National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

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APAP's 55th Annual Conference:

New York's cosmopolitan nature becomes charged with fresh new energies, both local and global, each January, as more than 3400 national and international performing arts leaders and special guests of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) descend upon the city for their annual conference with more than 350 exhibitors in the expo halls at the Hilton (January, 6-10, 2012). The world's entrepreneurial presenters and agents gear up for the event months in advance to organize close to 1300 showcases in the performing arts. These relatively brief, live performance experiences spark tremendous anticipation for the coming year's prospects.

This year's conference-related music festivals and showcases were filled with established global stars and surprising emerging ones. A newer spirit of collaboration too among the city's own presenters created greater media impact as well as night after night of continuous celebration: notably by Central Park SummerStage, Winter JazzFest, and globalFEST.

Part of APAP's excitement this year was the presence of its new President and CEO, Mario Garcia Durham. Mr. Durham served as the Director of Artist Communities and Presenting at the National Endowment for the Arts since 2004, and is highly respected by the U.S. presenting community. He is the fifth executive director since the organization's founding in 1957, and carries forth the brilliant work by his predecessor, Sandra Gibson.

"One of the reasons I took the job of president and CEO of APAP is because I love the membership and all the ways the various communities within it work together to create the arts industry here and internationally," says Mario Garcia Durham. "Within the objectives I am exploring in my new role, diversity is central - and my understanding of it is broad: culture, gender, age, region, race. Where ever we go at APAP, diversity will be a focus of richer discussions about the performing arts."

Sandra Gibson herself was present at the APAP Awards Luncheon and, as part of his opening remarks, Mr. Durham paid homage to her for the work she has done over the years for APAP and the field.

We interviewed Ms. Gibson, who graciously shared her views about the performing arts from her coign of vantage: "I've witnessed many performing arts colleagues find new, more effective ways to connect, partner and exchange with artists and their counterparts around the world, acting as cultural catalysts in their communities and building a stronger web of support globally for the arts. We are all challenged to grow new capacities, adopt more adaptable strategies and make shifts in our practices and roles that result in a much deeper engagement of the people we serve. I'm excited about the promise of new leadership efforts to respond to the vast demographic shifts in our country and world -- holistic approaches to diversity on its terms and beyond the surface, representational approaches we've seen for some time. There must continue to be real movement toward the establishment of frameworks, systems and actions that embrace inclusion in every way, on every level. This is our time and an unprecedented time for visible, powerful connections to community. We have an opportunity to respond to the call to action, a call for great acts of community building through the arts that transcend venue, program and market and add vibrancy, value and meaning to our lives. It's been a wonderful privilege for me to work in the arts sector for more than 30 years and to have the time now to work with The Smithsonian Institution, DeVos Institute at the Kennedy Center and more than a dozen cultural organizations that are dedicated to strengthening and unifying our work for greater community impact."

Thanks to APAP's continuing track record of superb leadership, its stewardship guides the conference in its thought-provoking and stimulating annual themes towards professional development. Featured American and globally-recognized leaders in performing arts addressed this year's theme: "Owning The Road Ahead." Opening plenary speaker, Carol Coletta, urban expert and leader of ArtSpace, launched the conference with her speech, "Setting the Stage for Owning the Road Ahead." She vigorously championed the relevance and value of the art industry: art that drives vibrancy - leading to quality of place that attracts talent, towards overall greater economic success.

The eloquent, engaging Tony-Award winner and South African playwright, actor, and director, John Kani, closing plenary speaker, captivated APAP members with his talk "Owning Your Road." Through his experience in forging change in South Africa during the Apartheid years through the theater and the arts, he passionately avowed, "Art is more powerful than all the weapons you could think about... Imagine, if there were no arts?" And further, "We need to understand that the only way we can succeed is if we get to 'two.'" (Counting beyond the self, the 'We.') From his vantage, he advised that the worldwide arts communities need to unite and advocate together that art is a vital part of the global economy.

There were many useful and practical sessions ranging from funding availability for artists travelling to U.S. festivals from Ireland, Israel, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Canada, and Sweden; visa and artist immigration; media and technology; diminishing carbon footprints; the importance of involving community diversities in programming; and a special focus on building jazz culture.

Another greatly admired South African activist in the arts, Retha Cilliers, CEO of her country's Field Band Foundation, led a moving and inspiring "Ideas Lounge" discussion session entitled "South Africa: The Power of Music in Social Development." Ms. Cilliers outlined the history, the challenges, and the scope of her foundation's achievements at the grassroots level to contribute to the education and development of underprivileged communities through organizing field bands. Her organization work has established 19 drum and bugle corps with 4,500 members from 115 townships in 292 schools. While music is the common purpose, the young members develop self-esteem and higher sense of purpose in a turbulent society to rise out of poverty and despair. There are many worthy ways to help Ms.Cilliers' foundation, specified on the website.

Dmitri Vietze, the indefatigable world music publicist, hosted a lively special interest session, "How World Music Presenters Can Increase Organizational Media Presence," that drew droves of colleagues eager to hear the room's views and opinions about big-name artistic draw and festival "story" publicity. We heard many voices, including Fabian Alsultany's announcement about his innovative yoga and music Tadasana International Festival coming up in April on the Santa Monica Pier.

And in the meet and greet afterwards of rarely seen friends, Deborah Cohen, handed out information about her new management multi-phase project (April, 2012 - September, 2013) with the artist Meklit Hadero, The Nile Project: "A multicultural musical platform that will bring together hip-hop, traditional and contemporary musicians living in the Nile countries (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt) to play and record music, to tour down the river and its source lakes on a boat made out of recycled water bottles, and connect the people of the river to each other and to the broader world. Loosely based on the Silk Road Project, and created by Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero and Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis, the Nile Project explores the intersection of ecology and culture across much of East Africa."

Alexa Birdsong, former Arts and Cultural Programs Director with New York's City Parks Foundation, and legendary performing arts programmer, gave us exciting news about the construction progress of the 20,000 square foot new club and restaurant opening in Harlem in June. There will be African, Latin, jazz, and r&b performances, and African cuisine starring a protege chef of Wolfgang Puck. Ms. Birdsong will be the Director of Programming.

Spring is springing with many new prospects ahead.

READ PART TWO HERE