MUSA was founded in 2012 by eight young professional musicians with a shared passion for bringing the original sounds of centuries-old music to life. Insisting on the highest artistic integrity and communicative, colorful performances, San Francisco-based MUSA perform on period instruments to give audience ears the sound quality of the music when it was first performed. Through live performance, MUSA shows that the popular music from the 16th to 18th centuries – the dance music and drinking songs, as well as magnificent court spectacles – transcends time and place to speak to us today. Moving fluently between soloist and chamber musician roles, MUSA members take equal parts in the development of each performance – a creative process that includes developing innovative programs and collaborating with composers and artists. Believing that no art forms in a vacuum, the musicians build a multi-layered experience around the conception of the works: what composer, literature, music, religion, political coup, or visionary commissioner had to combine to bring this music to life? MUSA is dedicated to performances that are dramatic, enlightening, and accessible to all.