BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo to step down in Dec. 2018
Melillo to end 34-year programming tenure at the institution
As part of a series of planned leadership transitions at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Joseph V. Melillo today announced that he will step down from his position as executive producer in December 2018—after devoting 34 years to the ascension of BAM as a leading performing arts center. As executive producer since 1999, Melillo has overseen BAM’s programming in theater, dance, music, visual art, and multi-disciplinary arts. Prior to 1999, Melillo served as BAM’s producing director. He joined the institution in 1983 as founding director of the Next Wave Festival—BAM’s signature annual contemporary arts showcase.
Melillo said, “My journey at BAM has been a remarkable one. I was privileged to work with some of the world’s most accomplished and inspiring artists and to nurture and support their careers. I experienced the astounding evolution of BAM and a renaissance of the borough of Brooklyn. Most rewarding was the opportunity to share a wide variety of global artistic innovation with our audiences over the course of many years. It has been a great honor to work with my professional and artistic colleagues in the execution of BAM’s mission.”
Joseph Melillo and former President Karen Brooks Hopkins took over the leadership of BAM in 1999 from Harvey Lichtenstein (then president and executive producer), under whom they worked for many years. Together they further solidified BAM’s role as a major force in the New York cultural scene, with a worldwide reputation for quality and innovation. Since 2015, Melillo has worked alongside President Katy Clark, planning new projects and institutional growth, and defining BAM’s role in a burgeoning Brooklyn Cultural District.
