Episode 35 | Claudia Norman, International Arts Producer and ED of Celebrate Mexico Now Festival

In the realm of music and international arts relations, Claudia Norman is a legend. Period. Sweet as pie and as serious as any true diplomat out there Claudia is a risk taker and a champion of culture.

Some of her fierce credits including working with the legendary Sheldon Soffer, serving as Artistic Director of the Latino Cultural Festival at Queens Theater in the Park, Public Programming Producer for Lincoln Center Out of Doors and Midsummer Night Swing festivals, and La Casita, a festival celebrating oral traditions, poetry, hip-hop and global sounds. She’s served on many panels, worked with hundreds of artists from across the Northern and Southern American continent including the late and beloved Chabela Vargas. But goes beyond the region and one can say she has come across artists from all over the world. Her Celebrate Mexico Now Festival will be 17 this fall.

She and I have a lot in common, from dance to artists advocates, in a nutshell.

I appreciate her. I look up to her. Everyone I know in this behind-the-scenes realm has learned from her. We go at it in this episode 35 talking about how she landed, stayed and conquered New York. Ja! You have to listen to the podcast to get this. The skinny is that she stayed in the Big Apple for Love - and I love her for it…

Art funding will be as hard today as it has always been, she says, and she’s optimistic. Me, not so much, at least not today. Notwithstanding, we agree, that art is the way.

SOS.