BRAVO!
ANNUAL REPORT THE 2021/22 SEASON IN REVIEW
MISSION
To present performing artists who inspire and enrich our community.
VISION
We believe in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experience, transform lives, and build better communities. We envision a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, life-long, shared experience — on stages, on streets, in neighborhoods — everywhere.
EQUITY
Celebrity Series of Boston recognizes that many existing systems of power grant privilege and access unequally, and that equity is crucial to the long-term viability of both the arts and culture sector and communities-at-large. Our Racial Equity Plan describes our commitment to ensure that everyone who wants has equal access to a full, vibrant creative life, which is essential to a healthy and democratic society.
To learn more, see celebrityseries.org/equity
CELEBRITY SERIES IMPACT IN THE 2021/22 SEASON - AT-A-GLANCE
43,606 people served
30,952 subscription season tickets issued (including digital performances)
WELCOME
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR AND PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
Dear Friends,
We’re finally fully here! After navigating the challenges of the past two years, Celebrity Series is poised to launch into 2022/23 with a diverse and thrilling performance season and new artistic leadership. New programs and important initiatives abound, from a focus on accessibility to an expanded commitment to equity. It’s a great time to be part of the Celebrity Series family: the best is yet to come.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, we offer you this issue of our BRAVO! Annual Report to look back at the 2021/22 season, one of our most challenging and exhilarating on record.
From our return to beloved performance halls; to the Movement Series, a trio of performances which foregrounded Black creators in dance-forward performances; to Solo(s) Together, a Neighborhood Arts commissioning project that resulted in five world premiere works from important contemporary composers, there is so much to look back on with pride, and we are delighted to share these pages with you.
Most of all, we would like to thank you for your continued support and dedication to Celebrity Series’ mission to bring the arts to everyone and everyone to the arts. Presenting live performance during a global pandemic is no small feat, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Your generosity helped move us from “we can get through this” to “we can do this.” And “do this” we did.
We look forward to seeing you in the performance halls during our 2022/23 season; but in the meantime, please read on to learn about all that your generosity achieved last year.
Joshua Boger
Gary Dunning Chair, Board of Directors President & Executive Director
ALAN CUMMING AND ARI SHAPIRO
OCH AND OY, A CONSIDERED CABARET
SYMPHONY HALL
A FOCUS ON ACCESSIBILITY
During the 2021/22 season, Celebrity Series continued our journey to focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility as core to the Celebrity Series mission and activities. From renaming our Board of Overseers to “Board of Advisors” in September 2021 to joining the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Universal Participation Innovation and Learning Network, we doubled down on our commitment to living our mission of making the arts accessible to all people.
In 2021/22, Celebrity Series participated in two Mass Cultural Council initiatives to better center our values of equity and inclusion in our operations.
CARD TO CULTURE
Card to Culture is a Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and Mass Cultural Council initiative that provides accessible low-cost arts and culture programing to EBT card holders and WIC recipients across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Starting in spring 2022, WIC participants and EBT card holders now can purchase $20 ticket for concerts that allow subscription discounts to select concerts. We look forward to continuing to offer patrons of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds access to $20 tickets throughout the 2022/23 season.
UNIVERSAL PARTICIPATION INNOVATION AND LEARNING NETWORK
In January, Celebrity Series joined the Mass Cultural Council’s Universal Participation Innovation and Learning Network (UP ILN). The UP Initiative aims to activate the aspirations of the Americans with Disabilities Act to break down the barriers that prevent full civic participation in Massachusetts’ cultural sector. Both a movement and a designation, the UP Initiative supports organizational change through inclusive design practices, community engagement strategies, and peer learning networks.
Upon completion of the ILN, organizations receive UP Designation, ensuring that Celebrity Series is implementing accessibility efforts across all of our communications and programs.
CHRISTIAN SANDS ARTISTS
CENTERING RACIAL EQUITY
AS A STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE
Building on a framework adopted during the 2020/21 season, Celebrity Series’ Racial Equity Statement (seen on this publication’s inside front cover) and Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors on September 21, 2021.
Our Racial Equity Plan marks a shift toward a proactive, equity-centered approach to organizational structure, program delivery, community engagement, and audience support. Celebrity Series seeks to become an antiracist community, working against white supremacy, racism, religious intolerance, and discrimination based on gender, sexuality, class, age, and ability. Although we are focusing on race explicitly, we are not focusing on it exclusively. We understand that many people hold multiple marginalized identities, and we strive for an intersectional approach.
Our journey toward adopting this Plan began with guided learning sessions for the full Celebrity Series staff followed by a phase of reflective and quantitative organizational assessment, and evolved into a 17-step framework designed to center racial equity as an imperative at Celebrity Series by focusing on the following key strategic areas:
● Leadership: The people who lead us, how they behave, and who they represent.
● Staff: The people who work for the organization, how we select them, how we respect them, and how we compensate them.
● Partners: The partners we commit to, how we engage with them, and how we support those partnerships.
● Audiences: The audiences and communities we serve, and seek to serve, by providing life-enhancing performing arts experiences.
Celebrity Series holds ourselves accountable through regular internal meetings, data collection and analysis, and by soliciting feedback from a variety of our key stakeholders – our colleagues, artists, supporters, and audiences.
The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation feels very strongly that music is a universal unifying language regardless of cultural or socio-economic boundaries or barriers. Celebrity Series of Boston consistently works to provide such opportunities. We value Celebrity Series’ dedicated efforts in racial equity and inclusion, the high quality of their artistic offerings, and the genuine enthusiasm, passion, and commitment that every staff member exhibits for the organization and its mission. – Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation
To read our Racial Equity Plan in its entirety please visit celebrityseries.org/equity.
OUR PROGRESS: RACIAL EQUITY DATA DASHBOARD
BIPOC ARTISTS REPRESENTATION OVER TIME
** Artist representation was calculated through biographical artist information of all artists individually for ensembles of fourteen or fewer performers. For ensembles larger than fourteen performing artists, the identification of the artistic leader of the ensemble was used for this calculation.
BIPOC ARTIST REPRESENTATION 2021/22 DETAIL
SUBSCRIPTION SEASON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS
BIPOC ARTIST FEES AS PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL
ARTS FOR ALL!
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMMING
The 2021/22 season marked the long-awaited return of Celebrity Series’ signature Arts for All! community engagement programming. From both live and digital Neighborhood Arts performances featuring Boston-based artists, to our first-ever outdoor summer series collaboration with Sanative Arts Festival, and the return of our signature public performance project Let’s Dance Boston!, Celebrity Series’ commitment to free and reduced-price artistic experiences reverberated throughout the year.
“To be an artist working with Celebrity Series has been a goal of mine for many years. The quality of artistic experiences they make possible and available to the public is astounding. Celebrity Series always challenges me to reach new heights and more deeply consider my craft and how it communicates. Whether I have been featured as a solo artist at such places as St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, as part of an ensemble at Harvard-Epworth Church, as a workshop leader and performer with The Cantare Singers in Cambridge, or with future engagements such as collaborations at Stringfest with artists like Shaw Pong Liu, Celebrity Series consistently demands I do with my art what they do as an organization, that is, find new and powerful ways in which to engage, entertain, affect, educate, and elevate an audience.
