Hello everyone and welcome back to Speaking of the Arts. What a year this has been. At a time when live music is needed more than ever, we’ve had to put it on hold and watch musicians perform almost exclusively on our screens. There is some good news though as we wrap up 2020. Through the tireless efforts of NIVA (the national independent venue association)www.nivassoc.org and NITO (the national independent talent organization)www.nitolive.org , as well as several other arts organizations, our community has rallied together and witnessed the passing of the Save Our Stages act. The bill provides 15 billion dollars in direct funding to venues, agencies, and other arts organizations and is a much needed lifeline at this point in time. You can visit SaveOurStages.com for more information on how this might apply to you. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write their congressmen and women these past several months. It truly paid off. Today’s episode continues our discussion on best practices for live streaming. My guests are Nicholas Milos and Chad Hilligus. Nicholas is currently the general manager of the Luckman Fine Arts Complex www.luckmanarts.org in Los Angeles, where he oversees production of all of their live music events. Chad is currently the executive and artistic director of Performance Santa Fe www.performancesantafe.org . Our conversation goes in depth into how each organization has had to pivot to both producing live streaming events and also producing new content to serve as future virtual events. We talk about what is working and not working for them, how to think about exclusivity in the world of streaming, whether or not streaming has a place in the future once we can do events in person again, and what new opportunities might arise as a result of the new Save our Stages act. Before we begin the episode I want to thank all of our listeners and I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Here’s to 2021. Stay safe and take care.

Speaking of the Arts

Episode 64: To Stream or Not to Stream

Today we are featuring the one and only Donny McCaslin https://www.donnymccaslin.com/music . Donny made national headlines a few years ago when he worked with David Bowie on what would ultimately be Bowie’s final album, Blackstar. Since then, Donny has released the critically acclaimed album BLOW and, prior to the COVID shutdown, he regularly toured the United States, Europe, and Asia as the leader of his own high energy band. On August 14, Donny released a new single called Reckoning https://www.donnymccaslin.com/music , an emotional response to the recent months of heightened protests in the wake of increased racial violence. From the press release, “While certain sections of the song channel anger and a sense of urgency, other sections reflect the possibility of hope for more positive and meaningful actions like those of the Black Lives Matter movement. McCaslin worked on the piece with GRAMMY®-nominated producer, (re-)mixer, bassist and composer Ben Rubin. Rubin used news coverage samples of recent protests at start and end along with a DJ premier - inspired boom-bap beat to set the song’s focus. McCaslin laid down some of the saxophone and flute tracks through his phone, recorded in a closet, expressing his emotions in a raw, unfiltered setting." The track is available on your favorite streaming platform now and I encourage listeners to check it out. It is Donny’s artistic reaction to the long history of injustice facing the black community and is very timely.

Episode 63: Donny McCaslin

Since the beginning of social distancing, live streaming has been the one major performance opportunity available to artists. We can easily spend all day everyday now tuning in to watch artists of all types. As a result, our industry has simultaneously become flooded with live streaming and confronted with many new challenges. For example, how do you compete for people's attention with so many streams happening? How do you determine the proper price for virtual tickets when your patrons are used to viewing content for free? What type of artist fee should you offer an artist for a virtual concert? Should you use Facebook, YouTube, and/or Instagram to stream the event or are there better platforms out there? How do you make a unique experience for your patrons when you no longer have the ambience of your venue? If you are an artist, how do you make a unique experience for your fans who may be watching your show on a small phone? Lastly, what will all of this look like when live music can finally resume in person? These questions and many more are fundamentally changing how live music is presented and received. While we won’t have time to address everything on today’s webinar, our goal is to share new ideas that address some of these basic challenges. Today you will hear from Laura Simpson, CEO and Co-Founder of Side Door (https://sidedooraccess.com/home). Side Door’s platform marketplace is built to connect artists with curators, venues, service providers and audiences to make booking, ticketing and payments easy, fair and transparent. Next you will hear from Andrew Baranbom, Founder & CEO of First Tube Media (https://www.firsttubemedia.com/), a full-service livestream content platform that makes it turn-key for brands to execute innovative sponsorship programs. Next up will be Eric Essex, Director of Programming at the University of Alabama Birmingham’s prestigious Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center (https://www.alysstephens.org/). Over the years, Eric has booked everyone from Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis and Pat Metheny to Diana Krall, Yo-Yo Ma, Emmylou Harris and Oscar winning actor Al Pacino. Next you will hear from Nicholas Russotto, Director of Music Programming at the 92nd Street Y in New York City (https://www.92y.org/). Finally, you will hear from Emmet Cohen (https://emmetcohen.com/), winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association. I also want to thank my team member Marie Le Claire who is with us today to ensure things run smoothly. Thank you Marie.

