Testimonials

"I had the privilege of working with and celebrating the work of Thérèse LaGamma during my time at the Kennedy Center. She began her work with us as Director of Public Programs as we were coming out of the pandemic. It was clear from the outset that her mission was to develop programming that would resonate with audiences from D.C./Maryland/and Virginia, as well as the countless visitors from across the country and around the world who came to the Center to explore the unique experiences offered in our public programming. In her role Therese has a unique responsibility to complement and amplify the work presented on our theater stages and across the campus, bringing new artists and art forms to the national cultural center.  She works tirelessly to bring in a broad range of artists from all genres. In parallel, she launched an exciting literary series that features notable public figures including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson speaking about her newly released autobiography, journalist Joy Reid on her book on Medger Evers, and NPR music critic Ann Powers on her portrait of Joni Mitchell.  In addition to curating and expanding the Center's live programming through its signature Millennium Stage series she also took on the role as its inaugural film curator - launching our Extraordinary Cinema series. In her time with us we have seen an increase in audience engagement. Her programming has expertly featured the Kennedy Center as a vibrant presence within our nation's capital- engaging with DMV artists and organizations to present the very best. She is furthermore a capable colleague who works across the center to align programming with ongoing festivals including collaborations with the Kennedy Center Honors team, Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, Hip Hop Festival, DC Public School Festival, etc. Therese's industry contacts, knowledge, and professional experience enabled us to bring in a vibrant, exciting, and critically acclaimed line-up. Furthermore, Therese is one of those extraordinary colleagues who has the appreciation and respect of those she works side by side with as well as the artists she presents."
– Deborah F. Rutter, Former President, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC

"Thérèse LaGamma is a tireless cultural force with exquisite curatorial taste. She listens to artists, her colleagues, and the pulse of public opinion in equal measure, but most impressively, it's clear that she is beautifully attuned to the sound of her own intuition. Working with her at the national cultural center was a joyful study in her virtuosity, flexibility, and commitment to values based creative excellence."
– Marc Bamuthi Joseph, former Vice President of Social Impact and Artistic Director of Cultural Strategy, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC

"There was an immediate kinship with Thérèse when our paths crossed. In addition to a congenial respect, I saw her curation skills go above and beyond in making the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage one of the most dynamic venues in the entire DC/Maryland/Virginia area. I have never been to a show there that wasn't completely full. And I was thrilled beyond belief when she asked me to host a Q &A with veteran rocker Peter Wolf to talk about his recently published memoirs, another example of her expert skill of presenting a thoroughly entertaining evening (not to mention a personal thrill for me!).
– Felix Contreras, producer/booker for NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts, Washington, DC

"I want to say that working with Thérèse LaGamma is a total pleasure but because she moves through music so fluidly, it doesn't feel like work at all. Therese's font of knowledge and personal contacts in the music industry, together with her personal acquaintance with hundreds (thousands, at this point?) of music artists, take the work out of programming and have made her indispensable to Payomet's unique blend of genres."
– Kevin Rice, Executive Director, Payomet Performing Arts Center (Cape Cod National Seashore & Provincetown Town Hall), North Truro, MA

“Thérèse brings incredible stamina, a good public persona, strong artist and agent relationships, passion about her work, and an understanding of the economics of successfully promoting/presenting an act.”
– Patricia Lynch, Former Executive Director, The Music Hall, Portsmouth, NH

"Thérèse has been a strong partner in elevating the talent of refugee artists on the renowned Kennedy Center stage. Her collaboration around key moments such as World Refugee Day has been instrumental in reaching public audiences in the heart of the nation's capital. With her keen ability to bring together performing artists in support of humanitarian causes, along with her professionalism, enthusiasm, and thoughtfulness, I could not recommend her more highly to lead and shape impactful event programming."
– Lilli Tnaib, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Washington, DC

“I have had the fortunate opportunity to work closely with Thérèse LaGamma for the past 17 years. With The River serving as a presenting sponsor of the Intimately Yours series, and my own personal support as a donor to The Music Hall, I had frequent dealings with Thérèse. She always impressed me, not only with her innate ability to recognize talent, but also her willingness to work collaboratively and accept input from others in the search for expanding their programming content. Therese is a thoughtful, intelligent, and passionate person committed to the arts. She would be an asset to any organization!”
– Steven Friedman, WXRV-92.5 The River, Haverhill, MA

“Thérèse has a sharp eye for talent and a wonderful, natural ability to use her event programming to creatively engage broad audiences in a wide variety of settings and situations. She knows her audience and her community. She understands her business. Thérèse has shown time and again she can deftly navigate the fine line between commerce and culture to make each performance emotionally engaging and financially successful.”
– Joel Alberts, Executive Director, The Lensic, Santa Fe, NM

“Thérèse worked diligently to book both up-and-coming artists with incredible talent and also those tried and true that put The Music Hall on the map. She has a great eye for artists across all genres and types, from music and comedy to thought leaders and authors. Her easy going and kind demeanor made her a wonderful colleague and team player who I was more than happy to work with and learn from.”
– Brittany Wason, Literary Producer, Writers On A New England Stage, The Music Hall, Portsmouth, NH

“Thérèse served as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Concerts Manager as part of the Public Programs division. Her programming expanded the museum's musical and artistic offerings by utilizing her great ear, musical knowledge, and instincts.”
– Rob Worstell, Head of Community and Studio Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

“Thérèse is a modern-day Renaissance woman. She has an eye for spotting emerging talent and booking it for Portsmouth and has a vast knowledge of new and established global musical artists...She is a fabulous announcer on NH Public Radio, has booked concerts and performances for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and owing to her international upbringing, she has a refined cultural sensibility, which cannot be taught but comes naturally to her. She is a team player, a very kind and honest person, which is sometimes rare in this industry.”
– Rita Cary, Announcer, WBUR, Boston, MA

“In the world of concert programming, promotion, and community building, Thérèse LaGamma is among the best. It has been an honor to work with her...over the years and I look forward to collaborating with her for many years to come.”
– Russ Grazier, CEO, Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Portsmouth, NH

“Thérèse programmed for what the audience wanted, even if they didn't yet realize it. She would come back from SXSW or similar events with a slew of artists that I had never heard of and not only did people come out to see them, but within months I would start hearing about them outside of The Music Hall. I frequently heard patrons say that they would get tickets to one of our shows, especially in our listening room style Loft venue, simply because they trusted that the artists she brought in would be worth seeing, regardless of any prior familiarity with them. Thérèse spent a lot of time developing relationships with agents so they trusted her when she reached out and eventually many began reaching out to her with artists that might not otherwise have been booked into our market size or venue type. She has this amazing ability to see (and hear) artists and know that they would be the right fit.”
– Zhana Morris, Production Manager, The Music Hall, Portsmouth, NH