– Regie Gibson, poet and Neighborhood Arts Artist
ARTS FOR ALL! IMPACT-AT-A-GLANCE
Over 12,654 Arts for All! participantsprogram
9,322 people engaged NeighborhoodinArts programming
Regie Gibson and Atlas Soul
NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS IN 2021/22
SOLO(S) TOGETHER
Launched in spring 2020 with an invitation to five diverse composers to compose a short work for musicians of Celebrity Series’ Neighborhood Arts program, Solo(s) Together then blossomed in the 2021/22 season to include a season-long calendar of community concerts, live events (instrumental masterclass, lecture demonstrations, coaching sessions, composer rehearsals, artist talks, and a WGBH radio interview), and a virtual composer panel discussion.
SELECT 2021/22 SOLO(S) TOGETHER EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
March 2: Solo(s) Together
Composer Discussion
This event kicked off the Solo(s) Together activity bringing together all five commissioned composers in a virtual roundtable discussion moderated by composer and Boston Conservatory faculty member and 2022 Guggenheim fellow Jonathan Bailey Holland.
March 31: Composer Daniel Bernard Roumain Discussion with BEAM Families
Mr. Roumain spoke with families with young musicians of color from the Bridge to Equity and Achievement in Music program (BEAM) about his career encompassing his various roles as composer, musician, college teacher and father.
April 2: Masterclass & Post-Concert Talk with Valerie Coleman
Composer Valerie Coleman offered feedback for two New England Conservatory Preparatory Division wind quintets performing works of Beethoven and her own wind quintet Umoja, and several student compositions. During the world premiere of Four Bostonian Scenes Ms. Coleman gave an introduction before her piece was performed by the All-Star Flute Quartet as well as a post-concert talk moderated by flutist Sarah Brady.
April 9: Amir and Saul Bitran Lecture/Demonstration in partnership with BEAM Composer Amir Bitran and his father, Unitas Ensemble concertmaster Saul Bitran, gave a joint lecture demonstration about balancing two career paths as a scientist and composer. Audience members heard the “Instability” solo from Bitran’s Morphogens and Manuel Ponce’s Estrella for violin and piano. Students and parents from BEAM exchanged questions and music suggestions for diverse contemporary Latin composers.
CHANGING THE STANDARD
There is now an effort to actively incorporate these new works into the chamber music canon of regularly performed works, a selection of pieces not known for representing female composers nor composers of color, through repeat performances and study by younger players. Efforts are underway to submit these works to the MA Music Educators Association (MMEA) for inclusion in the required high school level District and All-State repertoire. If accepted, these works will receive broad awareness and study by young performers and influential music educators across the Commonwealth.
NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS IN 2021/22
SANATIVE ARTS FESTIVAL
In collaboration with Nuestra Communidad Development Corporation (Nuestra CDC), Neighborhood Arts presented three outdoor concerts in summer 2021 as part of Sanative Arts Festival 2021. Held at Bartlett Station in Roxbury’s Nubian Square, Celebrity Series’ first set of summer performances supported a family-friendly, COVID-19-responsible series of local artists of color in partnership with community organizations connected with neighborhood residents of all ages.
From July through August, about 150 people attended the three concerts featuring the Fabiola Méndez Trio, Albino Mbie Quartet, and 3nity. Each performance was also accompanied by local opening acts and vendors selling food and other goods.
FALL 2021 JAZZ/POPULAR ARTISTS SERIES
Neighborhood Arts welcomed back its live indoor concerts in Fall 2021 with a jazz and contemporary music series featuring five eclectic and impressive ensembles at the Arlington Street Church and the Salvation Army Kroc Center.
The Claudio Ragazzi Quartet’s Tributes and Tangos featured the Grammy-winning guitarist and composer’s influences of his native Argentina with a Latin jazz-inflected quartet. The Charles Overton Group’s Once More debuted its namesake harpist with his first in-person Neighborhood Arts concert. Vocalist Débo Ray and the Screaming Headless Torsos’ Soul, Rock and Sounds of the Heart fused jazz, rock, and world music in a blend of uncompromising skill and relatable emotion. The Albino Mbie Quartet’s Mozambican voices and cultures featured the guitarist and vocalist offering Mozambican jazz and original songs done with retro synths and funky bass lines. Closing out the calendar year, the Jason Palmer Quintet’s Holiday favorites, inspired by Ellington and Jones provided a full house with a joyous, festive concert.
62 Neighborhood Arts events
15 free, in-person Neighborhood Arts concerts
1,000 live Neighborhood Arts performance attendees
ONLINE AND LIVE WORKSHOPS AND
LEARNING EXPERIENCES.
In addition to the Solo(s) Together engagement opportunities, the 2021/22 season featured 39 online and in-person master classes, workshops, and lecture-demonstrations for youth. Highlights included:
● Rap artist Devin Ferreira worked with local community music directors and teens from Charlestown Boys & Girls Club, Mattapan Teen Center, Burke High School, 826 Boston Teen Writing Program, and Zumix. They created lyrics to four original songs, with Devin and guest musicians on vocals, guitar, bass guitar, saxes, drums and piano recorded at The Record Company. His residency culminated in an album release party and live presentation at CROMA@ Arlington Street Church in December.
● Flamenco expert Nino de los Reyes conducted master classes for students at Boston Conservatory and the Dance Complex.
● Zoom concerts from musicians Verónica Robles, Fabiola Méndez, and Brian and Rosi Amador for Boston Public elementary schools, followed by Q&A sessions with the artists and students.
● A HubLab residency with Hub New Music chamber group leading a composition workshop series with Boston Music Project students at Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Chinatown.
● Poet and literary performer Regie Gibson in residence with the Boston City Singers Cantare Choir, performing at St. James Episcopal Church in Cambridge.
● Celebrity Series sponsored choreographer Jean Appolon in leading a Haitian dance workshop at Franklin Park during BAMS Fest.
“These young performers deserve a large following for their creative, masterful, soul uplifting music.
– Charles Overton Group Audience Survey
Artists were amazing! Music was spectacular! Such a dynamic sound with only three instruments? Loved seeing how much fun they had on stage.
– Albino Mbie Audience Survey
ARTS FOR ALL! IMPACT- AT-A-GLANCE
1,604 workshop participants (in person and virtual)
1,274 youth participants
39 in-person and virtual workshops
Jason Palmer Quintet at Arlington Street Church
Fabiola Méndez Trio at the Sanative Arts Festival
Charles Overton Group at Salvation Army Kroc Center
OUR 2021/22 NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS PARTNERS
BACK BAY
Ágora Cultural Architects
Arlington Street Church
Boston String Academy
CAMBRIDGE
The Dance Complex
Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church
Multicultural Arts Center
St. James Episcopal Church
CHINATOWN
Boston Music Project
Josiah Quincy Elementary School
Pao Arts Center
DORCHESTER
BAMS Fest
Boston City Singers
Lena Park Community Center
The Salvation Army Kroc Center
FENWAY
Boston Conservatory Dance Division
Boston Symphony Orchestra
New England Conservatory Preparatory School, 255 St. Botolph
Project STEP
JAMAICA PLAIN
The Record Company
MATTAPAN
Church of the Holy Spirit
Mattapan Teen Center
ROSLINDALE
musiConnects
Sumner Elementary School
ROXBURY
Black Nubian Market
Boston City-Wide String Orchestra
City Strings United
O’Bryant High School
Roxbury Community College
Sanative Arts Festival
SOUTH BOSTON
Perry School
SOUTH END
Hurley K-8 School
IBA Gallery
More Than Words Bookstore
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
BOSTON AREA
826 Boston
BEAM (Bridge to Equity and Achievement in Music)
METCO, Inc.