Episode 62: How to successfully live stream your concert

We have a couple of exciting announcements to make today. First, I want everyone to know we just launched a brand new website for the podcast! www.speakingofthearts.com has a new updated look and feel and contains every episode we’ve done since we launched back in 2015. The newer episodes feature both audio and video versions with our guests. I want to thank my team member Marie Le Claire for all of her work behind the scenes and for making the new website look great. Next, I want to draw attention to an exciting webinar we are hosting this Thursday, July 16, 2020. The webinar is on the topic of Live Streaming and we have an incredible lineup of guest speakers who will discuss best practices including how to monetize your next stream. Artists and promoters will especially benefit from the webinar so please go to www.epsteinco.com/news for more information on how to register for the event. Space is limited so be sure to sign up soon. Now, onto today’s podcast episode. I have wanted to have this guest on the podcast since I started the series and we finally connected. Maria Schneider is a 5x Grammy winning conductor and composer and she has worked with everyone from David Bowie to Dawn Upshaw. In 2019 the National Endowment for the Arts bestowed on Schneider the nation's highest honor in jazz, naming her an NEA Jazz Master. Recently, the National Recording Registry inducted her Grammy winning album Concert in the Garden into the registry and she was also given the distinction of being elected into the 2020 American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Schneider has become a strong voice for musical advocacy and in 2014, she testified before the US Congressional Subcommittee on Intellectual Property about digital rights. She has also appeared on CNN, participated in round-tables for the United States Copyright Office, and has been quoted in numerous publications for her views on Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Google, digital rights, and music piracy. Our conversation centers around Maria’s new album Data Lords which is now available for order. This is by far her most ambitious project to date and it is a double album release. Head over to www.mariaschneider.com now and order yourself a copy. You will not be disappointed. We also talk about about Maria’s earliest influences during her musical upbringing, what makes a good bandleader, and so much more. I had a blast speaking with Maria and I hope you enjoy today's episode. Thanks for listening everyone.

Episode 61: Maria Schneider

Today we are featuring a new organization called NITO (https://nitolive.org/) which stands for the National Independent Talent Organization. In their own words “NITO is a non-profit group initially formed by like-minded independent talent agencies for the purpose of promoting the welfare and prosperity of its members and their represented artists, as well as for the indirect benefit of those associated with them. NITO welcomes a broader coalition of the live music ecosystem beyond independent talent agencies. From the point of inception, NITO has been working tirelessly to advocate for the survival of the live music community as the nation and economy slowly recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.” My own agency (https://www.epsteinco.com/) is a member of the organization and I encourage anyone listening who is an agent, manager, artist, or crew member to consider joining. As an organization, we are actively lobbying congress to provide additional funding and support for the live music industry. Joining me today are two of NITO’s founding members including Brad Madison of Mongrel Music (https://www.mongrelm.com/) and Jack Randall of The Kurland Agency (https://www.thekurlandagency.com/) . Our conversation covers NITO’s current and long term goals as well as some of the benefits of joining the organization. We also discuss the current state of the touring industry and what needs to happen in order for it to survive and ultimately resume operations. As always, thanks for listening everyone and be well.

Episode 60: National Independent Talent Organization

Today we are featuring a new company on Speaking of the Arts called Virtual Concert Hall. They have created a unique product that aims to solve a major problem for both artists and venues right now. As we have all experienced these past several weeks with live streaming, the quality from these sessions can be less than great and the experience for both the artist and fans is also less than ideal. So, how does Virtual Concert Hall work? Here is a brief description of the process: "We ship a sanitized box of state-of-the-art video & audio equipment to you and guide you in setting up via FaceTime. You perform and we capture the best version of you and your music. For livestreams, we provide a feed to your platform(s) of choice. You ship the box back to us. We edit and create a broadcast-ready master of your performance and deliver files to you." I love the simplicity. The company was created by Adam Abeshouse https://www.abeshouseproductions.com/ and Adam is my featured guest speaker today. Adam is a multiple Grammy winner for the audio engineering and production work he has done throughout his 35 year career. His bio is extensive, however, a few highlights include work with Itzhak Pereleman, Joshua Bell, Emanuel Ax, The London Symphony, and the Boston Symphony among many others and he has produced and engineered recordings for Sony, BMG, Naxos, and EMI. Our conversation covers what Virtual Concert Hall is all about. I think both artists and venues will find this especially useful since the product can serve either side equally well. As always, thank you for listening and hang in there folks. Things will get better.

