On February 11, students from NYU Steinhardt’s Performing Arts Administration graduate program visited Jazz at Lincoln Center, known as the “House of Swing,” as part of the program’s ongoing “Backstage Pass” site visit series. Students toured Frederick P. Rose Hall and spent time with members of the organization’s administrative team to learn what it takes to entertain, enrich, and expand the global community for jazz.
Located in the heart of New York City’s Columbus Circle, Frederick P. Rose Hall is home to three performance venues: Rose Theater, The Appel Room, and Dizzy’s Club. Students also learned about Jazz at Lincoln Center’s in-house record label, Blue Engine Records, including its recording studio. The tour was led by John Starmer, Vice President of Frederick P. Rose Hall, who shared how the organization supports big band performance and reflected on his 18 years with Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Following the tour, students gathered for a Q&A with members of the administrative team, including Laura Giannatempo (Senior Director of Marketing), Todd Stoll (Vice President of Education), Daniel Israel (Director of Tour Booking & Strategy), Alexandria Myers (Director of Major and Planned Gifts), and Alexa Ford (Product & Marketing Manager). Special thanks to Laura Giannatempo—also the PAA program’s current Resident Expert—for coordinating the visit and making this behind-the-scenes experience possible for our students. Together, they offered a candid look at the joys and challenges of operating one of New York’s leading organizations for live jazz.
Through experiences like this, the “Backstage Pass” series advances the PAA program’s mission of connecting classroom learning with real-world insight, helping students deepen their understanding of how performing arts institutions operate, adapt, and thrive.
