Harvey Lichtenstein

Person
Biography
Harvey Lichtenstein was primarily known as a groundbreaking impresario who led the Brooklyn Academy of Music for more than thirty years, but he began his career in dance. Born in Brooklyn in 1929 as the son of immigrants from Poland and the Ukraine, he first came to the Pillow in 1954 as a dancer in Pearl Lang’s company. He was in residence for six weeks, sharing one of the tiny cabins built by Ted Shawn’s Men Dancers with Paul Taylor and two other dancers. Around the same time, he became an administrative intern for the New York City Ballet, and went on to become the subscription manager for both NYCB and New York City Opera in the 1960s. He was named President of the moribund Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1967 and would go on to transform it into a dynamic showcase for cutting-edge performing arts, now known universally as BAM. He launched BAM’s Next Wave Festival in 1983, and worked closely with artists such as Peter Brook, Robert Wilson, Merce Cunningham, Philip Glass, Pina Bausch, Mark Morris, and Steve Reich. He died at his New York home on February 11, 2017 at the age of 87.
Source of Biography
Written by Norton Owen for Jacob's Pillow Remembers.
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