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 has been an integral member of 21C Media Group since 2000, shortly after its founding. As the company’s Senior Publicist, Louise works closely with the media, enjoying longstanding relationships with cultural journalists across all formats and platforms, in North America and around the world. Drawing on more than 35 years’ experience in the classical industry, she knows what makes a good story and is adept at meeting journalists’ needs. As Editorial Director, Louise oversees a four-person team of writers and editors and takes ultimate responsibility for ensuring the quality and accuracy of their work. With her fine-tuned ear for linguistic nuance, she has succeeded in elevating 21C’s written materials to a level that’s rarely matched. In 2021, Louise was tickled to find herself named one of the world’s ten “least worst” classical music publicists by Norman Lebrecht, “arguably the most influential journalist covering classical music” (Gilbert Kaplan).
Account Director, Digital Strategy & Marketing
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, PR & Strategic Consulting
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 Director, PR & Event Production
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.
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.
Senior Director of 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.
Account Director, Digital Strategy & Production
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
Rachel Stadlen is the Staff Writer of 21C Media Group. Since joining the 21C team in 2006, she has been responsible for producing news releases, bios, program notes, website copy and other written materials for an outstanding international roster of artists and organizations. From established stars to emerging talent, long-lead season announcements to breaking news, multi-disciplinary festivals to one-of-a-kind tours, grand-scale productions to cutting-edge new work, and classical music to Broadway, world, roots, theater, dance, cabaret and beyond, Rachel has written extensively about music and the performing arts. Working to tight deadlines, she collaborates closely with clients to tell their stories, hone their messages, and craft each project into a cohesive and compelling narrative.
Publicist
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.