APAP & globalFEST 2026:  Renewal, Resilience, Resistance

The APAP|NYC 2026 conference goes beyond booking and showcasing. This year, we’re building the case—using data, stories, and evidence—that communities cannot afford to lose the performing arts. Not as charity. As civic infrastructure.

Hear from leaders across sectors at this year’s conference, including John Schreiber of NJPAC; arts-and-health experts Nataki Garrett, Dr. Jill Sonke, and National Medical Fellowships, CEO Michellene Davis; technology partners BackOffice Thinking and Capacity Interactive; advocacy specialists from Americans for the Arts; and artists LaChanze and Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who will headline our Plenaries.

We’re not just gathering. We’re expanding our tent. We’re building coalitions that can rise to any crisis and unlock new opportunities. – Lisa Richards Toney

The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP|NYC) celebrated its 69th year during its annual conference at the Hilton, January 9-13. 

The vital global marketplace serves as the driver of North American performance bookings, featuring 3,000+ artists, agents, bookers, and presenters, with 1,000+ showcase performances across New York City, and a 50,000 square foot EXPO Hall with 300+ exhibitors. Attendees and members included performing arts leaders from 27 countries.

The event took place to great acclaim and well-deserved praise. There was palpable joy and even relief among the vast APAP conference community, both long-time colleagues and newcomers.

It was a good break from the barrage of news reports about the United States of America’s turmoil politically and geopolitically. It was a time to gather in collective fortitude and renewed hope for the coming new year. It was a time for perspectives.

Under the brilliant-minded leadership of APAP’s President and CEO Lisa Richards Toney, the conference plenaries generated vibrant energies while carefully addressing challenges to be met. 

A major part of APAP’s upbeat ambiance is due to Lisa’s personality. People flock to have their photos taken with her. Her warm hugs are part of her generous spirit. And yet, always, one senses the presence of a truly formidable and rare leader – with much needed principles, character, and judgement in the United States today.

In the International Arts Manager interview, “APAP|NYC 2026, A Call to Evolve the Performing Arts” Lisa outlined “…how this year’s gathering will equip artists, agents and presenters to adapt to shifting realities while renewing their commitment to cross-border collaboration”. 

She described this year’s four conference tracks: Arts Advocacy, Thriving by Design, The Art of Belonging. 

She notes for the fourth track that “Creative Edge: Embracing Technology helps us step into the digital frontier with confidence. Technology isn’t replacing artistry; it’s expanding it. Whether through AI-assisted creation, hybrid presentation or new tools for audience engagement, the goal is to empower creativity while keeping the human at the centre.” 

There is a great deal of AI fear, apprehension, in the U.S. fueled by, let’s  say, dystopian, existential narratives, ethical and regulatory concerns, job displacement — for example. APAP held useful and stimulating professional development sessions about AI with tech experts and practitioners in the field — to  encourage openness to take advantage of the technology.

As Lisa closed the Saturday morning plenary, she mentioned the importance of seeking out APAP’S Advocacy and Strategy Hub https://apap365.org/advocacy/. And, under the heading Advocacy Strategies (Innovation and  Resilience) take a good look at APAP’s AI Hub for the Performing Arts https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HUV8qjCiPLQZ0zC6Bij02nOHumIj00-/edit 

Here’s APAP’s  detailed official account of the conference.It conveys so well Lisa Richards Toney’s fierce determination to affirm and validate APAP’s role as the essential fulcrum for the performing arts sector; the purposefulness of the conference community spirit; and the promise of better days to come: “At a Defining Moment for the Arts, APAP|NYC 2026 Concludes with a Call to Reclaim Power, Identity, and Impact”.

Under Lisa Richards Toney’s leadership since July 2020, APAP has navigated significant challenges including the pandemic and launched initiatives focused on racial equity, diversity, and sustainability . Her role has become increasingly vital during this period of American turmoil across multiple fronts.