MMEA (MA Music Educators Association)
NAAC (Network of Arts Administrators of Color)
The Rose Kennedy Greenway
THANK YOU TO OUR 2021/22
NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS ARTISTS
3nity, Latin jazz
Abilities Dance Boston/Ellice Patterson, dance
Albino Mbie Trio & Quartet, Mozambican jazz
Amir Bitran, composer
Brian and Rosi Amador, Latin guitar/vocals
Castle of our Skins, multi-disciplinary and music
Claudio Ragazzi Quartet, jazz
Charles Overton Group, harp
Daniel Bernard Roumain, composer
Débo Ray and Screaming
Headless Torsos, vocals and keyboard
Devin Ferreira, rap vocals/spoken word
Fabiola Méndez/Fabiola Méndez trio, vocals and Puerto Rican cuatro
Hub New Music, strings and woodwinds
Jason Palmer Quintet, jazz quintet
Jean Appolon, Haitian dance
Nathalie Joachim, composer
Neighborhood Arts Cello Quartet, cello
All-Star Flute Quartet, flute
Nino de los Reyes, flamenco
Paul Desenne, composer
Regie Gibson and Atlas Soul, spoken word/music
Ryan Edwards, multidisciplinary
Sandeep Das, tabla
Unitas Ensemble, chamber orchestra
Valerie Coleman, composer
Verónica Robles, mariachi vocals and guitar
2022/23 Neighborhood Arts Highlights!
THE JUST AND THE BLIND
A WEEKEND OF CONVERSATION, REFLECTION, AND ENGAGEMENT
In April 2022, Celebrity Series presented The Just and the Blind for a two-night engagement featuring a multimedia journey of poetry, music, dance, photography, and projected animation conceived, written, and narrated by the captivating spoken-word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph. This two-night performance at the Emerson Paramount Center featured live, original music by composer and multiinstrumentalist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR). Versatile Boston-based vocalist Débo Ray, a Grammy nominee and a featured artist in several of our Neighborhood Arts performances, joined Bamuthi and Roumain to perform songs with lyrics drawn from famous letters from prison by Assata Shakur and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while the well-respected King of Flexin’ KingHavoc joined by performing movement inspired by Joseph’s poetry.
The work – framed as Bamuthi’s advice to his teenage son and his meditation about Black fatherhood and boyhood – weaves together a father’s love and pride with fear about how the world sees his child. Following each 60-minute performance, the artists immediately transitioned into an audience talkback from the stage that added greater depth to the performance’s questioning of race, patriarchy, power, and justice.
The Just and the Blind Artist Connections
In addition to the two performances at the Emerson Paramount Center, Celebrity Series surrounded our presentation of The Just and the Blind with numerous engagement activities. These included a virtual panel discussion between the creators and the Network of Arts Administrators of Color; an in-person writers’ workshop with teens at 826 Boston; a moderated conversation between Roumain and students and parents from BEAM (Bridge to Equity and Achievement in Music); and a moderated conversation between the creators and METCO families who had attended the performance.
View Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s TED talk
THE JUST AND THE BLIND CONCEIVED & WRITTEN BY
MARC BAMUTHI JOSEPH
ORIGINAL MUSIC BY
DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN
EMERSON PARAMOUNT CENTER
LET’S DANCE BOSTON!
The wildly popular free outdoor music and dance party that features varying dance styles returned to the Rose Kennedy Greenway on May 11-15, 2022. Each day highlighted a different type of dance: East Coast Swing, Mambo, West Coast Swing, Salsa, and Garba. Crowds ranged from 200-1,000 people each day, with approximately 2,500 participants overall.
Each day of Let's Dance Boston! featured professional dance instruction from nationally known teachers accompanied by 90 minutes of public social dance with live music from acclaimed musicians. Whether participants were first-timers who discovered the event by chance, or longtime enthusiasts who came dressed to the nines with their dancing shoes on, everyone was united by the dancing, the music, and the fun!
Our thanks go out to everyone who helped make this event so special: instructors, MCs, DJs, bands, the teams who built the pop-up stage and dancefloor, our sound and lighting crews, event production staff, stagehands, security teams, our guests from the media, our partners at the Rose Kennedy Greenway, our generous event sponsors, and everyone who came to dance and enjoy the music!
Let’s Dance Boston Highlights!
LET'S DANCE BOSTON!
ROSE KENNEDY GREENWAY
“
PARTICIPANTS SAID:
Good vibes and a great way to engage a community.
Pure joy of being alive. Lessons were excellent. Music great. All the safety measures in place. Bravo!
Perfect: open to everyone, everyone encouraged to participate, mix partners, a real community event. Thanks.
Dancing makes you happy. Science confirms this. Strangers – all ages, backgrounds and genders welcomed each other in dance. The sponsors of Let’s Dance Boston 2022 championed happiness; and we are grateful.
CELEBRITY SERIES’ 2021/22
SUBSCRIPTION
SEASON
When the time came to resume live performances, Celebrity Series did not tentatively tiptoe back to the halls: we scheduled a full season of events, and even launched some audacious new initiatives. From inaugural in-person experiences, like building a concert hall inside a TV studio at GBH or creating a bespoke jazz club at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter, to investing in high-quality digital streaming, we strove to meet our audiences where they were and give them unforgettable experiences, however they chose to participate. Throughout it all, audiences reported feeling safe at performances, and happily complied with public health measures that ensured the safest experience for everyone.
“Every time we attend a Celebrity Series of Boston performance, we know that we are going to find something new and exciting! We particularly loved the new experiences the Series brought us during the 2021/22 season: from Brooklyn Rider at Calderwood Studio at GBH to A MoodSwing Reunion at Symphony Hall, every event made us feel so grateful to be back to live performance! Celebrity Series’ commitment to safety made us feel confident and comfortable in our decision to return to the concert hall, and we couldn’t be prouder to support an organization that exhibits such care for audiences and artists during this challenging time.
– Susie and Mike Thonis
EMANUEL AX - LEONIDAS KAVAKOS - YO-YO MA
A COMMITMENT TO HEALTH AND SAFETY:
ENHANCED MEASURES IN THE 2021/22 SEASON
As COVID-19 cases rose and fell throughout the 2021/22 season, Celebrity Series worked to contend with the twists and turns of the pandemic; from the surges and waves, to booster eligibility, and the eventual relaxing of masking and distancing policies across the City, the organization held firm to safety standards for audience members, staff, and artists throughout the season.
Throughout the season, audience members reported feeling very safe at our performances, rating their comfort at 90 out of 100 in compiled audience survey data. We are grateful for the support and cooperation of all audience members during this challenging season!
“This was my first indoor concert in 2 years. At 70, I am extremely cautious. The prevention measures in place at Symphony Hall convinced me I could go (along with the amazing artists of course). The audience was very respectful of the precautions. In other words, this was a great experience for my first time back and I would definitely encourage others to attend such events. – Audience Survey Response
AUDIENCE OUTLOOK MONITOR
Celebrity Series participated in a national survey of arts organizations conducted by WolfBrown audience research consultancy, sponsored in the Boston-metro area by ArtsBoston. Among the major metropolitan areas surveyed, Boston remained the most cautious about COVID-19 throughout the 18-month research period. However, audience members reported high trust in Celebrity Series’ approach and satisfaction with our digital communications and performance options.