Episode 59: Virtual Concert Hall

Today’s episode is about a new coalition recently formed to help support agencies during the pandemic. The coalition is called PAMAC, which stands for the Performing Arts Managers and Agents Coalition. This is a group of more than 150 artist managers, booking agents and independent producers in the performing arts industry, with support from 16 arts service organizations, including Americans for the Arts and the League of American Orchestras. In their own words: “PAMAC has united our sector with a mission of working together in collective action to advocate for arts support relief amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We are bringing our message to Congressional leaders to urge them to legislate for extensions and recapitalization of funding for the entire arts sector." Joining me to talk about PAMAC is Laura Dunaway and Cindy Liu, both from Park Avenue Artists. Laura Dunaway joined Park Avenue Artists in 2016. Prior to joining PAA, Laura was an agent with United Talent Agency (formerly The Agency Group) where she booked a very diverse roster of artists such as Alison Balsom, Jake Shimabukuro, Jane Krakowski, Kishi Bashi, Snarky Puppy, and many more with orchestras and music venues/series all across North America. Cindy Liu joined Park Avenue Artists in 2018, as artist manager on the teams of Joshua Bell, Daniela Liebman, Ryan Silverman, and Larisa Martínez. As of this recording, the Coalition has received over 10,000 signatures and you can visit https://change.org/artsrelief to learn more about how to support their mission. Full disclosure, I immediately signed up when I heard about it and I encourage our listeners to do so as well. Please enjoy my conversation with Cindy and Laura. Link to APAP's guide to reopening https://www.apap365.org/Portals/1/PDFs/Advocacy/PACC%20Reopening%20Advisory%20%20Draft%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Ver%204.0.pdf

Episode 58: Performing Arts Managers and Agents Coalition

Today we pick up on our Artists in Quarantine mini series and feature the pianist, composer, and activist Fred Hersch (https://fredhersch.com). Our conversation covered a lot of great things that Fred is up to right now including his daily live streamed concerts (https://www.facebook.com/fredherschmusic/), his new album with Esperanza Spaulding (https://esperanzaspaldingfredhersch.bandcamp.com/?fbclid=IwAR30TpnRPjh7WnpPx-Bgv7eSvL_ezddvmYZXrvIUe9xZc1Hd5UO81UgYhTU), his documentary called The Ballad of Fred Hersch (https://fredherschfilm.com/), which is available on YouTube, his production of My Coma Dreams (https://mycomadreams.com/), his steady release of new singles on Spotify, and how Fred approaches meditation and some of the benefits he receives from his practice. I am always inspired after speaking with Fred and I hope everyone listening enjoys our conversation as much as I did. Stay safe and take care. Live music will return.

Episode 57: Artists in Quarantine with Fred Hersch

Hello everyone and welcome back to Speaking of the Arts. My guest today is Kristy Edmunds. Kristy currently serves as the Executive and Artistic Director for UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance https://cap.ucla.edu/ . Prior to this, Edmunds was the Founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)https://www.pica.org/ and the TBA Festival (Time Based Art) in Portland, Oregon https://www.pica.org/tba/ . She was the Artistic Director for the Melbourne International Arts Festival https://2019.festival.melbourne/ from 2005 to 2008, and was the first to serve an unprecedented four-year term. Upon completion she was appointed as the Head of the School of Performing Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne, and after one year became the Deputy Dean for the College. Concurrently, Edmunds worked as the inaugural Consulting Artistic Director for the now critically heralded Park Avenue Armory in New York (2009–2012)http://www.armoryonpark.org/ . Our conversation took place during mid May. We talked about the unique relationship between artists, producers, managers and agents and how social distancing has completely changed this dynamic. Kristy also spoke about some of the scenarios she is exploring with her team at CAP UCLA https://cap.ucla.edu/ for future presentations as well as some very important resources that artists can take advantage of right now. These include Americans for the Arts and ArtistsRelief.org https://www.artistrelief.org/ . The latter is a fund which is currently awarding $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19. You can go do ArtistsRelief.org to learn more about this. I am grateful for Kristy’s time and I think you find find this conversation both very honest in terms of where the performing arts are currently at as well as inspiring. Thank you for listening everyone.