The organization serves as critical infrastructure during economic uncertainty. Richards Toney recently argued that the arts must reframe themselves not as an escape from the world’s challenges, but as integral to the solution. She’s pushing the field to move beyond viewing art as a luxury and instead position it as a catalyst for social impact, particularly as entire generations with deep convictions about climate, equity and social impact don’t see the arts as part of those causes.

APAP under Richards Toney maintains international connections through partnerships and cultural exchange programs, serving as connective tissue across geography, discipline, and identity. Her leadership philosophy emphasizes that arts service organizations should convene people and connect dots to foster exchange and opportunity, with leadership based on consensus rather than authority.

Richards Toney is essentially stewarding APAP through a period where the performing arts must prove their relevance and sustainability amid political scrutiny, funding uncertainty, and cultural shifts—making the organization’s advocacy and networking functions more essential than ever for the sector’s survival.

Circle your calendars for January 15-19, 2027: APAP’s Gala 70th Anniversary. APAP sits at the pinnacle of presenters. The gala will no doubt be grand and memorable.

APAP Vice Chair, Alicia Adams, is a pivotal member of APAP’s Board of Directors, a foundation for the organization’s strength, resilience, and fortitude. 

During the conference, she addressed the member audiences on two major occasions, receiving prolonged standing ovations. First, she was the opening plenary speaker for globalFEST’s annual conference meeting, Wavelengths. And, as an APAP Honors awardee, she delivered a thank-you address. We consider it insightful to share her reflections here, preceding our follow-up interview below.

Good morning, everyone. Thanks for being here to support Globalfest and this year’s conference. I want to thank the incredible architects and founders of Globalfest—Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin and ShantaThake for the invitation to open this year’s conference.

We are all here because of our deep passion for and belief in the creative work that we are involved in. We are here because we want to make sure that cultural exchange and international 0cultural exchange can continue to happen in a sustainable way. And we are here to learn and see and to share with colleagues from all over the world our journeys and hopes for today and tomorrow.

Our field thrives on creativity and innovation and is the most powerful tool that exists to bring people together. Far from being a frill or a decorative addition to life, the arts are fundamental to our existence and to what makes us human. In fact, democracy itself relies on the arts. It serves as its most powerful expression and advocate.

President John F. Kennedy hosted a fundraiser in 1962—called An American Pageant for the Arts—that included artists like 7-year old Yo-Yo Ma, Leonard Bernstein, Maria Tallchief, Marian Anderson, Van Cliburn and Harry Belafonte. Kennedy passionately championed the arts, seeing them as vital to American society. That night, he called art “the great democrat,” highlighting how creative brilliance emerges regardless of background or circumstance. Kennedy said on that democracy and art are inseparable and are indeed in the category with creators as crucial as scientists, business leaders, or politicians.

During the pandemic which began in spring of 2020 we were confined to our homes and separated from our communities, the arts became a source of comfort and connection. Music and television helped fill the void, ease our worries about COVID-19, and offer moments of solace as illness and loss affected so many.

Artists and organizations responded with remarkable innovation, creating new programming for the internet and discovering effective ways to foster connection when in-person gatherings were prohibited. In a world under lockdown, the arts helped us find new paths to community. The arts sustained and soothed the world during this critical time.

A political crisis occurred in the mid-20 th century for artists and other citizens. In the 1950s, McCarthyism swept the country launching a widespread search for communists, resulting in blacklisting and restricting artists who were seen as left-leaning or outspoken for democracy. One such individual was Paul Robeson, whose advocacy and beliefs made him a target.

Robeson was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political stances. He had become well-known in London for his performances in Showboat and Othello. His passport had been confiscated making international travel impossible and his career severely curtailed.

But he and his supporters including Harry Belafonte found a way to make a concert in London happen despite the fact that he could not be there in person. The clip in the newspaper read as follows:

On Sunday, May 26, 1957, an extraordinary London concert occurred. Though unable to attend due to U.S. travel restrictions, Paul Robeson’s voice traveled from New York via the new Transatlantic No. 1 (TAT-1) cable, filling St Pancras Town Hall with remarkable clarity. This technological feat allowed him to perform despite limitations on his freedom to a sold-out house.

