We are an entrepreneurial team, passionate about the arts and culture, with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
We are an entrepreneurial team, passionate about the arts and culture, with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Founding Partner and Managing Director
A native New Yorker, Albert Imperato is a graduate of Stanford University and has worked for more than 30 years in the music and recording industry. Since co-founding 21C Media Group in January 2000, he has managed the promotion and assisted in the career and strategic development of 21C Media Group’s diverse client and artist roster.
Founding Partner and Managing Director
With more than 25 years in the music business, Managing Director Jessica Lustig brings a global perspective to 21C. Clients have included Google, the Global Fund and the World Bank.
Founding Partner and Director of Public Relations
Glenn Petry has worked in the music scene – both promoting and performing – for more than 20 years. He co-founded 21C Media Group in January 2000 and has been the Director of Media Relations since its inception. Glenn developed his interest in promoting classical music while touring the U.S. with the experimental rock band Drunken Boat, after which he became a consultant to the classical music industry for a dozen years.
Senior Publicist and Editorial Director
Louise Barder was born in England and grew up all over the world (including the Soviet Union, Australia, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Poland), living wherever her diplomat father’s postings took her. After graduating from the University of Exeter (UK) with a degree in Psychology, she began working in the classical music world more than 30 years ago at Novello & Co., helping composers such as Judith Weir and Thea Musgrave to prepare their new scores for premieres. With Stanley Sadie as an early mentor, Louise worked as an editor on a variety of musical publications, including the Musical Times, the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music and the Grove Dictionary of Opera, Radio Times (the BBC’s house magazine), The Strad magazine, and the music books at Oxford University Press – in both its Oxford and New York offices.
Strategist, Digital & Creative Media
A graduate of James Madison University, Rachel Chesno got her start in the music industry while interning in London for Everybody’s Management (Mumford & Sons, Keane) and Lunatic Entertainment (The Temper Trap, Gotye, Chvrches). Adopted by New York in 2015, she has spent her time working with some of the greatest performing arts managers and artists at Opus 3 Artists before joining the team at 21C Media Group.
Account Director & Creative Producer
Elizabeth Fildes is a passionate member of the performing arts community. As a classical musician and creative producer, she is committed to developing innovative forms and experiences that build community and broaden the genre’s reach.
Account Manager
Katie Griffin came to 21C as a music-lover and performer with a focus on opera and vocal music. Originally from the Detroit suburb Grosse Pointe, Katie graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2012 with a degree in vocal performance. While an undergrad she spent her summers as a young artist at the Lyrique-en-Mer Opera Festival in Belle-Île, France, gaining invaluable experience in the music world. She moved to New York City after school and spent two years as a managerial assistant at IMG Artists, where she worked with some of her favorite artists, including Karita Mattila and Lawrence Brownlee.
Account Director
Max Lefer, a native New Yorker, spent his formative years soaking up the culture of his hometown, while fostering a deep passion for music of all genres. Max went on to receive his B.A. in music from Bard College, where he studied composition and jazz saxophone. His professional career includes work in television productions and publicity (public television, network entertainment and sports) and public radio programming and administration.
Senior Account Manager and Chief Financial Officer
Having studied classical piano from an early age, Michael Lutz has a deep appreciation of classical music. He has enjoyed diverse positions within the music industry, developing and leading press, public relations, and retail/radio/billboard promotions. He has worked for various labels and has been involved with projects ranging from eclectic jazz and electronica to dance and pop.
Director, Digital & Creative Media
For the past two decades, Amanda MacBlane has combined her love of music, culture, storytelling and digital media into a career that has straddled the Atlantic. A native of Rochester, NY, graduate of Cornell University, oboist and singer, she held positions at Lincoln Center, Time Out, IRCAM-Centre Pompidou and NewMusicBox before joining the 21C team.
Strategist, Digital & Creative Media
Sarah Means pursued her interest in vocal and opera music from an early age. A Rutgers University graduate, Sarah studied classical voice and international relations with a focus on the Middle East and France.
Staff Writer
A London native, Rachel Stadlen’s interests are both musical and literary. Studying the harp from an early age, she attended England’s Purcell School of Music, before graduating with a degree in Twentieth-Century Music from the University of Sussex.
Promotions Coordinator
A native of the Hudson Valley, Noel Steier is a seasoned performer and passionate storyteller.
Noel began her musical studies at the age of ten, and has since been mentored by some of the best clarinetists in the world. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, concluding her education at Michigan State University, where she received a doctorate in clarinet performance. Noel has performed with orchestras and ensembles in the U.S. and abroad, including engagements with the Miami Summer Music Festival Orchestra, Mostly Modern Festival Orchestra, and Tuscia Opera Festival Orchestra.
In-House Designer & Web Developer
As an art director, photographer, and web designer, Mat Dunlap has worked in the music industry for more than 15 years. He joined the 21C team in September 2018, after six years spent working in close collaboration with the company to provide web design and development for Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Daniel Barenboim, the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Daniil Trifonov, and other members of the classical community.
