ABOUT
OUR MISSION
Primo Artists is a top international classical music management agency with a selective roster of the world’s finest classical artists, from rising stars to household names: violinists Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Nicola Benedetti, and Randall Goosby; pianists Beatrice Rana and Seong-Jin Cho; conductors Cristian Măcelaru, James Gaffigan, Gemma New and Christian Reif; and composers Wynton Marsalis, Valerie Coleman and Joel Thompson.
Based in New York and founded in 2015 by industry veteran Charlotte Lee, Primo Artists is considered the most modern agency in the field.
With over 30,000 social media followers, Primo Artists is an industry trailblazer offering a holistic approach to artist representation. Beyond its distinguished artist management roster, the agency represents a robust roster of Public Relations and Social Media clients to optimize and build presence in an ever-evolving media world. Primo Artists is the only agency in the arts field that offers artist management, social media and PR services to artists and institutions around the world.
Primo Artists is committed to enabling our artists and institutions to share their music with as wide an audience as possible. We focus on maximizing opportunities while working to individual and key strengths with a personalized approach and unparalleled working relationships in the field.
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OUR FOUNDER
Charlotte Lee is the President and Founder of Primo Artists, one of the world’s leading international artist management agencies. She is recognized as an industry veteran with over 25 years of leadership experience in artist management, entrepreneurship, advocacy, speaking and media.
Based in New York, Primo Artists has an esteemed management roster comprising violinists Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Nicola Benedetti and Randall Goosby; pianists Beatrice Rana and Seong-Jin Cho; conductors Cristian Măcelaru, James Gaffigan, Christian Reif and Gemma New; and composers Valerie Coleman, Wynton Marsalis and Joel Thompson.
Considered the most modern agency in the field, Primo Artists is an industry trailblazer offering a holistic approach to artist representation. Beyond its distinguished artist management roster, the agency represents a robust roster of Public Relations and Social Media clients including Lincoln Center, London Philharmonic Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Sphinx Organization and many composers, instrumentalists, vocalists, ensembles and organizations. Primo Artists is the only agency in the arts field that offers artist management, social media and PR services to artists and institutions around the world.
An active advocate, Lee is also the founder and leader of PAMAC, Performing Arts Managers and Agents Coalition. She was a principal in leading the industry-wide lobbying effort that led to the enactment of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants program, providing $16.5 Billion in relief to the arts and culture industry. PAMAC is the only network of 250+ U.S. artist managers, booking agents and independent producers in the performing arts industry. Lee created the coalition in May 2020 to advocate for U.S. legislative reform in a quest to secure relief for all segments of the industry in the wake of COVID’s devastating impact on the arts and culture sector. Her change.org petition, launched on June 4, 2020, attained over 17,500 signatures and went straight to Congress. On August 4, 2020, PAMAC hosted a pivotal conference call with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Senior Staff as the only group in the arts and entertainment industry who held such a meeting, urging Senator McConnell to support the “Save Our Stages” Act. Signed into law on December 27, 2020, the “Save Our Stages” Act – known as the “Shuttered Venues Operators Grant” program – provides $16.5 Billion in grants for live music venues, cultural institutions, independent movie theaters and talent agencies. It is the largest public rescue of the arts and entertainment industry in U.S. history.
After graduating, Lee moved to New York City where she began her career in the music business at PolyGram Classics & Jazz, later known as Universal Music Group. She worked as an intern for this record conglomerate that comprised the Deutsche Grammophon, Decca and Philips labels. This furthered her passion for the classical music industry, where she desired to be on the frontline with artists and at the heart of the strategy of building careers.
In September 1998, at the introduction of the impresario Charles Hamlen, Lee met the legendary Edna Landau and Elizabeth Sobol of IMG Artists and joined IMG NY where she would eventually be mentored by these highly respected industry leaders. It was through this mentorship that she developed a strong work ethic for integrity and excellence. From the start, Lee had the honor of working as part of the exclusive management teams for luminaries such as pianists Lang Lang and Evgeny Kissin, violinists Joshua Bell and Hilary Hahn, and conductors Franz Welser-Möst and Ivan Fischer.
Lee quickly gained the trust of these renowned artists and was promoted in 2001 to become IMG Artists’ youngest manager at age 24. In 2007, she was appointed the agency’s youngest vice president at age 30. Her roster of artists who she personally managed grew, and she eventually took on the general management of Itzhak Perlman, amongst other internationally recognized artists. She served for seven years as Director of Orchestral Booking in overseeing the booking of IMG’s North American orchestral roster of nearly 100 conductors, instrumentalists and symphony pops shows. It was through this dual role that she established her strong, close relationships with the major orchestras of North America.
In January 2015, Lee founded Primo Artists with the mission of establishing it as one of the leading artist management agencies in the world.
Musical America have twice named Lee a “Top 30 Professional of the Year”: In the 2015 Inaugural Edition recognizing influencers in the classical music business and in the 2021 Edition applauding heroes of the industry who saved the day during the pandemic.
Auditorium Magazine of South Korea featured her in 2020 as one of “14 Top CEOs of Artist Management Agencies” shaping the arts industry today.
Lee received the 2022 Western Arts Alliance Service Award in recognition of her advocacy, contributions and leadership on the Shuttered Venues Operators Grant, the $16.5 Billion bill that rescued the U.S. arts and entertainment industry through the pandemic.
In addition to her advocacy work, Charlotte serves on various Boards including the Advisory Council of Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) and the Board of Directors of the International Artist Managers' Association (IAMA). She has adjudicated competitions such as the Sphinx Competition, Vendome Prize, Orford Music Award, Ima Hogg Competition and the Parkening International Guitar Competition. Lee regularly speaks at conferences including SphinxConnect, APAP and the League of American Orchestras and has lectured at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College and HEC Montréal. She has made radio appearances on NPR’s “From the Top”, WQXR and BR KLASSIK. Through the pandemic, she hosted her own show on Clubhouse’s “The Classical Music Club” to discuss relevant topics in the arts.
For more information, go to www.primoartists.com and follow Primo on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn at @PrimoArtists.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
