[FA Worldmusic] news about...well....me

[Bill Bragin]

I've gotten much appreciated notes and calls from some of you, so I know
that a lot of you have seen the announcement in the NY Times, or
elsewhere online, but I wanted to tell you personally about all the
exciting changes going on with me personally, and at Joe's Pub at the
Public Theater.

But (he said, procrastinating), first a quick message about an event I
was just invited to take part in tonight - a fantastic cross-cultural
concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine called Songs of the
Spirit <http://www.songsofthespiritconcert.com/> .  Songs of the Spirit
combines contemporary popular music and spoken word performances with
traditional sacred music of diverse faiths and cultures.focusing on the
shared spiritual ideals of an interconnected, interdependent world.
I've been asked to be one of the readers on a stellar bill which
features Odetta, Hugh Masekela, Craig Harris, Haale, Frank London &
Lorin Sklamberg of the Klezmatics, Tracy Grammer, The Shangilia Youth
Choir of Kenya and the Tibetan Monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery
and includes such other readers as Lee Breuer and Laurie Anderson.  Or
as my wife Lisa asked, "why did they ask you?  They couldn't get Patti
Smith?"  Well, sorta.  I'm really honored and slightly daunted to have
been asked, and hope that some of you might be able to make last minute
plans to come up and see the event tonight.


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New York, NY: Friday, November 16 - 7:00 PM
Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street, New York City
Tickets & information
Tel: 1.866.468.7619 (ticketweb)
Online: http://www.ticketweb.com/ <http://www.ticketweb.com/>


OK, enough avoidance.  Here's the shortest version of the story, as
reported by yesterday's NY Times Arts Briefly
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/arts/15arts.html>

"Bill Bragin, director of Joe's Pub at the Public Theater and an
influential concert promoter, has been hired as director of public
programming at Lincoln Center, it was announced yesterday. He will begin
in January in the new position, and will program the Midsummer Night
Swing and the Out of Doors summer series and work on events for Lincoln
Center's 50th anniversary, coming in 2009. ... "

I'm thrilled to have this chance to bring my own particular spin to
these two free/low-cost outdoor multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary
favorites of NYC, and looking forward to the new adventures and new
discoveries ahead at Lincoln Center, where I already have a number of
friends and colleagues in the programming department.  As many of you
might imagine, the decision to leave a place that I love as much as
Joe's Pub was not an easy one, and my excitement doesn't come without a
sense that I'll feel a huge hole as I make this change. It's going to
take a long time to wean myself from my (more-or-less literal) home for
the past six years. But it's a fantastic opportunity to be a part of one
of the world's leading performing arts institutions as they (we!)
prepare for its 50th Anniversary and the redevelopment of its public
spaces, and to play a role in helping shape its next 50 years.  I'm a
little less excited about having to religiously check weather.com like I
did when I was back at Central Park SummerStage or this September during
Joe's Pub in the Park.

To answer a few quick questions I'm sure some of you may have.

I'll remain at Joe's Pub until just before Christmas, and then start the
second week of January at Lincoln Center.  My new email address will be
bbragin at lincolncenter.org, so file that one away, but keep writing to me
here until December 21.   I should have my phone extension and mailing
address soon.

Along with Isabel Soffer and Maure Aronson, I'll continue to produce
globalFEST, which is at Webster Hall on Jan 13, 2008 (artists to be
announced on November 26, but onsale now.)   I'll also still be wearing
my Acidophilus hat as I DJ occasionally as part of the GlobeSonic Sound
System <http://www.globesonic.com/> , including a special party at the
new club Drom <http://www.myspace.com/dromnyc>  (where Opaline used to
be on Avenue A) on Friday, December 21, celebrating the transition from
one incredible chapter of my life to another.  More about that in a few
weeks.  And I hope to see many of you up on Broadway, when Passing
Strange <http://myspace.com/passingstrange>  opens at the Belasco
Theater in February.

Shanta Thake, who is currently the Associate Director of Joe's Pub, has
been named acting Director of Joe's Pub, a role she so richly deserves.
Shanta has worked by my side for the past 5 years, and has been
essential to the growth and evolution of Joe's Pub.  Moreover, she's
become a good friend and trusted ally.  Over the past few years, the
artistic vision of Joe's Pub has really become a collaborative process
between us, as well as our colleagues Walter Durkacz, Kevin Abbott, and
KB Berton.  There's virtually nothing that happens at Joe's Pub that
Shanta hasn't had a hand in, and I'm thrilled that her talent, taste,
and all-around-general-goodness will now be recognized more broadly.  So
expect more of the fine programming and great vibes you've come to
expect from Joe's Pub, as she seamlessly leads it toward its upcoming
10th anniversary.


That's the news for now - looking forward to whatever this next part of
the story will reveal.