Throughout history, courageous artists—including performers, writers, architects, and visual artists—have played vital roles. Some represent the present or reimagine the future, while others use their craft to protest, provoke, enchant, or inspire. Democracy thrives when individuals act boldly.

The theme of my address today is “This Moment & The Power of Artistic Courage”. It feels as though we are not simply living through a pivotal period, but rather a cascade of rapidly evolving moments. The relentless pace of change leaves us with daily updates that can unsettle or dishearten us or simply scare us to death—whether it’s political developments, apocalyptic climate change consequences.

We are navigating unpredictable times. For those in the arts, these circumstances feel especially volatile: funding policies are shifting, organizational frameworks are evolving, resources are becoming scarcer, and donors show growing uncertainty about their support. And the constant evolution of technology, such as AI and its uncertain impact on the arts is a worry—is it friend or foe. Notably, experts say AI is being adopted faster than any technology before it. How will we embrace it?

To gain perspective, staying connected with history helps us interpret our present and find guidance for the road ahead. Is this the toughest era the arts have ever faced? Likely not; history offers examples of art suffering during wars—destroyed, looted, or banned, and artists enduring persecution. After World War II, art emerged as a critical diplomatic asset, especially during the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR. Art was “soft power” used to maintain relations and to tamp down the political volatility. Art touches the heart and is a way that we build mutual understanding and share culture. In fact, advocacy for a national performing arts center—which eventually became the Kennedy Center—stemmed from the need for proper venues for hosting companies like the Bolshoi Ballet, rather than in aging movie houses.

After 32 years, this season is my final one curating the Kennedy Center dance series, which is currently underway. Since my departure as well as many of my colleagues last spring, the organization has undergone profound changes creating uncertainty and cancellations by artists and audiences alike.

In this transitional period I decided that nothing would stop me. I created my own company – URUCUM Global ARTS and my focus is on Arts & The Environment, Arts & Science, and Arts and The Outerspace. Yes, Outerspace, we need to keep an eye on the Future.

I am also writing a book to make sure that the real stories are told, that the history and the present will not be erased nor misinterpreted.

The late artist Sam Gilliam (my teacher in High School) created abstract work going against society that was demanding that his work reflect “the black experience. “Vân Gogh remained loyal to his instincts to create works ahead of his time, while Picasso produced masterpieces like Guernica to protest the horrors of war. Today, as presenters, curators, and spectators, we must encourage all artistic manifestations: those that document reality, those that challenge our imagination, and those that bring harmony or defiance to the human spirit. We must respond by using our creativity to open new windows and provide alternative platforms. Rather than retreating, we presenters, curator, spectators, creative producers must help art to expand and defy fear, and mostly to keep us united. Unlike the isolation of the pandemic, art can again keep us connected globally and focused on the truth, transcending distraction and division.

Cynicism is on the rise, and it has recently been discussed in the New York Times which I found interesting.

Jamil Zaki, director of Stanford’s Social Neuroscience Lab, warns this trend can be reversed and suggests that fostering hope is the solution—believing in the possibility of a better tomorrow. Hope he says isn’t passive; It is a force you sustain through action. Hope predicts well-being.

Zaki identifies three pillars of hope: envisioning a brighter future, finding the motivation to pursue it, and crafting a plan to get there.

These steps move hope from a mere idea to practical strategy. Experts recommend setting specific goals and mapping out paths to achieve them, writing these strategies down to make hope actionable.

One way Nancy Pelosi is coping with the times we are in is by wearing 3 bracelets—one says believe, another, hope and the other says love. I do think that these are the ingredients we need to embrace to move us forward positively.

In the Hall of States at the Kennedy Center, there is a bust of founding Chairman, Roger Stevens. The engraved stand on which it sits has only the following: —his name, the dates of his service as founding Chairman and the word—UNSTOPPABLE.

