Columbia Artists Management, Inc. (CAMI) was a talent management firm based in New York City. The agency announced plans to close on August 29, 2020, citing a “prolonged pandemic environment” as a reason for the disruption.
It was founded in December 1930 as Columbia Concerts Corporation by Arthur Judson and William S. Paley, the chairman of the Columbia Broadcasting System at the time, who assisted in the merger of seven separate concert bureaus around the United States. From 1959 to 2005, CAMI was based at 165 West 57th Street in New York City, before moving to 1790 Broadway.
CAMI has depicted a number of active classical artists around the world, including singers Leontyne Price, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Renata Tebaldi, Mario Lanza, Jussi Björling, John McCormack, Richard Tucker, Paul Robeson, and George London; pianists Vladimir Horowitz, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and Van Cliburn; violinists Jascha Heifetz, Yehudi Menuhin, and Toss.
When composers Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, and Aaron Copland performed, CAMI was their manager. Conductors Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, and Mirga Grainyt-Tyla, vocalists Isabel Leonard, Russell Thomas, and Brenda Rae, and pianist Maurizio Pollini were among the agency’s current roster.
CAMI and Wilford were chastised by British music analyst Norman Lebrecht for what he saw as their overbearing effect on conductor remuneration as well as the short time music directors spent among orchestras.
Columbia Artists is a historical name in the performing arts sector and a global pioneer in talent management. Our managers, producers, and agents represent an unrivalled roster of elite instrumentalists, conductors, opera singers, and other vocalists, orchestras, theatrical and musical attractions, commercial symphonic events, and various dance organisations. Columbia Artists creates individual careers and develops national and international touring and performance plans in close partnership with our clients.
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