Fabiola Mendéz workshop with Project STEP Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason
A LONG-AWAITED RETURN TO FAMILIAR VENUES
An essential part of getting back to “normal” in 2021/22 was returning to the performance halls where audiences have enjoyed so many amazing moments together over our history. We reconnected with each other and shared what we love most about Celebrity Series: the magic of live performance!
BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER
The 2021/22 season began at Berklee Performance Center, with Béla Fleck and his all-star My Bluegrass Heart band welcoming us back to live performance. The return of guitarist Julian Lage in November represented our first jazz offering of the season, and we celebrated the return of the beyond-brilliant vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant in February. February also brought us an Anäis Mitchell and Bonny Light Horseman folk double bill and the multi-talented Valerie Simpson and Damien Sneed paying tribute to the legendary Aretha Franklin. Our concerts at Berklee Performance Center concluded in April with a fitting program in the waning weeks of an unprecedented season: SFJAZZ Collective’s reflections on our moment.
PICKMAN
HALL AT THE LONGY SCHOOL OF MUSIC AT BARD COLLEGE - DEBUT
SERIES
A Celebrity Series Debut Series performance marks a milestone in the career of any emerging artist. In the 2021/22 season, we were gratified to be able to finally give artists whose debuts were postponed in 2020 and 2021 the opportunity to share their talent and vision. Pianist Conrad Tao, vocalist Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu, pianist Alexander Malofeev, violinist Simone Porter, and vocalist Dashon Burton and pianist Lindsay Garritson are all artists to watch, here and elsewhere, for years to come. Concerts by Tao, Appl, Porter, and Burton were offered as digital streaming performances, allowing their audience to expand beyond Longy’s intimate Pickman Hall.
ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS WITH JOSHUA BELL
SYMPHONY HALL
SYMPHONY HALL
There were a lot of smiles at Symphony Hall this season, even if they were hidden by masks! Audiences enjoyed Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro’s banter in Och and Oy, A Considered Cabaret; humorist and author David Sedaris’ wry observations; violinist/conductor Joshua Bell and orchestra Academy of St Martin in the Fields’ sparkle and verve; pianist Emanuel Ax, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and violinist Leonidas Kavakos’ warmth and virtuosity; the irresistible prowess and chemistry of Joshua Redman, Gerald Clayton, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade in their jazz quartet’s A MoodSwing Reunion; and the youthful exuberance and staggering talent of cellist Sheku and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.
NEW EXPERIENCES IN THE 2021/22 SEASON
JAZZ FESTIVAL AT ARTISTS FOR HUMANITY EPICENTER
The Jazz Festival at Artists For Humanity EpiCenter, developed out of Celebrity Series' need to creatively source venues for our jazz and contemporary artists and audiences, was a stunning success! Celebrity Series created a pop-up jazz club – with a full bar, art-making opportunities, and dazzling visual arts all over –for a two-weekend series that brought in red-hot young artists Christian Sands, Matthew Whitaker, and Veronica Swift and presented Celebrity Series veterans Anat Cohen and Regina Carter in a vibrant new setting.
“PARTICIPANTS SAID:
It was a beautiful and moving performance. Musicians and venue exceeded expectations.
Loved the way you set up the venue for the Jazz Festival. Really created an intimate space out of what is a large, open expanse.
FIRST CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE
First Church in Cambridge gave us an intimate home for chamber music in the heart of Cambridge, and provided a lovely showcase for two memorable collaborations: Imani Winds and Catalyst Quartet, featuring the Boston premiere of a new work by Jessie Montgomery, co-commissioned by the Celebrity Series of Boston; and Takács Quartet with bandoneon sensation Julien Labro.
Jazz Festival Highlights!
GBH CALDERWOOD STUDIO
One of Boston’s best-equipped broadcast studios provided us an exciting new venue for a series of concerts that anchored our digital streaming program and highlighted our strong artist relationships. Adventurous string quartet Brooklyn Rider performed a three-concert series at GBH: with a program that featured a world premiere by Osvaldo Golijov; with tenor Nicholas Phan; and with mandolin phenomenon Avi Avital. Pianist Jeremy Denk returned to GBH for two performances of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier
Our old friend Rob Kapilow shone the What Makes it Great? spotlight on the works of Lerner and Loewe from GBH’s Fraser Studio when the Calderwood Studio performance with an in-person audience was canceled due to a COVID-19 surge.
“PARTICIPANTS SAID:
Performance was fantastic...we were spellbound...also the GBH venue was great and your staff of volunteers were so great...
The performance itself was simply amazing (it was Jeremy Denk, after all). I also enjoyed the venue - these smaller venues are perfect for solo performances. More of these would be great.
THE MOVEMENT SERIES
In Spring 2022, the Movement Series brought to Greater Boston audiences three programs that centered social justice and highlighted Black artistry and creativity. We worked with The Williams Agency, a full-service marketing firm with a focus on grassroots results for mission-driven projects, to create a series of events for Cultural Activists: arts advocates, artists, and influencers from Boston’s communities of color who helped build awareness and spread the word about this trio of performances.
SANKOFA DANZAFRO, ACCOMMODATING LIE
The Movement Series began with Afro-Colombian dance company Sankofa Danzafro in Accommodating Lie, a work that dismantles stereotypes about Black bodies and forcefully affirms the need for selfexpression in Black communities around the world.
With the Williams Agency, we hosted an online workshop for our Cultural Activists with choreographer Rafael Palacios. Since we could not gather together due to COVID-19 capacity restrictions, we provided dinner for the Cultural Activists from their choice of several locally-owned Latin American restaurants.
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
Perennial Celebrity Series favorites Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returned to Boston for the first time since 2019 with a program that featured new works created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the many upheavals of the past two years. Artistic Director Robert Battle, celebrating his tenth anniversary with the company, created a piece called For Four that deals with the loneliness and isolation of the lockdown period. Resident choreographer Jamar Roberts (a former company member) created Holding Space, a full-company work that enacts the discord of this historical moment and imagines a radical new way of being together that emerges as a response to crisis.
In our continuing work with The Williams Agency to build awareness and community support for our three Movement Series productions, Celebrity Series hosted “Dancing Through It,” a showcase for Boston’s dance community to come together and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Dance Complex in Central Square, dancers shared in-person or video performances about their response to the challenges of the past two years.
THE JUST AND THE BLIND
Poet and spoken-word performer Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s The Just and the Blind, which ran for a two performance engagement at the Emerson Paramount Center, also featured violinist and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, dancer KingHavoc, vocalist Débo Ray, films by Yoram Savion, and archival materials from civil rights struggles past and present. The work – framed as Bamuthi’s advice to his teenage son and his meditation about Black fatherhood and boyhood – weaves together a father’s love and pride with fear about how the world sees his child.
At once deeply personal as well as socially and historically resonant, the multimedia work set the stage for powerful conversations in and out of the performance hall. In addition to the audience talkback and community engagement activities outlined on pages 16-17, Celebrity Series worked with The Williams Agency to create a special open mic performance about Black Fatherhood, featuring a special introduction from City Councilor Julia Mejía and a personal video from Bamuthi. Poets, singers, instrumentalists, and more gathered at Black Market Nubian to share their reflections and artistry.