This is what we must be in our pursuit. UNSTOPPABLE in our work to preserve the ARTS and the freedom of expression.

What we do matters. What we give is what we get so let us give all we got to create the world we want to live in.

We are in New York City this week—the city that never sleeps, the biggest city in America under new leadership with newly-elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani promising hope, new directions and innovation amongst a host of other agenda items. Let us pick up on the energy and vibrancy that has been cast as we meet people and artists and enjoy this year’s Globalfest and JanArtsNYC 2026.

APAP Honors Address by Alicia Adams, Recipient of the William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence and Sustained Achievement.

We understand you are establishing a new non-profit organization based in Washington D.C.: Urucum Global Arts –  “Connecting the World through Culture”. This is a promising initiative.

AA: Our mission remains consistent with my work at the Kennedy Center: to connect the world through the arts by featuring the work of exceptional artists to tell universal stories. Currently, our curatorial focus is on the intersection of arts and the environment–the arts and science.

AA:  I hope that the work that we create will serve to enlighten, entertain, deepen understanding amongst people of the diverse society that we live in.  There will be education programs for students and youth that will build curiosity about the world around them. The arts are the most powerful tool we have to bring people together.

AA: We will partner with various organizations to produce or present festivals and programs both domestically and globally.  Over three decades, I have built highly valued relationships that will enable us to continue to do quality work.  I will continue to travel to see work for future projects.

AA: As I mentioned, we are working on projects that have an arts and science theme from earth to space.  We will work with other non-profit organizations as well as colleges and universities.  Also, we will continue our work in space and with astronauts that we have created with in the past.

AA: The book is a dream of mine to make happen one day in the near future.  I have talked with other writers and journalists about it and what I need to do to kick start the process.  I have gathered throughout the decades loads of materials that will be necessary for the research. It will chronicle the festivals in a creative way.  I want to share in this book the myriad of stories that I have collected and remembered as I curated festivals and programs for the past 30 years.  I think that the information will be useful to the next generation and will shed light on international work.

WMC: Given your extensive national and international leadership experience, we anticipate that this work will offer considerable value to the global performing arts sector.

AA: I would like to see something happen by 2027 but I don’t really know what the timeframe will look like from writing to publishing.

AA: The arts are the only thing that we have to heal this world.  I anticipate that arts and artists will have the resolve to continue to find ways to bring work to audiences as happened during Covid.

AA: APAP is an invaluable connector for everyone in the field.  It is an important resource for organizations small and large alike.  In January it is the lynch pin for Jan Arts NYC and has essentially been the catalyst for a mini-Edinburgh at this time every year.  It is a place to network and to market your work.  It is the largest arts market in the U.S. if not the world.

I have attended APAP since the days when it was called ACUCAA [Association of College, University and Community Arts Administrators].  So it has been essential to sustaining the work I have done at various institutions as I progressed in the field.

WMC: We appreciate your invaluable insights and perspectives. We anticipate receiving further updates from you in the coming months. Thank you.

The annual awards ceremony kicked off the 23rd annual globalFEST. It highlights exceptional artists and professionals in the global music field. 

We believe that the 3 globalFEST directors, Bill Bragin, Isabel Soffer, and Shanta Thake, themselves deserve the awards they confer each year on the world music field’s rich leadership. The threesome – with decades of presenting experience – are known for their finessed and highly popular curatorial expertise. 

The globalFEST 2026 Awards celebrated key figures in the global music scene on January 11, 2026, at Lincoln Center. Honorees included Emel Mathlouthi (Artist Award), Amy Davidman (Impact Award), Josh Kohn (Trouble Award), and John Schaefer (Pioneer Award). The ceremony lauded their activism towards upholding the cause and resilience of global artists and strengthening cultural exchange.

