CARAMOOR - Key Persons
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- Director, School Programs & Community Engagement
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- Director of Ticketing & Guest Relations
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- Secretary of the Board of Trustees
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- Box Office Assistant
- Marketing Coordinator
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- Media Relations & Outreach Consultant
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Membership Assistant and Donor Concierge
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- Director of Marketing & Communications
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- Grants Manager / Marketing
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Chief Executive Officer
- President
Ed Lewis joined Caramoor as President and CEO in May 2021. He has over two decades of nonprofit management and fund-raising experience in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and beyond. Prior to Caramoor, Ed served as Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he implemented and led the university's historic multi-award-winning fundraising initiative, Powering Creativity: The Campaign for UNCSA. The campaign supported innovative new programs, student scholarships, faculty endowments, facilities improvements, and community engagement initiatives. Under Ed's leadership, the UNCSA Foundation endowment grew through fundraising efforts from $35 million in 2015 to over $70 million in February 2021.
Ed was also the Senior Director of Development at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he provided strategic direction for a comprehensive fundraising program for one of the nation's leading university presenting programs. There, he helped design and lead the campaign for all the performing arts on the campus raising over $42 million as part of University of Maryland's first $1 billion comprehensive campaign Great Expectations: The Campaign for Maryland.
Ed has an extensive background as a violist. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and he completed his Doctoral Program post-graduate studies at the University of Maryland School of Music, where he studied chamber music with the Guarneri String Quartet. As a professional musician, Ed has performed as a member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Toledo Symphony, Spoleto Festival Orchestra and Aspen Chamber Symphony, among other ensembles.
Job Titles:
- Senior Artistic Planning Manager
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Director of Special Events
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- Event Operations Assistant
Shemekia Copeland has performed thousands of gigs at festivals and concert halls all over the world, and she has appeared in films, on national television, over NPR, and in magazines and newspapers. She has sung with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Dr. John, James Cotton, and many others. She opened for The Rolling Stones and entertained U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Jeff Beck calls her "amazing." Santana says, "She's incandescent … a diamond." In 2012, she performed with B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Buddy Guy, Trombone Shorty, Gary Clark, Jr., and others at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. She has performed on PBS's Austin City Limits and was recently the subject of a six-minute feature on PBS News Hour. Currently, Copeland can be heard hosting her own popular daily blues radio show on SiriusXM's Bluesville.
Her latest album, Uncivil War, has been nominated for a Grammy Award, named "Blues Album of the Year" by DownBeat Magazine, MOJO Magazine, Living Blues Magazine, as well as the Blues Music Awards, which also selected Copeland as Entertainer of the Year.
The Chicago Tribune's famed jazz critic Howard Reich says, "Shemekia Copeland is the greatest female blues vocalist working today. She pushes the genre forward, confronting racism, hate, xenophobia and other perils of our time. Regardless of subject matter, though, there's no mistaking the majesty of Copeland's instrument, nor the ferocity of her delivery. In effect, Copeland reaffirms the relevance of the blues." The Philadelphia Inquirer succinctly states, "Shemekia Copeland is an antidote to artifice. She is a commanding presence, a powerhouse vocalist delivering the truth."
To learn more about Shemekia Copeland, visit her website.
"Shemekia Copeland is a powerhouse, a superstar … She can do no wrong."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Chairman of the Board of Trustees
- Senior Advisor at the Carlyle Group
Jim Attwood is a Senior Advisor at The Carlyle Group. Between 2000 and 2017, Mr. Attwood directed Carlyle's private equity investments in the media and telecommunications industries globally, and between 2014 and 2017, he directed the firm's investments in the technology industry as well. He presently serves on the Boards of Directors of Syniverse Technologies (Chairman) and The Nielsen Company (Chairman). He also serves as a member of the Harvard Law School Dean's Advisory Board, The Friends of MVY Radio Board (Chairman), the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Board, the Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy, and the WNET Board of Trustees. Before Carlyle, Mr. Attwood served as Executive Vice President for Strategy, Development, and Planning at Verizon Communications, and held the same position at GTE Corporation prior to that. Mr. Attwood began his professional career as an investment banker with Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he worked in both New York and Tokyo.
