Jay Rodriguez-Sierra and Martha Cinader are influential visionaries, artists, and cultural advocates whose work has shaped music, literature, and community engagement for decades. As founders of Sound System Culture and the Listen & Be Heard Network, they are dedicated to empowering diverse communities through the arts, fostering cross-cultural dialogue, and supporting emerging talent.
Jay Rodriguez is a Grammy-nominated composer, producer, and internationally recognized virtuoso multi-instrumentalist. His musical career spans over forty years, during which he has played an integral role in shaping the soundscape of New York City and beyond. As a cofounder of Groove Collective, Jay has contributed to the musical arrangements and recordings of celebrated artists such as Elvis Costello, Ray Barretto, Guru, DJ Premier, The Wu-Tang Clan, Chucho Valdés, Prince, Celia Cruz, and Fred Wesley, among others.
Jay founded Sound System Culture, a nonprofit organization where he serves as Artistic Director. The organization is dedicated to empowering and activating communities through the arts by offering immersive performances, educational workshops, and multimedia storytelling. Sound System Culture supports the belief that all human beings are inherently artists. It provides a platform for underrepresented voices and emerging artists, bridging generations and musical genres, and promoting artistic innovation and social impact.
Martha Cinader is a poet, author, and multimedia producer whose creative path began within the dynamic spoken word and music scenes of 1980s and 1990s New York City. She is the author of two books of poetry and short . Her single "Living It!", has been released on multiple compilations around the world including Universal Music France and Switzerland. She has performed at prestigious venues and festivals, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Panasonic Village Jazz Festival, and Lincoln Center’s Bang on a Can Festival, collaborating with Butch Morris' Chorus of Poets. Her forthcoming young adult novel, Marq and the Queen Fish, is scheduled for publication in 2026.
Martha is the founder and Director of the Listen & Be Heard Network, what began as a unique and popular open mic event in the East Village, became a weekly arts newspaper and poetry cafe in the Bay Area of California for six years and is, in its current iteration, a producer of non-commercial podcasts and radio shows syndicated on the Pacifica Affiliate Network, such as The Listen & Be Heard Hour and Beyond Borders. Her body of work encompasses live radio dramas, arts journalism, and community storytelling, with deep roots in iconic venues like the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, University of the Streets, and collaborations with Steve Cannon at A Gathering of the Tribes.
Newly relocated to Harlem, Listen & Be Heard Network amplifies the mission of Sound System Culture by providing a platform and voice for a shared vision. Together, Martha Cinader and Jay Rodriguez-Sierra champion artistic expression, education, and cultural preservation. Their collaborative efforts set groundbreaking standards as performing artists and creators.
In addition to their artistic achievements, they mentor emerging artists, produce transformative media, and advocate for music, poetry, literature, and all forms of art as essential tools for fostering social cohesion, building communal networks, and establishing vital social infrastructure.