Accommodating Lie BOCH CENTER SHUBERT THEATRE
SANKOFA DANZAFRO
GOING DIGITAL:
CS @ HOME DIGITAL PERFORMANCES
Launched in 2020 with artists in recording studios, our digital streaming program continued in 2021/22 with hybrid events that served both in-person and digital audiences. We presented twelve subscription series performances with a $20 ticket price and thirteen free Neighborhood Arts performances, edited and premiered up to a month after the live event.
We learned a lot about streaming technology and improved a great deal as the season progressed, ending up with high audience satisfaction for winter and spring performances: a 4.6 out of 5 star rating and 83% satisfaction.
Digital has become an important addition to our accessibility toolkit and offers a new way to extend our reach and build audiences. The program will continue for both subscription series and Neighborhood Arts performances in the 2022/23 season, and we will continue to build our knowledge and enhance our use of technology.
PARTICIPANTS SAID:
“It was a wonderful experience. I am disabled and I live in Mississippi. I could not have enjoyed this concert had you not live-streamed it. Thank you.
Thank you for making this available. Even after the pandemic is over I will continue to purchase any virtual show that is available due to health issues. This show healed my spirit.
6,329 households attended Neighborhood Arts digital performances
NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS
STREAMING HIGHLIGHTS
Neighborhood Arts streaming performances represent a diverse cross-section of our programs, from tango-inspired Latin jazz to solo harp and world-inflected funk, and from swinging holiday favorites to our ambitious Solo(s) Together commissioning program. We recorded and premiered concerts from Arlington Street Church, Harvard-Epworth Church, More than Words Bookstore, the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, Roxbury Community College, and the Salvation Army Kroc Center, bringing these high-quality free performances to neighborhoods around the state and across the country.
We even hosted an online roundtable discussion for the Solo(s) Together composers to talk about the pieces they created for the project and share their experiences of working with our Neighborhood Arts partner organizations. Moderated by composer Jonathan Bailey Holland, the forum gave context and even more stature to a commissioning program that was a highlight of the 2021/22 season.
Claudio Ragazzi Quartet
September 18, premiered September 23
Arlington Street Church
Charles Overton Group
October 16, premiered October 21
Salvation Army Kroc Center
Débo Ray and the Screaming Headless Torsos
November 13, premiered November 18
Salvation Army Kroc Center
Albino Mbie Quartet
December 4, premiered December 9
Salvation Army Kroc Center
Jason Palmer Quintet
December 11, premiered December 16
Arlington Street Church
Charles Overton solo harp recital
February 17, premiered March 17
Harvard-Epworth Church
Sandeep Das and Nino de los Reyes
February 19, premiered March 3
Multicultural Arts Center, Cambridge
Regie Gibson and Atlas Soul
February 26, premiered March 24
Harvard-Epworth Church
Neighborhood Arts Cello Quartet
March 10, premiered March 31
Harvard-Epworth Church
SOLO(S) TOGETHER DIGITAL STREAMS
Solo(s) Together Livestreamed Composer Discussion
March 2
Hub New Music
March 12, premiered April 7
More than Words Bookstore
All-Star Flute Quartet
April 2, premiered April 21
Arlington Street Church
Unitas Ensemble
April 14, premiered May 5
Roxbury Community College
Castle of our Skins
Postponed to September 2022 due to illness
SUBSCRIPTION SERIES STREAMED PERFORMANCES
Celebrity Series presented livestreamed concerts from five different venues this season: Symphony Hall, First Church in Cambridge, Longy’s Pickman Hall, Berklee Performance Center, and GBH’s stateof-the-art Calderwood Studio.
When venues were closed and in-person performances were canceled due to a midseason COVID-19 surge, digital streaming allowed the show to go on! Baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu performed Winterreise for a digital-only audience from Longy’s Pickman Hall, and Rob Kapilow and vocalists Emily Albrink and Ben Jones presented What Makes it Great? The Music of Lerner and Loewe from GBH’s Fraser Studio.
Digital streaming sales represented almost 2,200 household purchases in the 2021/22 season: survey data tells us that this represents an audience of roughly 4,000 people over the course of the season. Viewers tuned in, live or on demand, from 38 states and 16 countries all over the world.
PARTICIPANTS SAID:
“You are setting a gold standard for including lots of people in the audiences. Keep up the work on using digital performances.
Very enjoyable concert. Thank you for continuing to make concerts available remotely to those of us who cannot yet attend live concerts. It means a lot.
SHEKU KANNEH-MASON AND ISATA KANNEH-MASON
SYMPHONY HALL
Brooklyn Rider
Livestreamed October 7
GBH Calderwood Studio
Brooklyn Rider with Nicholas Phan, tenor
Livestreamed November 12
GBH Calderwood Studio
Conrad Tao, piano
Livestreamed December 1
Longy’s Pickman Hall
What Makes it Great? with Rob Kapilow
The Music of Lerner and Loewe
With vocalists Emily Albrink and Ben Jones
Livestreamed January 21
GBH Fraser Studio – Streaming only, no live audience
Benjamin Appl, baritone
James Baillieu, piano
Livestreamed January 26
Longy’s Pickman Hall –Streaming only, no live audience
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Livestreamed February 5
Berklee Performance Center
Simone Porter, violin
Hsin-I Huang, piano
Livestreamed February 9
Longy’s Pickman Hall
Imani Winds and Catalyst Quartet
Livestreamed March 5
First Church in Cambridge
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Myra Huang, piano
Livestreamed March 13
GBH Calderwood Studio
Brooklyn Rider with Avi Avital, mandolin
Livestreamed March 18
GBH Calderwood Studio
Jeremy Denk, piano
Livestreamed April 2
GBH Calderwood Studio
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Livestreamed May 7
Symphony Hall
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Lindsay Garritson, piano
Livestreamed May 25
Longy’s Pickman Hall
Anthony
& Myra
McGill
Huang at GBH Calderwood Studio
Brooklyn Rider & Nicholas Phan at GBH Calderwood Studio
Cécile McLorin Salvant at Berklee Performance Center
Conrad Tao at Longy's Pickman Hall
Visit our YouTube channel
2021/22 FINANCIAL RESULTS
Comments on the 2021/22 Financial Position
During the 2021/22 season, the Celebrity Series of Boston was the beneficiary of several impactful and extraordinary federal funding initiatives designed to sustain live performing arts organizations in the face of COVID-19-related challenges. Through the U.S. Small Business Administration, Celebrity Series received a Shuttered Venues Operator Grant (SVOG) to employ artists and present performances, a Payroll Protection Act Loan/Grant (PPP), and Employee Retention Tax Credits that helped us to keep our staff whole and our operations consistent during the pandemic.
The generosity of these federal programs allowed Celebrity Series to end our 2021/22 season with a significant operating surplus, which has provided vital working capital for the organization going into our robust 2022/23 season. We are grateful for this governmental investment in the arts and its tremendous impact on our ability to deliver our mission of bringing the arts to everyone and everyone to the arts.