All the best,
Bill

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS


>From Lincoln Center:

NOTED CONTEMPORARY AND INTERNATIONAL ARTS PRESENTER, BILL BRAGIN,
APPOINTED DIRECTOR, PUBLIC PROGRAMMING, LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE
PERFORMING ARTS

Bill Bragin has been named Director, Public Programming for Lincoln
Center, Inc., it was announced today. Bragin, currently Director of
Joe's Pub at The Public Theater, will start at Lincoln Center in
January, 2008.

In this newly created position, Bragin will be responsible for curating
the popular Midsummer Night Swing and Lincoln Center Out of Doors
festivals held on Lincoln Center's public plazas each summer.
Additionally, he will work throughout the year on select public
programming including special upcoming 50th Anniversary events in
2009-2010, and other selected projects.

In issuing the announcement, Jane Moss, Vice President, Programming,
commented, "We wish to unify the curatorial vision for our outdoor
programming festivals - Midsummer Night Swing and Lincoln Center Out of
Doors - especially in light of the current transformation of Lincoln
Center's public spaces. Bill's encyclopedic knowledge of the
international music scene will ensure that the hundreds of thousands of
people who come to Lincoln Center each summer will have outstanding,
diverse artistic experiences in a new, welcoming outdoor environment."

Throughout his career, Bragin has presented a who's who of the music
world, from Brazilian, Latin, African and Asian artists to rock, jazz,
hip-hop, country, electronic and new music, as well as modern and ethnic
dance and spoken word events. He has served as Director of Joe's Pub at
The Public Theater since 2001 where, during that time, he was dubbed by
Time Out in 2005 as "New York's Finest Music Booker."  While at The
Public Theater, he presented more than 3,000 concerts, introduced the
Joe's Pub in the Park concert series at the Delacorte Theater in Central
Park, developed ongoing contemporary dance and family programming, and
initiated the Public's acclaimed new rock musical Passing Strange, which
will transfer to Broadway in February 2008. In 2004, he co-founded the
annual globalFEST world music festival/showcase, presented with World
Music Institute and World Music/Crash Arts, in order to expand the role
of world music in the Performing Arts field in North America.

In addition, Bragin programmed the multi-disciplinary Central Park
SummerStage performing arts festival for five seasons, including three
as Artistic Director, expanding its international offerings and
developing a dance and live music commissioning program.  Bragin was
music curator at Symphony Space for two seasons, where projects included
the acclaimed Wall-to-Wall Miles Davis marathon.  Previous experience
includes working in a programming and production capacity for various
festivals at George Wein's Festival Productions and managing the launch
of Allen Toussaint and Joshua Feigenbaum's NYNO record label.  He began
his career as director of the Alternative Concert Series at Haverford
and Bryn Mawr Colleges.  Bragin has also consulted on a variety of music
and performing arts projects including Lincoln Center Festival, the TED
Conferences, the Abril Pro Rock Festival and worked with choreographers
Susan Marshall, Wally Cardona and Ben Munisteri. He also dj's
internationally as part of the GlobeSonic Sound System, spinning
hybridized world/electronic music under the moniker Acidophilus.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LCPA), serves three
primary roles: presenter of superb artistic programming, national leader
in arts and education, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. As a
presenter of more than 400 events annually, LCPA's programs include
American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln
Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly Mozart Festival,
and Live From Lincoln Center.  In addition, LCPA is leading a series of
major capital projects on behalf of the resident organizations across
the campus.

###
>From The Public Theater

Dear Friend of Joe's Pub.

I wanted you to be among the first to know that Bill Bragin, Director of
Joe's Pub, will be leaving The Public at the end of the year to become
the Director of Public Programming at the Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts.

Over the past six years, Bill's passion, tireless commitment and vision
have shaped Joe's Pub into one of New York City's most celebrated
showcases for live music and performance.   Many of you are personal
friends and acquaintances of Bill, and I'm sure you will join us in
wishing him the best in his new position.

Our new Acting Director will be Shanta Thake, previously the Associate
Director of Joe's Pub and an integral part of the venue's team for the
past five years. Shanta and the rest of the Joe's Pub staff (Kevin
Abbott, KB Berton, Sara Beesley, Andrew Dainoff, Rebecca Elroy, Jo
Lampert and John Seroff) are at your disposal.  They are committed to
providing the same caliber, diversity and frequency of live performance
in the future as you have come to expect from Joe's Pub in the past.

If you have any questions concerning this change of staff, about the
venue or future programming, please feel free to contact Shanta or
anyone on the Joe's Pub team.

I thank you for your continued support of Joe's Pub.

Sincerely,
Oskar Eustis
Public Theater Artistic Director


All the best,

Bill Bragin
Director of Joe's Pub
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York, NY  10003

t/ 212.539.8512
f/ 212.539.8505
e/ bbragin at publictheater.org
www.joespub.com
Wanna be our Friend?  www.myspace.com/joespubatthepublic

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