Episode 56: Kristy Edmunds

Welcome to Speaking of the Arts. Today’s guest is Jay Sweet. Jay is the Executive Producer of The Newport Folk Festival ( https://www.newportfolk.org ), The Newport Jazz Festival ( https://www.newportjazz.org/ ) and Newport Festivals Foundation ( https://www.newportfestivals.org/ ), a 501(c)(3) which expands the impact of its Festivals through music education initiatives throughout the United States. During his tenure, the Newport Folk Festival has won five Pollstar awards for Music Festival Of The Year; and America's original music festivals have regained their stature as premier happenings. Our conversation took place approximately 48 hours after Jay and his team had to make the announcement they were cancelling both festivals this year and I am grateful to Jay for taking the time to speak with me during that difficult period. Jay spoke to me about several important things that are very timely for our industry including how we can support artists now, even if you can’t give them money. By the end of our conversation, I was impressed at how positive Jay came across for both the future of Newport and it’s incredible history, and you will hear some great stories from Jay.

Episode 55: Jay Sweet

Welcome to a special episode of Speaking of the Arts. Today’s episode will feature the audio from a live panel discussion we recently hosted via Zoom. The topic was on the Future of Performing Arts and our guest speakers explored different scenarios for how to present music going forward. Guest speakers include: Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO of the Marcus Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI www.marcuscenter.org Mark Jacobson, Senior Programming Manager, UMS/University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI www.ums.org Ryan McMaken, Artistic Director of the Savannah Music Festival, Savannah, GA www.savannahmusicfestival.org Gillian Friedman Fox, Director of Contemporary and SOLUNA Programs, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas, TX www.mydso.com Tim Jackson, Artistic Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival and Artistic Director/Co-Founder of Kuumbwa Jazz, Santa Cruz, CA. www.montereyjazzfestival.org www.kuumbwajazz.org Shlomo Lipitz, VP National Programming, City Winery, NY, NY www.citywinery.com Jonathan Winkel, Director of Jazz Ensembles, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI www.uwm.edu Tom Warner, Director of Performing Arts, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA www.longwoodgardens.org Brice Rosenbloom, Founder and Producer of the NYC Winter Jazzfest, Jazz Coalition Co-Founder, and Boom Collective Owner www.winterjazzfest.com www.jazzcoalition.org www.boomcollective.com You can tune in and watch the video recording here. https://youtu.be/LWn4iHqbEhk

Episode 54: The Future of Performing Arts: Exploring New Scenarios for Live Music and Events

Today we are featuring the award winning pianist and composer, Emmet Cohen. The National YoungArts Foundation recently featured Emmet for his weekly live stream concert series called Live from Emmets place. Emmet does this with his trio every Monday night at 7:30PM Eastern and you can tune in and watch via Emmet’s facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/heyemmet/). In this episode, I talk to Emmet about his experience with live streaming and some of the unique challenges that can come up during the process. We also talk about Emmet’s exclusive website membership and what you get when you sign up (https://emmetcohen.com/exclusive), as well as Emmet’s upcoming debut release on Mack Avenue Records. More on Emmet: Emmet Cohen is the winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association, and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Indianapolis. He placed first in both the 2014 American Jazz Pianists Competition and the 2011 Phillips Piano Competition at the University of West Florida and, as a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, he was received in the Oval Office by President Obama. Cohen has appeared in varied international jazz events, including the Newport, Monterey, Detroit, North Sea, Bern, Edinburgh, and Jerusalem jazz festivals, as well as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia. He has also performed at the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Birdland, Jazz Standard, London's Ronnie Scott's, Jazzhaus Montmartre in Copenhagen, Lincoln Center's Rose Hall, the Cotton Club in Tokyo, and Washington's Kennedy Center. He is Hammond B-3 organist-in-residence at Harlem's SMOKE jazz club.