2021/22 Season Expenses by Category
FINANCIAL DETAIL
Operating Revenue and Support
Operating Revenue
Performance Revenue (Gross)
(Commissions and Fees)
Stabilization and Processing Fees
Total Operating Revenue
Operating Support
General Contributions and Special Funding
Special Events (net)
Endowment and Other Income
Total Operating Support
Total Operating Revenue & Support
Operating Expenses
Performance and Community Engagement
Management and General Fundraising
Total Operating Expenses
Net
FY2022FY2021FY2020FY2019
$1,779,764
$(171,446)
$103,096
$1,711,414
$5,869,282
$180,092
$820,980
$6,870,354
$8,581,768
$108,762
$108,762
$3,217,136
$373,021 $342,110
$4,803,167
$4,911,929
$5,615,978
$1,215,131
$878,018
$7,709,126
$872,642
$2,848,871 $692,487 $938,195 $4,479,553
$432,376 $2,207,022 $(156,293) $108,735 $2,159,464 $3,263,583 $963,867 $4,227,450 $6,386,914 $3,261,713 $2,669,596 $671,522 $6,602,831 $(215,917) $4,060,697 $(380,614) $212,902 $3,892,985 $2,278,519 $253,876 $1,115,749 $3,648,144 $7,541,129 $4,625,831 $2,230,204 $672,263 $7,528,298 $12,831
GRATITUDE
Celebrity Series of Boston thanks the many individuals, corporations, foundations, and government entities who supported our work in the 2021/22 season. From donating back the value of tickets for canceled performances, to special grants in support of our COVID-19 related efforts, Celebrity Series’ donor family stepped up in remarkable ways to support the organization. The lists that follow reflect gifts as of June 30, 2022; if your name is missing, or if you believe you were listed in error, please contact the Advancement department at advancement@celebrityseries.org or 617.598.3232.
2021/22 Corporate, Foundation & Government Support
Principal Institutional Producers – $50,000+
Anonymous
Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative
Stephanie L. Brown Foundation
Deloitte LLP
D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.
Foley & Lardner LLP
Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation
Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation
Massachusetts Cultural Council
U.S. Small Business Administration
Institutional Producers – $25,000-$49,999
Anonymous
Klarman Family Foundation
Liberty Mutual Foundation
The Reopen Creative Boston Fund, administered by the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
Stifler Family Foundation
Yawkey Foundation
Angels – $10,000-$24,999
Anonymous
AVFX
The Catered Affair
First Republic Bank
National Endowment for the Arts
Rafanelli Events Management
Royal Little Family Foundation
Schrafft Charitable Trust
Sponsors – $5,000-$9,999
Outside the Box:
A Production of the Boston Arts Summer Institute
PEAK Event Services
Port Lighting Systems
Partners – $2,500-$4,999
Aaron Copland Fund for Music
Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation
Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany
Consulate General of Israel to New England
Egloff & Wood, LLP
Foley Hoag LLP
New England Foundation for the Arts
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER BOCH CENTER WANG THEATRE
PERFORMANCE RECOGNITION
The 2021/22 season was our first hybrid season in Celebrity Series history, with both live in-person and digital performances. We would like to thank the following donors who received performance recognition in the 2021/22 season.
2021/22 Season Sponsors
Amy & Joshua Boger
2021/22 Neighborhood Arts
Presenting Sponsor
Stephanie L. Brown Foundation
2021/22 Performance Series Sponsors
2021/22 Dance Series Sponsors
Leslie & Howard Appleby
Stephanie L. Brown Foundation
Cynthia & John S. Reed Foundation
Royal Little Family Foundation and
2021/22 Debut Series Sponsors
Harriet & David Griesinger and the Longy School of Music of Bard College
2021/22 Jazz Festival Sponsors
Leslie & Howard Appleby and Jill & David Altshuler
Support provided by the Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative
2021/22 Season Performances at GBH Calderwood Studio
Sponsored by Susan & Michael Thonis
Support provided by the Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative
Aaron Richmond Recitals
Endowed by Nancy Richmond Winsten and the late Dr. Joseph Winsten
Let’s Dance Boston!
Leslie & Howard Appleby
Amy & Joshua Boger
Stephanie L. Brown Foundation
The Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative
First Republic Bank
Klarman Family Foundation
Eleanor & Frank Pao
2021/22 Individual Performance Sponsors
Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart, Featuring Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton
Kathleen & Chris Gaffney
Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro
Och & Oy, A Considered Cabaret
Reuben Reynolds & Bill Casey and Sally S. Seaver, PhD
David Sedaris
Eleanor & Frank Pao
Albino Mbie Trio: Mozambican voices and culture
New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow The Music of Lerner and Loewe
Amy & Joshua Boger
Benjamin Appl, baritone
Peter J. Wender
Additional support provided by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany
Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell, director/soloist
The Rabb Family Foundations
Charles Overton, solo harp
Presented in memory of Susanne Marcus Collins
Sankofa Danzafro
Accommodating Lie
LIVE PERFORMANCE! Arts for All Leadership Support from Stephanie L. Brown Foundation
A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul with Damien Sneed and Valerie Simpson
Julia Byers & Steven Holtzman
Emanuel Ax, piano - Leonidas Kavakos, violin - Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Susan & Michael Thonis and
Brooklyn Rider & Avi Avital, mandolin
Additional support provided by the Consulate General of Israel to New England
Anat Cohen Quartetinho
An anonymous donor
Additional support provided by the Consulate General of Israel to New England
Regina Carter Gone in a Phrase of Air
An anonymous donor
The Just and the Blind Conceived & written by Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Original music by Daniel Bernard Roumain
Stephanie L. Brown Foundation
Support provided by the Barr Foundation and its ArtsAmplified initiative
LIVE PERFORMANCE! Arts for All Leadership Support from Belinda Termeer
A MoodSwing Reunion
Susan & Michael Thonis
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Opening night performance presented in memory of Dr. Harris A. Berman
LIVE PERFORMANCE! Arts for All Leadership Support from Royal Little Family Foundation
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello & Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Stephen C. Perry & Oliver Radford
LIVE PERFORMANCE! Arts for All Leadership Support from Eleanor & Frank Pao
Deceased
2022 SHINE! GALA
ANDREA & FRED HOFF , GALA CHAIRS
On May 6, 2022, the Celebrity Series SHINE! Gala shone bright from the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts after nearly a three-year live hiatus. Gala Chairs Andrea & Fred Hoff hosted an unforgettable evening welcoming guests back to live performance and magnifying Celebrity Series’ impact on Greater Boston communities. Event guests and supporters raised more than $525,000 to support Celebrity Series’ mission to bring the arts to everyone and everyone to the arts.
The evening came with many surprises, curated by interim Artistic Programmer Bobby Asher, including performances from the Boston Music Project’s Summer Street Brass Band, New York-based brass band The Westerlies, and singer and songwriter Aoife O’Donovan. And to close out the evening, DJ Chris Roxx added an exciting twist to his DJ set: a live band!
Thanks for making us SHINE! again.
GALA CHAIRS
Andrea & Fred Hoff
SHINE! PRODUCING SUPPORTERS
Amy & Joshua Boger
SHINE! SUPPORTERS
Leslie & Howard Appleby
Stephanie L. Brown
Andrea & Fred Hoff
GLOW! SUPPORTERS
Jill & David Altshuler
Michael & Adrianne Canning
Joanne & Larry Cheng
Amy & Ethan d’Ablemont Burnes
Dr. Ivana Magovčević-Liebisch & Lars Liebisch
Reuben Reynolds
Belinda Termeer
Susan & Michael Thonis
SHIMMER! SUPPORTERS
Boston Common Asset Management
Margaret Eagle
Drs. John Mordes & Regina Yando
Stephen C. Perry & Oliver Radford
Melinda &
Dr.
