Harlem Stage Names Eric Oberstein As New Managing Director

Harlem Stage today announced that Eric Oberstein has been named as the performing arts center's new managing director, effective January 4, 2021. In this capacity, Obertstein will have oversight of institutional operations and Harlem Stage staff. Patricia Cruz will assume the new role of artistic director and CEO, having led the organization as executive director for 23 years.

"I'm deeply honored to be joining Harlem Stage, a forward-thinking cultural organization I've long admired for its commitment to artists of color through transformative presenting, commissioning, producing, and educational work," said Oberstein. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to collaborate alongside Pat, the staff, board, and Harlem Stage's community of artists and partners, to help the organization realize its goals, continue its mission of celebrating the diverse artistic legacy of Harlem, and to nurture the leading artistic voices of our time, well into the future."

Said Cruz: "Harlem Stage has grown and changed dramatically throughout my tenure, from the restoration of our century-old Gatehouse to the creation of our signature Waterworks commissioning program. Harlem Stage will become a true home for creative artists of color, who will partner with us by shaping and curating programs and engaging with their fellow artists, scholars, historians, and activists to expand the dialogue around the significance of art, and the role it plays in our society. We will become an authentically artist-centered organization by expanding our programming reach beyond the intimate capacity of the Gatehouse; touring works both nationally and internationally; extending the reach of our collaborations with other organizations that share our values; and above all, we will become a renewed organization, ready to confront the challenges of the 21st century."

Cruz continued, "Bringing on Eric Oberstein as our new managing director allows us to restructure the organization to accommodate these changes; he not only possesses the critical leadership skills but he shares a deep belief in Harlem Stage's values to enable us to confidently look to the future."

Most recently, Oberstein served as interim director of Duke Performances, the professional performing arts presenting organization at his alma mater, Duke University, where he also served as an adjunct faculty member in Arts Management. Prior to that, Oberstein served as executive director of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, the New York-based non-profit dedicated to Afro Latin Jazz performance, education, and preservation. A New York-born and raised musician of Cuban American heritage, he is also a GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY-winning producer, collaborating with artists including Dafnis Prieto and Arturo O'Farrill.