August 19, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANICE L. MAYER NAMED DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING &
COMMUNICATION AT THE VAN CLIBURN FOUNDATION
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, August 18, 2009--Alann
Sampson, chairman of the Van Cliburn Foundation board of directors
announced today that Janice L. Mayer will become the Cliburn's
director of artistic planning and communication. In this capacity,
she will oversee the artist management of the Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition winners, facilitate and promote the
Cliburn Concerts series, and coordinate the marketing efforts and
press relations for the Van Cliburn Foundation.
In making the announcement, Mrs. Sampson said, "We are fortunate
to have Janice Mayer join the staff and take a leadership position.
Her vision, commitment to young artists and the repertoire, and
noted experience will be an asset to the Cliburn as it pursues its
mission of bringing the best of classical music to audiences
everywhere."
In taking on the appointment, Ms. Mayer said, "It is an honor to
accept the invitation of the chairman to join the Van Cliburn
Foundation, which I have long respected as one of America's
preeminent arts organizations. Nurturing talented young artists and
developing careers has been a focal point of my work as an artist
manager. Through the Van Cliburn Competition, the magic of the
discovery is shared with an enthusiastic audience both in Bass Hall
and with audiences throughout the world via the Internet and
award-winning television documentaries and recordings. I look
forward to collaborating with my colleagues at the Cliburn, as well
as presenters, composers, and conductors, to advance the mission of
the Foundation and build audiences throughout the world. The new
music component in both the competition through the American
Composers Invitational, as well as in the presentations at the
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, furthers my ongoing commitment to
expanding the classical music repertoire." She added, "I've been to
Fort Worth a number of times for the Fort Worth Symphony and Fort
Worth Opera, as well as to judge the McCammon Competition, and I
have found the level of hospitality astounding. I guess that I'm
now part of the welcome committee!"
BIOGRAPHY
As an arts consultant, Janice L. Mayer worked with such clients
as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera
America for the inaugural National Endowment for the Arts Opera
Honors, U.S. State Department Cultural Fellows Program coordinated
through the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Green
Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Bridge Records. She is the
founding president of Backshore Artists Projects, a chamber music
commissioning organization with projects in the pipeline from
renowned composers William Bolcom, Jake Heggie, Thea Musgrave, and
Joan Tower.
In 1995, she founded Janice Mayer & Associates LLC., an
international artist management company dedicated to advancing and
serving the vocal arts. From 1987 to 1995, Ms. Mayer was a manager
and vice president at Columbia Artists Management, Inc. A recipient
of a National Opera Institute grant, she joined the field as an
apprentice at the New York City Opera during Beverly Sills' tenure
as general director and remained with the company for five years.
She has also been employed as associate director of marketing
promotion at the Metropolitan Opera and national director of group
sales at the Shubert Organization. She assisted the San Francisco
Opera in developing its group sales program on a consultancy
basis.
As associate director of Classical Action: Performing Arts
Against AIDS from 2006 to 2008, Ms. Mayer was responsible for
writing and producing all publications, fundraising appeals, and a
benefit recording: Flesh & Stone, Songs of Jake Heggie. She was
recently invited to participate in the prestigious National
Endowment for the Arts Institute on writing on opera and classical
music held at Columbia University's Journalism School. A published
author, Ms. Mayer has written articles for several Opera America
publications, including Newsline and Voices and Perspectives, and
currently writes a blog for MusicalAmerica.com.
Ms. Mayer has served as an adjudicator for a number of vocal
competitions, including the McCammon Competition at the Fort Worth
Opera, Joy of Singing at Lincoln Center, the Heinz Rehfuss Vocal
Competition at the Orlando Opera, and the Vocal Honors Recital at
Juilliard. She has also participated as a panelist and moderator at
the League of American Orchestras, Western Arts Alliance, Opera
America, and the Chamber Music America conferences, as well as at
the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Invited by the
Marilyn Horne Foundation to participate in a symposium on the state
of recital presenting in the United States, she appeared at Zankel
Hall during the venue's opening season at Carnegie Hall. A former
member of the board of directors of NAPAMA (Association of North
American Performing Arts Managers and Agents), she served as
co-chair of the Orchestra Forum at Tanglewood. She has also served
on the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Grant Review Panel. As
the first artist manager to be invited to serve on the board of
directors of Opera America, she was honored with Bravo Awards for
outstanding service to the opera community in 2006 and for six
years of distinguished service to the board of directors in
2007.
Janice Mayer holds a master's degree in public administration
with a specialization in arts administration from New York
University. She earned a B.A. in American Studies and History (with
a secondary concentration in dance) from Connecticut College, where
she received the Fielding Award recognizing the outstanding woman
in the graduating class. In addition to giving a number of master
classes at conservatories and young artist development programs
each year, she has served as a guest lecturer at New York
University and as adjunct faculty at Purchase College at the State
University of New York, where she taught Marketing the Arts.
VAN CLIBURN FOUNDATION
Since 1962, the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition has been the most visible expression of the Van Cliburn
Foundation's commitment to the highest standards of musical
achievement. Through the competition, the Foundation disseminates
classical music worldwide, and launches young artists' careers,
ensuing international concert tours of its medalists, award-winning
television documentaries, CDs and DVDs, as well as Internet
downloads and internationally syndicated radio series dedicated to
the competition and its most memorable performances. In addition,
by making the competition available in its entirety via webcast,
the Foundation has extended its outreach to more than 155,000
listeners in 157 countries.
For audiences in North Texas, the Van Cliburn Foundation
promotes great music and world-class artists through the annual
Cliburn Concerts series, ongoing educational programs, and the
International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, recently
established as a quadrennial forum for non-professional musicians.
This event marks another step forward in the Foundation's mission
to introduce new audiences to the inspiration of classical music,
especially as experienced through live performance.
ExxonMobil is the Principal Corporate Sponsor of the Van Cliburn
Foundation. American Airlines; Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust,
U.S. Trust; City of Fort Worth; J.P.Morgan; Star-Telegram; Steinway
& Sons; and XTO Energy Inc. are Official Corporate Sponsors.
Official Sponsors are the Amon G. Carter Foundation, Arts Council
of Fort Worth & Tarrant County, Beaumont Foundation of America,
the Burnett Foundation, the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, and the
T. Boone Pickens Foundation. Star-Telegram is the principal media
partner and WRR 101.1 FM is the official radio station of Cliburn
Concerts.
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Emily Wynne: 817.738.6536
