Founder of The Secret Theatre & General Producer of the International New York Competition for Performing Arts

Richard Mazda is a multifaceted British-born artist — record producer, songwriter, musician, actor, director, and theater founder — who has made significant contributions to both music and performing arts.

Born in 1955, Mazda began his career in the UK punk and new wave scene as co-founder and lead guitarist of the band Tours, which signed with Virgin Records in 1979. He later became an in-house producer for IRS Records, working with iconic acts such as The Fall, The Birthday Party, Wall of Voodoo, The Fleshtones, and Tom Robinson. As a songwriter, he earned an ASCAP award for the Billboard R&B No. 1 hit “How Long” performed by Ultra Naté.

In 2004, Mazda immigrated to the United States, where he transitioned into theater. In 2007, he founded The Secret Theatre in Queens, New York — an Off-Off-Broadway venue that has become a vital hub for independent productions, festivals, and education. Originally based in Long Island City, the theater relocated and continues to thrive with a focus on classical works, musicals, improv, and youth programs through The Secret Theatre Academy. Mazda has directed and performed in numerous productions, including favorites like Richard III, Fagin in Oliver!, and Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

Today, as Artistic Director and owner of The Secret Theatre, Mazda also serves as General Producer of the International New York Competition for Performing Arts, an exciting new international event set for 2026. A proud American citizen, he remains dedicated to fostering creativity and community in New York City’s performing arts scene. He currently remains the owner and artistic director of The Secret Theatre, The Secret Theatre Academy, and Vital Art Studios.

Dr. Onalbayeva hails from Kazakhstan and has lived in five U.S. states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi). She is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC), Southeastern Composers League (SCL), Schumann Music Club (SMC), and Mobile Music Teachers Association (MMTA).

In 2024, she received the First Degree Diploma in the National Professional Category of the XVII Golden Key Piano Composition Competition, and her recordings of Lawrence Moss’s “A Life” (12 solo piano movements) were featured on the Navona Records CD “Unseen Paths.”

Dr. Kadisha Onalbayeva is the first pianist from Kazakhstan to become a Steinway Artist (since 2013), and in 2022 she was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame. She is the founder and president of the Gulf Coast Steinway Society, which promotes piano studies in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. She currently teaches at the University of Mobile (Alabama), where she serves as Director of Piano Studies.

She actively performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and with orchestras, and participates in festivals of new and classical music in Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Costa Rica, Austria, and England. Among her achievements: the Glad Robinson Youse Adult Composer Award (2019) for the piece “Think…Together,” composition of the theme “Alla” for the documentary film “Alla, Muse of Dior,” the solo CD “Think…Together” (2021), and recordings of Lawrence Moss’s “A Life” on the album “Unseen Paths” (Navona Records, 2024).