NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — New York-based Columbia Artists Management, one of the oldest talent agencies in the U.S., and the leading performing arts agency, announced it is ceasing operations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement posted to their website said: “After prolonged deliberation and with profound sadness, the owners of Columbia Artists announced today that the company will cease operations immediately. This painful decision has been made as the result of the impact of the worldwide pandemic on the entire international performing arts community.”
In a statement emailed to its artists, CAMI said: “Columbia Artists has engaged with a fiduciary to enter into an assignment for the benefit of creditors, a form of insolvency proceeding where assets are liquidated and claims addressed in an orderly manner. We are working tirelessly to provide each of you concrete guidance on your specific situation in the coming days. In addition, we’re working together with the fiduciary to see a safe place to land for your Columbia Artists relationship.”
Founded in 1930 as Columbia Concerts Corporation as a merger of seven leading independent concert bureaus by Arthur Judson and CBS CEO William S. Paley.
Judson led the organization until 1948 when Frederick Schang, manager of opera legends such as Enrico Caruso and The Trapp Family singers became President of Columbia.
In 1970, Ronald Wilford stepped into the leadership role. Following Wilford’s death in 2015, he was succeeded by Tim Fox, who led CAMI until 2020.
CAMI represented a roster over eight decades that included some of the leading names in classical music.
Clients included Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, Mario Lanza, Otto Klemperer, Seiji Ozawa, and Aaron Copland.
CAMI also represented numerous performing arts organizations, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, New York Theatre Ballet, and London’s Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