Mr. Attwood received his BA in Applied Mathematics and MA in Statistics from Yale in 1980. In 1985, he received both his JD and MBA degrees from Harvard. He currently lives in Bedford, NY with his wife Leslie.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Director of Individual Gifts
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- Director of Interpretation, Collection, and Archives
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Technical Direction & Production Management Team
- Facilities
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Chairman Emerita
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- Human Resources Coordinator
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- Artistic Director
- Vice President
Since joining Caramoor in November 2016 in a newly-created role, Kathy Schuman has expanded the overall creative vision of the year-round concert season, overseeing the artistic program and production of all public concerts and related activities. Previously she was Artistic Administrator of Carnegie Hall, where she helped program its three venues in a wide variety of musical genres. During her 15-year tenure at Carnegie, she was deeply involved in the opening of Zankel Hall in 2003, which led to an expansion of the hall's presentations to include significantly more new music, early music, jazz, world, and folk. As the primary coordinator of Carnegie's robust commissioning program, she oversaw approximately 200 commissions, including new works by David Lang, Kaija Saariaho, John Adams, Brad Mehldau, Nico Muhly, Missy Mazzoli, Meredith Monk, and many others. Directly prior to joining Caramoor, she was Vice President and Artistic Director of G. Schirmer/AMP, managing a roster of Pulitzer, Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy-winning composers.
Kathy began her career in arts management at Frank Salomon Associates, where she worked both as an artist manager and as Coordinator of the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. She moved to Europe in 1994, where she was the Managing Director of the European Chamber Music Association (Bremen), Administrator of the Contemporary Music Network at the Arts Council of England, and then Associate Director of Intermusica Artist Management (London), where she managed artists and programmed the International Chamber Music Season at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, in addition to other concert presentations throughout London.
A native New Yorker, Kathy has been a lifelong choral singer, with a love of music instilled at an early age from her father, a professional oboist, and her mother, a book designer and opera-lover. She's also a gourmet home cook, avid world traveler, weekend cyclist, cinephile, and theater enthusiast.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Technical Direction & Production Management Team
- Facilities
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- Member of the Technical Direction & Production Management Team
- Facilities Superintendent
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Artistic Department Coordinator
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- Member of the Technical Direction & Production Management Team
- Housekeeping Assistant
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- Treasurer of the Board of Trustees
DESCRIPTION:You'll find it hard to resist dancing to the Grammy-nominated Pedrito Martinez and his cutting-edge band! As one of the most in-demand percussionists\, Martinez's unique and irresistible mix of Afro-Latin music fused with jazz and funk will leave you jumping with joy. \n\n\n\nPlease bring your own seating for this concert\, as it takes place on our grassy Friends Field. You can even bring or purchase a picnic dinner! \n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nPedrito Martinez\, percussion and vocalsSebastian Nata\, bass and vocalsIsaac Delgado Jr\, keyboards and vocalsManuel Marquez\, percussion and vocalsXito Lovell\, trombone and vocals \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"Groundbreaking … [Pedrito] is at the top of his game. His fierce combination of deep Afro-Cuban folklore fused with the jazz\, hip-hop\, and funk elements have molded him into a unique talent with international appeal." - Univision \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Artist\nPedro "Pedrito" Martinez began his music career at a young age in Cuba\, playing in the rumba and Afro-Cuban Yoruba traditions. Since settling in New York City in 1998\, he has performed with Wynton Marsalis\, Paul Simon\, Paquito D'Rivera\, James Taylor\, and Sting\, among others. He was a founding member of the highly successful Afro-Cuban/Afro-beat band\, Yerba Buena\, and has performed with dozens of Cuban rumba groups\, contributed to over 75 albums\, and appeared in several films. \n\n\n\nHis career as a band leader began with The Pedrito Martinez Group in 2005. Their first studio album\, self-titled\, was nominated for a Grammy Award and chosen among NPR's Favorite Albums of 2013 and The Boston Globe Critics Top Ten Albums of 2013. Habana Dreams\, their second album\, was released in 2016 and included guest artists Ruben Blades\, Isaac Delgado\, Wynton Marsalis\, and Angélique Kidjo. \n\n\n\nIn 2019\, Martinez and Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez released Duologue to critical acclaim. That same year\, Martinez and Eric Clapton recorded a newly arranged version of Clapton's song\, My Father's Eyes\, for Martinez's new album\, Acertijos (Riddles)\, released in early 2021. The album - featuring original compositions and special guests Gilberto Santa Rosa\, Eric Clapton\, and Issac Delgado - was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Tropical Album of 2021. \n\n\n\nIn 2020\, Martinez's projects included Play On for CBS TV with Jon Batiste\, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala\, Saratoga Jazz Festival\, and NEA Awards at SF Jazz. He was also named Jazz Percussionist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. In 2021\, he recorded two singles and performed with Cuban superstar Camila Cabello. \n\n\n\nMartinez uses LP Percussion\, A. Zildjian Cymbals\, Vic Firth drumsticks\, DW drums\, Remo drumheads\, and Earthworks audio mics. \n\n\n\nTo learn more about Pedrito Martinez\, please visit his website. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo learn more about our Health & Safety policies\, please click here.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Technical Direction & Production Management Team
- Lighting Designer
