Sunday during the morning – walk or run from Brickell (18th and up) towards Coconut Grove. Make sure you go around the Vizcaya Museum surroundings as part of the route. Don’t stop until reaching the Main Highway at Downtown Coconut Grove.

Get a table at Los Félix, between the Chef Seba Vargas and the co-owner Josh Hackler they’ll make you feel like family. Do not leave without drinking their watermelon juice!

Walk around the town, people watch, grab a drink at Barracuda and then visit the Artisanal and Farmer’s Market after 1 pm.

Later in the early evening get ready to explore an eclectic yet chic listening room in the heart of Wynwood: Dante’s HiFi. The music will make you feel cozy and the drinks will make sure you get up and dance!

Beyond this, the places you do not want to miss while in Miami: Fiorito, Lung Yai Thai, Lagniappe, a Miami Tech Life happy hour at the Freehold, Dr. Smood for a hot chocolate with cashew mylk, a Musicasa concert (I had to!) or a concert at the New World Symphony.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It takes a village! Life is full of unpredictable moments, encounters, meetups and beyond that shaped my journey and where I chose to be today. As far as call outs I would focus today on the Flying Ayala’s, the original 5: Carmen Vi (mom), Adolfo (dad), Tavo (brother), and Marissa (sister) for your love and support. Also, I dedicate this shoutout to Many Lives, Many Masters book for teaching me that the path of the soul is beautiful, deep, and never alone.

Website: https://www.musicasaa.com/

Instagram: @musicasaa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/musicasa-concerts

Twitter: @musicasalive

Youtube: https://youtu.be/6DOoWw-IGn8

Other: personal: @beajando_

Image Credits
Photographer: Natalia Santander for Musicasa

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.