Out of over 1000 APAP conference-generated showcases for buyer-presenters roaming the city’s hundreds of clubs, theaters, and performance spaces, globalFEST’s Sunday evening festival presented by Lincoln Center, January 11th, eclipsed all others that night for sophisticated, adventurous musical ears.

globalFEST’s sold out showcase festival of global music represented music from Italy, South Korea, Tunisia, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Texas, Pakistan, Armenia, Hawaii, and Ukraine. It was a great relief to get away from the unrelenting xenophobic and violent ICE-related reports in the news. To experience the “real” world in its vast, wonderful diversities. 

Tradition-bearing artists affirmed cultural identities and forged self-determination with blends of ancient rhythms, contemporary sounds, and tenacities of languages. The David Geffen Hall venue’s sleek, delightful ambiance lent grace and elegance to the event’s pleasure. Though cram packed.

The Saami Brothers with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami are among Pakistan’s most revered Sufi artists. The group’s Khayal and Qawwali devotional rhythms at first lulled the senses with pattering alaps. Cued by Ustad Saami’s range of microtonal nuance, the group’s energy rose, quickened, and soared in ecstatic, radiant joy. 

Armenia’s great Naghash Ensemble’s gentle harmonies infused with Armenian folk, jazz, rock, and contemporary classical modes, are inspired by 15th century mystic poetry by Mkrtich Naghash. John Hodian, on piano, led the group’s musicians on oud, duduk, dhol, and the prayerful resonance of the trio of women singers, Hasmik Baghdasaryan, Tatevik Movsesyan, and Shahane Zalyan. The spirituality of Naghash is tranquil balm and upliftment during these trying times. 

Hawaii’s premier vocalist, the lovely Raiatea Helm, delivered a spellbinding set of Hawaii’s music drawn from her project “A Legacy of Hawaiian Song and String”. Known for her mastery of the falsetto style leo kiʻekiʻe, she performed her delightful molokai song, “Ke Kani Hone O Na Manu “ along with refined royal mele music (chants, songs, poetry). Mellifluous accompaniment by ukuleles, guitars, lap steel guitar, upright bass and fiddles filled the theater with a dream-like atmosphere.

The languid charm of her sweet vocals belies Hawaii’s profound traditional values and natural expressions of healing. At heart, mele’s spiritual functions elevate musical ceremonies to a sacred realm; request protection and blessings from deities; preserve the lineage and wisdom of ancestors; and signify performance as an act of devotion, manifesting the power of spiritual identity. I am grateful to Karen Fischer, Raiatea’s representative, for pointing me to the PBS documentary on Hawaii’s music: “Pu’uwai Haokila: The Story of How Hawai’i Shaped Modern Music”.

The Grand Promenade on the second floor was continuously packed. Texas/Memphis country vibes topped off two Latin connections. David Rivera & La Bámbula is a big band project with 13 members on guitars, horns, percussion, and nice vocals. A hybrid of Latin pop and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, David’s music has elements of 70s salsa, bomba, funk/soul and jazz. Romance was in the air. The pleasing repertoire had couples dancing and swaying together on the balcony level – where there was space to move around.

Colombia|USA’s Dilemastronauta Y La Tripulación Cósmica, a riotous project formed by Andrés Jiménez of the acclaimed cumbia act, Combo Chimbita, was a “cosmically” psychedelic musical trip. Edgy and charged, the band’s players on drums, bass, Millo flute, keyboards, melodica, had the crowds jumping with their improvisational, experimental grooves – rooted in Colombian folk music.

Dale Watson & his band, The Lone Stars, lit up the stage with their signature “Ameripolitan” honky-tonk, Texan swing, and “outlaw country” style. Dale is the honoree of the Texas Country Music Association’s “2026 Living Legend Award”. Suave and assured, a baritone and excellent guitarist, he brought huge smiles to the audience. His backing band was simple, powerful: a strong bass, steel guitar, and drums. The show featured Celine Lee, Dale’s partner and singer.