SHINE! GALA PARTYGOERS
ANNUAL GIVING 2021/2022
WALTER PIERCE ANNUAL PERFORMANCE FUND & HARRIS A. BERMAN AND RUTH NEMZOFF FUND FOR AFTER-SCHOOL ARTS
Gifts listed here reflect commitments to the Celebrity Series of Boston’s 2021/22 season as of June 30, 2022.
Founder’s Circle – $100,000+
MARTHA H. JONES SOCIETY FOR LIFETIME GIVING
The Martha H. Jones Society for Lifetime Giving was established in 2018 in honor of former Executive Director, Martha H. Jones. The Society honors the following individuals and institutions whose cumulative gifts to Celebrity Series have met or exceeded $100,000.
Anonymous (4)
Leslie & Howard Appleby
Joan & Steven Belkin
Dr. Harris A. Berman & Ruth Nemzoff
Amy & Joshua Boger
Stephanie L. Brown
Katie & Paul Buttenwieser
Julia Byers & Steven Holtzman
Michael & Adrianne Canning
Rosalie Cohen
Caroline & Bob Collings
Amy & Ethan d’Ablemont Burnes
Frances DeMoulas Kettenbach
JoAnne & Charles Dickinson
Timothy W. Diggins &
Deborah Coleman Diggins
Donna & Michael Egan
Kathleen & Chris Gaffney
Gabor Garai & Susan Pravda
Drs. Joan & Alfred Goldberg
The Goldenheim Family
Harriet & David Griesinger
Kathleen & Steven Haley
Zachary R. Haroutunian Randolph Hawthorne & Carliss Baldwin
Yvette & Lawrence Hochberg
Andrea & Frederick Hoff
Ilene & Richard Jacobs
David R. Janero & Jeffrey A. Thomson
In memory of Blanche & George Jones
Martha H. Jones & Christine Armstrong
Paul & Elizabeth Kastner
Paul L. King
Peter & Anna Kolchinsky
George & Lizbeth Krupp
Sheila Landay
Jann E. Leeming & Arthur D. Little
Stephen Leonard Alexander Levine
Paul F. Levy & Farzana Mohamed Robert & Syrul Lurie
Susanne Marcus Collins Susan Matz
Charlotte & Gordon Moore
Stewart Myers, in memory of Maureen McGuire Myers
Norman & Eleanor Nicholson
John David Ober
Eleanor & Frank Pao
John Patterson & Michele Demarest
Stephen C. Perry & Oliver Radford
Melinda & James Rabb
Cynthia & John S. Reed
Reuben Reynolds & Bill Casey
Sharon & Howard Rich
Abby & Donald Rosenfeld
Sally S. Seaver, PhD
Samuel & Gretchen Shubrooks
Spring Sirkin & Arthur Frank
Marylen Sternweiler
Dr. Lawrence Stifler & Mary McFadden
Mary Elisabeth Swerz & Robert S. Sherman
Belinda Termeer
Susan & Michael Thonis
Sanjay & Sangeeta Verma
Dorothy & Stephen Weber
Barnet & Sandra Weinstein
Peter J. Wender
Nancy Richmond Winsten
Miriam M. Wood &
Charles O. Wood, III
Ellen & Arnold Zetcher
Institutions
Anonymous (2)
Bank of America
Bank of Boston
BankBoston
Barr Foundation
The Garbis & Arminé Barsoumian
Charitable Foundation
Joan & Steven Belkin Foundation
Boch Center
The Boston Foundation
Stephanie L. Brown Foundation
The Catered Affair
Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC
Clipper Ship Foundation
Collings Foundation
Comcast Cable
Deloitte LLP
DeMoulas Foundation
Emerson College
Fidelity Investments
FleetBoston Financial
Foley & Lardner LLP
Krupp Family Foundation
Liberty Mutual Foundation
Linde Family Foundation
Mabel Louise Riley Foundation
Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation
Massachusetts Cultural Council
Pierre & Tana Matisse Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
New England Center For The Performing Arts
New England Foundation for the Arts
P&G Gillette
Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation
The Peabody Foundation
Philanthropic Advisors
PTC
Cynthia & John S. Reed Foundation
Royal Little Family Foundation
Stifler Family Foundation
Talbots
Tufts Health Plan
U.S. Small Business Administration
List as of June 30, 2022
Deceased
AARON RICHMOND LEGACY SOCIETY
The Aaron Richmond Legacy Society was established in 2001 and honors the memory of Celebrity Series of Boston founder Aaron Richmond (1895-1964). The Society recognizes the following individuals who have notified Celebrity Series of estate provisions including bequest intentions, charitable remainder trusts, gift annuities, and other forms of deferred support.
Anonymous (2)
Dr. Harris A. Berman & Ruth Nemzoff
Robert Binney & Janet Veasey
Diana Bourgeois
Mark H. Cooley, MD
Martin Gantshar
Gabor Garai & Susan Pravda
Randolph Hawthorne & Carliss Baldwin
Ellen S. Heller
David R. Janero & Jeffrey A. Thomson
Martha H. Jones & Christine Armstrong
Paul & Elizabeth Kastner
Mary Ellen Kiddle
Joan Lebach
Margot LeStrange & Andrew Stern
Susan Matz
Charlotte & Gordon Moore
Stewart Myers, in memory of Maureen McGuire Myers
John David Ober
Eleanor & Frank Pao
Mr. Jonathan Scott Reichner
Libby Roberts
Sandra Shapiro & John Kirsch
Marylen Sternweiler
Peter J. Wender
Constance White
Nancy Richmond Winsten
Marvin & Katherine Wolfthal
Miriam M. Wood & Charles O. Wood, III
Ron & Janet Zwanziger
Deceased
In Memoriam
The Celebrity Series community dearly misses, recognizes, and holds tremendous thanks for the following family members and supporters who brought their energy, commitment, enthusiasm, love, and support to Celebrity Series and the performing arts in Greater Boston whom we lost during the 2021/22 season.
Gone but Never Forgotten
Dr. Harris A. Berman
Nonnie Burnes
Bill Casey
Susanne Marcus Collins
Maryel Locke
Elinor McLaughlin
Walter Pierce
Freema Shapiro
Charles O. Wood, III
AMY LAM FUND FOR CREATIVE PERFORMANCE
In October 2021, Artistic Director Amy Lam’s 30 years of dedicated service to Celebrity Series came to a close as she resigned her position to bring her considerable talents to the 92nd Street Y in New York. Amy’s calling cards are manifold, but among them include her supreme artistic taste, her knack for seeking out the world’s most exciting artists and pairing them to the perfect worldclass Boston venues, and her deft programming of performances that both satisfy and stretch discerning Boston audiences.
In announcing Amy’s transition to this exciting new chapter, Celebrity Series created the Amy Lam Fund for Creative Performance (an initiative of the existing Innovation Fund) to honor Amy’s legacy, her expansion of multi-disciplinary, cross-genre programming, and ongoing creative initiatives.