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- Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Technical Direction & Production Management Team
- Facilities
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Facilities Assistant
- Member of the Technical Direction & Production Management Team
- Superintendent
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- Lincoln Center Emerging Artist
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Member of the Board of Trustees
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- Adjunct Professor
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Vice President
Tahra Delfin joined Caramoor in December 2013 as Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to Caramoor, Tahra worked as Director of Marketing for Westport Country Playhouse, a 500+ seat subscription-based house located in Westport, CT. Her previous positions include serving as Sr. Director of Strategic Marketing for the corporate offices of Blue Man Group where she developed Blue Man Group's digital marketing and communications arm supporting Blue Man's theatrical productions across the globe. Tahra also served as Director of Development and Marketing at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She oversaw a $3 million fundraising budget and managed strategic communications and marketing efforts. Tahra began her career working for the Broadway industry. At the Broadway League, the national trade association for the commercial theatre industry, she spearheaded the industry's first economic recovery campaign stemming from the events of September 11, 2001 and established the industry's first multilingual website. Tahra also worked for an Omnicom-owned entertainment advertising agency, Serino Coyne, where she continued her work in developing industry-wide projects and sales promotions.
Since 2009, Tahra has served as an adjunct professor teaching Arts & Entertainment Marketing at Columbia Business School. She earned her B.F.A. in Drama from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University and an M.A. from the Program in Arts Administration at Teachers College, Columbia University. While at Teachers College, she served as the Enid Morse Fellow focusing on education marketing and evaluation at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Tahra is a classically trained actor and Opera singer residing in Carmel, New York.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Vice President
- Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for Caramoor Center for Music
Tammy Belanger is currently the Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a premiere cultural institution that enriches the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality, mentors young professional musicians, and engages young children through interactive, educational experiences that deepen their relationship to and understanding of music. Ms. Belanger began working at Caramoor as an intern to the Managing Director in 1995, while earning a Bachelor of Arts in Music Management from Manhattanville College. Over the next nine years she learned the operation from the ground up while obtaining a Masters degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from the University of Phoenix. Shortly after completing her studies, she was promoted to the head of the finance department.
As CFO for the past nine years, she successfully upgraded Caramoor's financial systems from a small, rudimentary nonprofit to one that matches the excellence of the internationally acclaimed performances Caramoor presents on stage. Through Belanger's planning and management, Caramoor has regularly come in under its expense budget, which has raised the confidence of the entire staff and board of trustees. Working in a nonprofit requires a tremendous amount of personnel skills to train others in finances, help them manage extremely limited resources and navigate an exponentially growing number of complex regulations imposed on nonprofit organizations. Belanger has accomplished all of that.
Originally from Maine, Ms. Belanger and her two children, Justin and Jessica, reside in Carmel, NY.
Job Titles:
- Artistic Planning Manager
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
- Vice President
Tracy Tajbl brings over two decades of national development experience to her role as Vice President and Chief Development Officer. Prior to joining Caramoor, she served as assistant dean for advancement for the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. During her time at Syracuse, Tracy secured significant gifts to support scholarships and programming for visual art, music, drama, and design students; played a crucial role in diversifying the College's advisory council, and launched a young alumni leadership group.
Prior to Syracuse University, Tracy held leadership positions in development for a variety of arts and cultural organizations, including the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, the Colorado Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony. She was a vice president at Community Counselling Service (CCS,) a national fundraising consultancy. During her time at CCS, she served as campaign counsel to the Nashville Symphony, playing a key role in raising $123 million to build the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. That campaign earned the 2007 Association of Fundraising Professionals International Award for fundraising excellence and innovation.
Tracy has a special interest in mentoring younger professionals and has created and delivered training sessions for fundraisers on a variety of topics. She served on the faculty for the Emerging Leaders in Development Program at the University of Denver and has presented educational sessions at the Association of Fundraising Professionals Conference in Washington, D.C., and at OPERA America. As a member of the Community Counseling Service (CCS) training faculty, she created several masters level courses. Building on her experience in prospect identification and research, Tracy has presented in WealthEngine's national webinar series.
An alumna of Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in art history, Tracy can be found enjoying theater, concerts, and dance performances; visiting museums; unearthing treasures at used book stores; or enjoying the great outdoors in her spare time.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Technical Direction & Production Management Team
- Director of Production
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- Member of the Board of Trustees