BAM Appoints Amy Cassello as Interim Artistic Director

BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) has announced the appointment of Amy Cassello as BAM’s interim artistic director. The appointment comes after David Binder concluded his artistic director tenure at BAM on July 2. Binder remains at BAM as artistic advisor through the remainder of 2023.

"A highly-regarded fixture of the Brooklyn and downtown arts scene, Amy has played a key role in stewarding BAM's programming for many years. She is fiercely committed to protecting artistic expression and she shares my passion for creating a holistic vision for BAM that exemplifies our deep commitment to artists and Brooklyn. I could not have a better partner to lead BAM's artistic programming while we determine an equitable and dynamic structure for our multidisciplinary programming team," said BAM President Gina Duncan.

Cassello oversees all programming and will continue to explore the organization’s multi-voice curatorial approach through a select roster of artists-in-residence, guest curators, and a wide range of partners that will expand BAM’s programmatic lens. With Cassello’s guidance, this approach will be organically applied across BAM’s programmatic spectrum including theater, dance, opera, music, film, archives, and community offerings.

“BAM has always been a place for discovery – whether you’re a second grader walking into the ornate Howard Gilman Opera House for the first time, a seasoned audience member ready to be wowed by a Next Wave production, or a fan of experimental film—our ambition to present challenging, multi-genre, resonant work carries on,” said Cassello. “We will continue to add new artists and curators into the mix, expand our residency program for emerging artists and thought leaders, and refine mechanisms for meaningful engagement with our audiences and fellow cultural partners.”

“Known for her ardent support of artists, Amy walks with us, not for us. There is a direct, heart-to-heart experience that Amy brings to her work, and it is what has helped me persist through the hard parts of the art-making process,” said Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, founder of Urban Bush Women.

“Amy is a wonderful collaborator and colleague with an impressive depth of knowledge and experience. What I find most special about Amy is that she accomplishes everything with calm efficiency, understated brilliance, an adventurous spirit, and a twinkle in her eyes,” said Janet Wong, associate artistic director of New York Live Arts.

“Amy’s ability to navigate a vast and complex artistic landscape while remaining staunchly committed to artists and their work is truly inspiring. She’s also a joy to work with and I look forward to seeing her programming on BAM’s stages,” said Binder.

The multi-voice curatorial model is evolving from of a series of recent successful collaborations including Hanif Abdurraqib’s 2022 spring music series (that included Nikki Giovanni, Devonté Hynes, Little Syria, Mdou Mocktar, L’Rain, Omar Offendum, Moses Sumney, Dawn Richard, Little Simz, and Moses Sumney), Solange’s 2023 Eldorado Ballroom series (that included Kelela, Res, KeiyaA, Autumn Knight, Maren Hassinger, Twinkie Clark & The Clark Sisters, Artina McCain, Malcolm J. Merriweather, Voices of Harlem, Angella Christie, Archie Shepp, Linda Sharrock, and Claudia Rankine) and numerous significant visual art exhibitions and commissions conceived by Larry Ossei-Mensah from 2019-2022.