Thank you to our Celebrity Series family members who support Amy’s legacy.
Anonymous (2)
Dr. Gary Bailey
Paul Belanger & Teri Groome
Dr. Harris A. Berman & Ruth Nemzoff
Amy & Joshua Boger
Emily Borababy & Adam Einhorn
Karen Brown & Michael Plum
Stephanie L. Brown
Fernadina Chan & Albert Wong
Jolyon Cowan & Vanessa Trien
Anne & Gary Dunning
Cathy Edwards & Mike Wishnie
Kathleen & Chris Gaffney
Garth & Lindsay Greimann
Randolph Hawthorne & Carliss Baldwin
Martha H. Jones & Christine Armstrong
Paul & Elizabeth Kastner
Nathan & Jacqueline Kono
Don & Glenda Mattes
Andrew Moreau
Norman & Eleanor Nicholson
Eleanor & Frank Pao
Chrissie & Rich Parker, MD
Michael & Debra Raizman
Nancy Richmond Winsten
Dr. & Mrs. Michael Silverman
Drs. Margaret & Michael Simon
Catherine & Joel Stein
Marylen Sternweiler
Susan & Michael Thonis
Sharon R. Weinstein, MD
Deceased
Listing as of June 30, 2022
Interim Artistic Programmers: Bobby Asher, Karen Brown and Hanako Yamaguchi
Following Amy’s departure in October 2021, Interim Artistic Programmers Bobby Asher and Hanako Yamaguchi worked with Celebrity Series to program the 2022/23 season, alongside Chief Operating Officer Karen Brown. Bobby Asher, who programmed jazz and contemporary artists for the 2022/23 season, is an independent arts administrator whose work focuses on creating artist programs that meaningfully connect with audiences and communities. Hanako Yamaguchi, who programmed classical artists for the 2022/23 season, served thirty illustrious years at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, including two decades as Director of Music Programmin. And Celebrity Series' own Karen Brown, Chief Operating Officer, stepped in to program our dance engagements for the 2022/23 season.
Please join us in thanking Bobby, Karen, and Hanako for their considerable work in the 2021/22 season that has allowed Celebrity Series to present a robust and exciting 2022/23 season beginning in October 2022.
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
BOCH CENTER WANG THEATRE
2021/22 BOARDS OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Joshua Boger, PhD, Chair+
Jill S. Altshuler
Howard Appleby
Stephanie L. Brown+
Michael S. Canning+
Joanne Cheng
Amy d’Ablemont Burnes
Margaret Eagle
Kathleen Gaffney+
Gabor Garai
Paul D. Goldenheim, MD
Randolph Hawthorne+
Dr. Joan Helpern Goldberg*
Yvette Hochberg
Andrea Hoff
John Patterson
Stephen C. Perry*
Leontyne Price, Honorary Director
Melinda Rabb
Michael Raizman*
Reuben Reynolds
Sharon
Peggy
Susan
Dorothy
Jann E. Leeming*
Norman C. Nicholson, Jr.
Eleanor Y. Pao
Walter W. Pierce*
Nancy Richmond Winsten*
Arnold B. Zetcher
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Peggy Simon, Chair
Leslie Appleby
Meryl Beckingham
Marilyn Benson*
Diana L. Bourgeois Martin Carmichael*
Rosalind E. Gorin
Harriet Griesinger
Teri Groome
Zachary R. Haroutunian
Stephen C. Harrison*
Paul Hartung
Betty Hillmon
Ilisa Hurowitz
Heidi Hutton
Maurice Joffe
Sandy Johnston
Lisa Kelly-Croswell
Nathan Kono
Kate Kush
Fred Ledley
Stephen Leonard*
Margot LeStrange*
York Lo
Valeria Lowe-Barehmi
Joelle Lurie
Theresa C. McLoud, MD
Dr. Michael Merport
Marilyn Miller*
Dr. Gordon Moore*
John P. Mordes, MD* Dr. Ruth Nemzoff*
CELEBRITY SERIES STAFF
Gary Dunning, President and Executive Director
Nicole Taney, Artistic Director
ADVANCEMENT
Emily Borababy, Chief Advancement Officer
Sara Brookner, Associate Director of Institutional Giving
Sarah Spinella, Associate Director of Individual Giving
Anya Hess, Manager of Events and Donor Relations
Wes Boudreau, Assistant Manager of Advancement Operations
Christopher Vu, Assistant Manager of Individual Giving and Donor Communications
Miranda McLean, Advancement Coordinator
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Heather Clark, Chief Financial Officer
Alex Larin, Finance Manager
Connor Buckley, Business Manager
Laurel Sabala, Finance Associate
MARKETING AND AUDIENCE SERVICES
Courtney A. Burke, Director of Marketing and Communications
Ellen Rogoz, Associate Director of Marketing
Vawnya Nichols, Associate Director of Ticketing and Audience Services
Gillian Morrison, Senior Manager of Communications and Digital Content
Robert Torres, Senior Graphic Designer and Photographer
Kristín Otharsson, Design and Multimedia Manager
Patrick Smith, Marketing Analytics and CRM Manager
Angela Flores, Assistant Manager of Email Marketing and Social Media
Nicole Williams, Assistant Manager of Audience Services
James L. J. Nuzzo
Ellen Offner*
Stella J. Owen
Rich Parker, MD*
James Perrin
Dr. Beth Pinals
Suzanne Priebatsch
Oliver Radford*
Mona J. Roberts*
Millard Rose
Abby Rosenfeld*
Barbara Russell
Sally S. Seaver, PhD*
Sandra Shapiro*
Susan Shapiro Magdanz*
Dr. Samuel J. Shubrooks, Jr.*
Dr. Michael Silverman
Lori Solon
Joel A. Stein*
Marylen R. Sternweiler*
Jeffrey A. Thomson*
Sarah Rainwater Ward
Wendy L. Watson
Barnet Weinstein
Sharon R. Weinstein, MD
Peter J. Wender*
Sarkis Zerounian
Listing as of June 30, 2022
+ Denotes Executive Committee
* Denotes 25+ year subscriber
Denotes deceased
Susanna Bonta, Program Book Associate
Lilli Samman, Ticketing and Front of House Manager
Mia Straccia, Audience Services Associate
Poornima Kirby, Senior Audience Services Representative
Annie Coyne, Audience Services Representative
Saralyn Klepaczyk, Audience Services Representative
PERFORMANCE OPERATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Karen Brown, Chief Operating Officer
Liz Rosenthal, Associate Director of Performance Operations
Robin Baker, Associate Director of Community Engagement
Elizabeth Kracunas, Manager of Performance Operations
Israel Gutierrez, Manager of Community Engagement
Sarah Radcliffe-Marrs, Special Projects Manager
Hope Aubrey, Executive/Contracts Administrator
USHERS
Erin Field, Lauren Florek, Yael Hayem, Molly Hitt, Myles Lobdell, Dekel Luban, Eliza Malecki, Jen Minor, Anna Sebourn, Sarah Stephenson, Jules Wyse
MEDIA RELATIONS:
Stephanie Janes PR; The Williams Agency, Nicola Williams, president; JMK-PR, John Michael Kennedy, president
AAFCPAs, Audit Firm
BernsteinShur, Law Firm
First Republic Bank, Banking
Boston Common Asset Management, Wealth Management