Episode 53: Artists in Quarantine with Emmet Cohen

Speaking of the Arts welcomes NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis and Epstein & Company's own Marie Le Claire. In this episode, we talk to Delfeayo to hear more about his new album JAZZ PARTY and what he has been up to during quarantine. Listen as Delfeayo speaks in depth about the conception for his Uptown Jazz Orchestra and the unique approach they take to each show. For the better part of a decade, acclaimed trombonist, producer and composer Delfeayo Marsalis has spent Wednesday nights at the helm of his sprawling Uptown Jazz Orchestra’s residency at Snug Harbor in New Orleans. With Jazz Party, Marsalis’ seventh album as a leader, he delivers an original composition-heavy set of music that showcases the same exuberant energy of those shows, complete with modernized twists on New Orleans songbook gems and musical traditions, and swinging, groove-infused homages to the contributions of modern jazz masters. Spiked with the NEA Jazz Master’s wry wit and visionary production acumen, Jazz Party sees Marsalis – along with Roger Lewis, Terrance Taplin, Khari Lee, and more of the Crescent City’s finest musicians – making a strong musical case for the notion modern New Orleans jazz can and should be as celebratory in nature as it is cerebral in execution. Over the course of his prolific career, trombonist, composer, producer, educator and NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis has been hailed as one of the “most imaginative...trombonists of his generation,” a title that reflects decades of musical exploration, preparation and risk-taking, much of which began during his childhood in New Orleans, where his father, Ellis Marsalis, introduced him to jazz in the family home. Eventually, Delfeayo says, he “gravitated toward the trombone,” which felt like “an extension of my personality.” He was simultaneously developing his ear for music production after his brothers, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, piqued his interest in the process, which he continued to develop while producing their demo tapes and interning at Allen Toussaint’s Sea Saint Studio. He’s gone on to produce more than 100 recordings for artists including his brothers, his father, Spike Lee, Harry Connick, Jr., Terence Blanchard, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and others. An exceptional trombonist, Delfeayo has toured internationally with bands led by Art Blakey, Slide Hampton, Abdullah Ibrahim, Max Roach and Elvin Jones, as well as his own groups. Delfeayo recently served as Music Producer for the film “Bolden!,” a mythical account of the life of Buddy Bolden, and has worked extensively in arts education. He holds a master’s degree in jazz performance from the University of Louisville and an honorary doctorate from New England College. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.

Episode 52: Artists in Quarantine with Delfeayo Marsalis

Today is the first episode of a new mini series I will be doing where we will be featuring some of our artists during this time of quarantine. My first guest is Kat Edmonson and we actually had Kat on the show almost exactly 2 years ago so if you like what you hear today then please check out that interview which is episode 34 (http://www.speakingofthearts.com/episode34/). Today, I speak with Kat to learn about some of the unique things she is doing from home to stay creative and active as an artist. For example, Kat has created a new live show that she streams from her apartment in NYC every Sunday night at 7PM Eastern. You can tune into Facebook to catch that and you can also check out her new website http://www.kat.live where she is archiving each episode as well as other new content. Our conversation is wide ranging and covers a lot of topics and emotions that I would imagine many artists are going through right now so I hope everyone finds this helpful. On a side note, I wanted to update everyone who listened to our last episode with Brice Rosenbloom where we highlighted the Jazz Coalition Commission Fund (https://www.jazzcoalition.org/). As I record this, the fund has raised over $25,000 so thank you to everyone who is supporting it. More on Kat: Dreamers Do, Kat Edmonson’s 2020 record, explores the common human struggles around daring to dream, including a range of emotional and psychological consequences. The album begins with a promising invitation to settle in for the night and dream. Joy and magic are revealed before an eventual left turn is taken, and a wild night ensues. A question gets raised in Kat’s vulnerable original, “Too Late to Dream”: “Are the messages we receive as children about following our dreams relevant through adult life?” Self-despair is explored, however all doubts are ultimately laid to rest in a stunning duet with guitarist Bill Frisell on the song “Age Of Not Believing.” Dreamers Do follows the release of 2018’s Old Fashioned Gal, which Billboard calls “an intimate journey from doubt to resolve and implied triumph.” In 2014 Edmonson released The Big Picture, which debuted at 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers, 1 on Contemporary Jazz Chart, and 2 on Total Jazz Chart. Her 2015 performance on “CBS This Morning: Saturday” garnered the program’s highest rated viewership since 2006. Her 2012 LP Way Down Low was described by The New York Times as “fresh as a spring bouquet,” and her performances at WNYC’s Soundcheck and Daytrotter were included in “Best Live Performances” and “Best Sessions of 2012,” respectively. The Texas native began crafting her signature sound while performing in Austin’s local club circuit for years before releasing her debut LP Take To The Sky in 2009. She went on to tour worldwide with high profile acts including Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Gary Clark Jr., Shawn Colvin, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Nick Lowe and more.