The first floor Lefrak Lobby was a hub of cheering, whooping world music fans, a thick mosh-pit blob, almost impossible to maneuver. Whether the curatorial was intentional or not, all 3 acts held undercurrents from trance-inducing healing ritual traditions. 

Hailing from the Salento region of Puglia, Maria Mazzotta’s showcase was spectacular — with just 2 band members: gripping, superb Ernesto Nobili on electric and baritone guitars and Cristiano Della Monica on drum and percussion. Her stage entrance was dramatic. Covered in a shimmering gold Mylar heat sheet, she opened with her deeply moving song “La Furtuna”. With her supple, lusty voice, she portrayed the often tragic struggles of boat people, seeking escape from hardship and persecution. 

Yet her appeal became elated with spirited glee. A former member of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, she reveled in the pizzica tarento/tarantata dance rhythm. A ritualistic cure for the bite of a tarantula, the frenzied victim dances non-stop for hours, days, to sweat out the poison. Maria’s blend of Southern Italian folk with Balkan music in rock, jazz and soul stylings is innovative, thrilling, to experience.

South Korea’s group Insun Park & General’s fun performance was an amalgam of trad folk tunes, ancient shamanistic mask ritual, and punkish rock. The startled enthusiastic reaction in the crowds was immediate. Prancing, strutting, sashaying, back and forth on the stage, Insun Park is part of the current generation of liberated female singers, including mainstream K-Pop stars. Hamming it up on “spicy”, she sang a ‘soulful ode’ to Korea’s staple chili paste. 

The stage was decorated with sacred shaman masks and a typical women’s hanbok dress. Korea’s traditional mask dances were popular during the Joseon era. The dance-dramas, normally enacted by men, evolved from shamanic ritual to an art form of social satire, mocking the ruling class, corruption, and male chauvinism. Insun Park is one of the few women practicing and preserving it today. Her all-male band, the “generals”, fueled her restless energy with driving passion. Does she “heal” troubles? Maybe – through her brand of rock exorcism. 

Tunisian-born, New York City-based, singer-musician-composer Nour Harkati plays the guimbri (North African bass lute). A Moroccan head-swirling band member added counter-syncopation on clattering qraqeb or chkackek (metal castanets — the sound originally represented “breaking” the shackles of slavery). The added rock guitar, drum and bass, amplified Tunisian hypnotic, esoteric ritual to American rock universality. The group riffed on Tunisia’s distinctive stambeli rhythms, the country’s therapeutic music — known to induce intense trance states. Its roots lie in the history of Sub-Saharan captives, forcibly brought to North Africa in the 18th-19th centuries — and their colonial resistance. Related to Algeria’s Diwan and  Morocco’s Gnawa music, Tunisian stambeli combines West African animist belief with Sufism as means to survival and liberation.

Nour explores his feelings of homesick longing and a nomadic search for belonging. His wistful sensitivity as an outsider was heart-tugging in “Barrani” – “stranger”, mid set. Nour Harkati’s songs offer comfort to all wandering souls.

globalFEST’s last showcase for the night was the great Ukrainian folk-rock band Vopli Vidopliassova – “VV”. The name translates to “Screams of Vidoplyasov”, a mentally wracked character in a Dostoevsky novella. Founded in 1986 in Kiev by the mesmerizing frontman Oleg Skrypka, singer and multi-instrumentalist, the 10 member band is celebrating its 40th anniversary and is on a charity tour in the U.S. to raise funds for war-torn Ukraine. 

Their appearance coincided with Ukraine’s holiday festival season, Orthodox Christmas and “Malanka”. Malanka is filled with Ukraine’s new year’s carnival-like rituals, meant to ward off evil spirits and ensure fertility in the coming months. VV’s performance included village Christmas songs, along with raucous rock anthems – in the happy cultural spirit of Malanka.They had such blazing visual and musical impact – guitars, accordions, brass – it was impossible to sleep for hours afterwards. We wish VV every success and more longevity.

Source: worldmusiccentral.org