Saturday, August 8, 2015

Strathmore Announces New Vice President of Programming

Concert Hall at The Music Center at Strathmore

From our friends at Strathmore...

Joi Brown Joins Leadership Team of Venerable Arts Center As It Commences 2015-2016 Season

Strathmore today announced the hire of Joi Brown as its new Vice President of Programming. As part of the leadership team headed by CEO Eliot Pfanstiehl and President Monica Jeffries Hazangeles, Brown will take the helm of Strathmore’s programming department beginning in September. With primary responsibility for conceptualizing and implementing performance programming in the 1,976-seat Music Center at Strathmore, the Vice President of Programming determines the overall artistic direction of the institution, season planning, and local community engagement.

Joi Brown is Strathmore’s second Vice President of Programming, a position initially held by Shelley Brown (no relation), who had been with Strathmore for 17 years and helped to build the Music Center’s reputation and define its regional presence since its opening in 2005. Looking forward from the Music Center’s 10th anniversary season, Joi Brown will re-imagine and enhance Strathmore’s artistic vision to reflect the changing landscape of Montgomery County and the broader Washington, D.C. region, as well as the evolving field of multidisciplinary arts presenting.


“Joi Brown possesses an extraordinary capability for discovering innovative performers and for extending the reach of compelling artistic product through education and community activities, a hallmark of Strathmore’s artistic presentations which we’re excited for her to expand and build upon,” said Strathmore President Monica Jeffries Hazangeles. “She is extremely creative and brings to Strathmore a programming perspective informed by her knowledge of multiple markets in North America and arts festivals around the world.”

Brown is the Founder and Director of 4Site Programming, a firm that has provided support for performing arts centers and arts organizations across the country, assisting with the development of mission-specific programming strategies, risk assessment, and program implementation. Prior to founding 4Site, Brown was the Vice President for Programming & Education at Omaha Performing Arts, where she provided artistic direction for the historic 2,600-seat Orpheum Theater, as well as the 2,000 seat Holland Performing Arts Center, and a third flexible-use venue, presenting 80-120 performances each season. Earlier experience in the performing arts includes General Manager and Director of Programming at the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts and Executive Director of the Oshkosh Opera House Foundation.

About Strathmore:
Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts. The organization’s hallmark is the Music Center at Strathmore, with a 1,976-seat concert hall and education complex. Its core campus also includes the historic Mansion at Strathmore, which features an intimate Music Room and art galleries. Most recently, Strathmore opened AMP, a 250-seat cabaret-style venue located just up Rockville Pike from the core campus in the burgeoning Pike District of Montgomery County. Strathmore’s signature education, mission-driven programs include the Strathmore Student Concerts, the Artist in Residence and Fine Artist in Residence programs, and its Spring Break @ Strathmore intensive.