Award-Winning Producer Nick Schwartz-Hall Named Guild Hall’s New Director of Performing Arts

Guild Hall has appointed Nick Schwartz-Hall to the position of director of performing arts following a comprehensive national search conducted over 12 months.

A long-time champion of intercultural collaborations, Schwartz-Hall comes to Guild Hall in East Hampton with more than three decades of experience creating and presenting at premier U.S. and global venues and working with acclaimed artists. He most recently served as senior producer at The Music Center, Los Angeles, where, among other programs, he developed and presented the Summer SoundWaves outdoor concert series featuring Latin and African diaspora artists, established the Center’s Producing Department, oversaw the annual Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance season and produced large-scale concerts including Max Richter’s “SLEEP in Grand Park” and “Joni 75,” a birthday celebration of the music of Joni Mitchell.

“I am very grateful to join such an accomplished team and supportive board in a place with a remarkable legacy of creativity and deep and meaningful relationships with the surrounding community,” Nick Schwartz-Hall said. “I have been struck repeatedly by how people speak about Guild Hall’s importance and impact on their lives. … Now with the prospect of reopening our historic and newly renovated venue, with galleries, a state-of-the-art theater and spaces for learning and gathering, we have the creative opportunity and challenge of opening our doors as widely as possible.”

Schwartz-Hall’s role as director of performing arts aligns with Guild Hall’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, positioning the institution as a leader in interdisciplinary arts. His appointment coincides with Guild Hall’s reopening after a facility-wide capital improvements project. The institution says it aims to provide artists of all backgrounds with exceptional support, audiences with unmatched experiences, and the ability to realize works at the highest level possible.

“Nick is a rare find with an astounding breadth of professional accomplishments and versatility in genres,” said Executive Director Andrea Grover. “But what Nick and the search committee most connected on was a deep love for artists and a belief that art helps us become better neighbors and global citizens. As Nick says, ‘The arts provide us with ways to speak with each other about our common humanity, share values and perspectives, and uphold creativity and innovation in our communities. And, to enjoy ourselves together.’”

With expertise in broadcasting live events, Schwartz-Hall was awarded 2019 and 2021 LA Regional Emmy Awards and multiple Telly Awards for the LA County Annual Holiday Celebration at The Music Center. Before arriving in Los Angeles, he worked at the Brooklyn Academy of Music from 2007 to 2018. He served as lead producer for BAM-produced projects, including The DanceAfrica festival, Nonesuch Records at BAM — the label’s 50-year celebration, RadioLoveFest (co-produced with WNYC Public Radio), the Si Cuba! festival, the Muslim Voices: Arts and Ideas festival, the Paul Simon residency Love In Hard Times, the Dr. John residency Insides Out, Questlove’s “Shuffle Culture” and “Electronium.”

As an independent programmer and producer, in 2017 Schwartz-Hall produced the Magnetic Field’s show “50 Song Memoir,” engaging international co-commissioners. Additionally, his international theater career spans work from Shakespeare to Broadway shows. A small sampling of acclaimed artists, musicians, and directors Schwartz-Hall has worked with includes Laurie Anderson, Anne Bogart, Ina Garten, Philip Glass, Ira Glass, Ethan Hawke, Kronos Quartet, Los Lobos, Simon McBurney, Wayne McGregor, Sam Mendes, Marissa Monte, Nico Muhly, Graham Nash, Youssou NDOUR, Arturo O’Farrill, Suzan-Lori Parks, Harold Prince, Steve Reich, Tom Stoppard, Twyla Tharp, Caetano Veloso and George C. Wolfe to name a few.

Schwartz-Hall will begin his tenure in April, in advance of Guild Hall’s reopening and summer season.