Amanda and Kate take on APAP

We started off 2012 with a trip to the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference in New York City. Our Executive Director, Michael, and  Programming Director, Leigh Ann, are both regulars at this yearly conference, but this time around Kate, the Development Assistant, and Amanda, the Marketing Assitant, wanted in on the experience too*.

APAP not only gives GP an opportunity to connect with other performing arts presenters from around the U.S., it's also a chance for us to discover new artists; we like to keep our GPeeps ahead of the curve (GP 2011 artists Blitz the Ambassador and Yemen Blues both turned in awesome sets at APAP this year)!

From the spinning hotel doors, to the mountains of artists' marketing materials, to the bustling Expo Halls to the explosive line up of performers, APAP NYC was nothing short of an adventure! 

A Day @ APAP

Wake up and take a five second jog through the automatic spinning doors.
 

Brochures and marketing materials galore! 

Inside the Expo Halls, artists and manager were on hand to chat and hopefully seal a deal with presenters.

Our days were filled with conference sessions and artist showcases. Below are some artist stand outs from APAP...and who knows, you might even see some of them at GP this summer..! 

Ethan Lipton :: clever and funny music from a New York singer/songwriter 

Nomadic Massive :: socially engaged hip hop group out of Montreal

Debo Band :: Ethiopian funk, are your shoulders shaking yet?

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino :: music from southern Italy

SMOD :: a Malian hip hop group with the son of Amadou & Mariam as their front man

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* Amanda and Kate's trip to APAP was sponsored in part by grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation, the Durfee Foundation and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.