Episode 51: Artists in Quarantine with Kat Edmonson

Hello everyone and welcome to Speaking of the Arts. I hope you are staying safe and healthy right now as we enter the second half of April 2020. This is a tough time to be in the arts and there is a lot of uncertainty as to when live music will be allowed to function again. I hope to offer something of value for all of the musicians and presenters listening who are wondering what opportunities may be available to them right now. My guest is Brice Rosenbloom, whom many of you may know from his work as producer and founder of the annual Winter Jazzfest in NYC. Brice has just launched what he is calling the Jazz Coalition Commission Fund (http://www.jazzcoalition.org/). Here is the official description: A collective of industry professionals, musicians, and supporters, the Jazz Coalition identifies global needs affecting the jazz and improvised music community, and strategizes response solutions and opportunities. In this immediate reality of live performance hiatus there is a need to keep artists in our jazz community active and compensated to create new work. United behind the goal to support deserving artists and boost overall morale, we are launching the Jazz Coalition Commission Fund. With an initial silent funding goal of $40K - $50K, deserving recipients will receive $1,000 micro-grants through a nomination and jury process among coalition members. The funding pool will have a secondary stage with a public GoFundMe campaign and additional outreach to grow the fund and increase the number of overall recipients. Recipients will live-stream their works-in-progress and will eventually premiere their music at partner venues when public assembly is safe and possible again. Coalition members support the Commission financially by contributing to the fund directly and/or by attracting new donors. Coalition members will participate in the nomination and juried selection process of recipients. Presenter coalition members will offer recipients opportunities to premiere the new works at their venues. My conversation with Brice goes in depth into the fund and you will learn more about it including how to participate or apply for a grant. Presenting an eclectic mix of concerts and festivals for over twenty years in New York City, Brice Rosenbloom is proud to utilize his extensive booking experience and resources towards live music projects that align with messages of progress and social justice. For over a decade Brice led the programming team as Senior Music Director at the West Village music venue Le Poisson Rouge (LPR) where he presented the likes of Andrew Bird, Anthony Braxton, Beck, Brad Mehldau, David Byrne, Erykah Badu, Esperanza Spalding, Flying Lotus, Four Tet, John Zorn, Kamasi Washington, Little Dragon, Lou Reed, Meshell Ndegeocello, Mos Def, Mumford & Sons, Nils Frahm, Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright, St. Vincent, Tegan and Sara and many more. Prior to LPR, Rosenbloom launched and is currently running the NYC Winter Jazzfest. Now in its 16th year, it is praised by the NY Times as “the city’s most renowned jazz festival”. From its early years at the Knitting Factory in Tribeca, Winter Jazzfest has grown into a 10-day, multi venue, citywide festival that featured over 700 musicians, 170 groups, and welcomed more than 18,000 attendees in January 2020. Recognized for its three-fold mission of supporting new artists, continually expanding audiences, and amplifying messages of social justice, Winter Jazzfest redeems jazz as a musical beacon towards progress both on stage and off. Brice's early programming aesthetic was developed while working at Jazz at Lincoln Center, 92nd Street Y, The Knitting Factory, Central Park SummerStage, and at MAKOR, where he presented a residency featuring Norah Jones just before her Grammy takeover. In 2016, Rosenbloom received the Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award for extraordinary leadership and vision in expanding the audience for jazz.

Episode 50: Brice Rosenbloom

Speaking of the Arts is a podcast for individuals and organizations who work in the arts industry. Each episode features key industry personnel including artists, agents, managers, and presenters. By offering these unique perspectives, the series provides strategies and tips for many of the challenges facing the arts community. Speaking of the Arts was founded by Mike Epstein, president of Mike Epstein & Company.

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