Colbert Artists Management Launches New Era
Newly appointed Colbert Artists Management President & CEO Lee Prinz announces the first step in his vision for the company with the hiring of industry veteran Martha Bonta as Vice President & Artist Manager.
Colbert President Lee Prinz Announces Team Expansion
Colbert Artists Management (left to right: Christine Putnam, Martha Bonta, Mike Gaertner, Lee Prinz, Robert Scott, Michelle Zarco)
Newly appointed Colbert Artists Management President & CEO Lee Prinz announces the first step in his vision for the company with the hiring of industry veteran Martha Bonta as Vice President & Artist Manager.
Lee Prinz comments, “Colbert Artists Management has an extraordinary history of representing some of the greatest artists of all time. Becoming the fifth President of this company and leading its next chapter is an incredible honor and responsibility, and I am very excited for what is to come. I could not be more thrilled that Martha Bonta is joining our team. Her creativity, professionalism, and experience will certainly contribute to our next successes.”
Martha Bonta adds, “Colbert Artists Management’s stellar reputation, storied history, and first-class roster have made the company an integral and much-respected partner to artists and performing arts organizations around the world, and I am thrilled to be joining the team at this exciting time I look forward to working with the amazing artists on the Colbert roster, and I am grateful to President Lee Prinz and Vice President Christine Putnam for their trust and confidence in me.”
Colbert Artists Management started 2020 with new President & CEO Lee Prinz. Long-time Colbert Artists President, Charlotte Schroeder stepped down on December 31, 2019, and “handed over the keys” to Lee. In an open letter announcing her departure, Charlotte Schroeder commented, “Lee joined the management in 2003 and immediately became an invaluable addition to the booking staff, rising to his current [now former] position as Senior Vice President for Artist Management and Booking. He has, in fact, been leading the company for the past months with his characteristic joy, enthusiasm, and superb professionalism. And he is loved by all! I could not be happier nor more confident for the future of Colbert Artists.”
About Colbert Artists Management
Ann and Henry Colbert started Colbert Artists Management in 1948. Their connections to Europe led to the creation of an enviable roster of singers, conductors, chamber ensembles, and instrumental soloists, such as Dame Joan Sutherland, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Sir Georg Solti, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christa Ludwig, Juilliard String Quartet, Quartetto Italiano, Hungarian Quartet, Mieczysław Horszowski, Alfred Brendel and János Starker. Many of these artists remained with Colbert Artists Management for the entirety of their careers.
After the passing of Mr. Colbert, Mrs. Colbert and Agnes Eisenberger, Vice President, directed a formidable artist management business with Ms. Eisenberger taking over in 1991. Eleven short years later, Ms. Eisenberger unexpectedly passed away on December 26, leaving Charlotte Schroeder, the steadfast employee who had evolved from receptionist to artist manager, as the company owner and leader.
Charlotte Schroeder imbued the company with her values of respect, kindness, accountability, and class for 17 years. In 2019, she decided to transfer the company to Lee Prinz, a transition that was formally completed on January 1, 2020. This succession continues the legacy of a devoted team member taking the Colbert President’s reins.
Today, in its 71st year, Colbert Artists Management, Inc. continues the legacy set by the Colberts by combining a nod to the traditions of the past while embracing the future and representing a distinguished roster of conductors, soloists, vocalists, and chamber groups.
About Lee Prinz
Lee Prinz is the President & CEO at Colbert Artists Management in New York City. Lee has worked at Colbert for 16 years, and his previous position was Senior Vice President for Artist Management & Booking.
A native of Connecticut, Lee trained as a baritone beginning with pre-college studies at the Hartt School of Music and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and received a Bachelor of Music in Voice from the Eastman School of Music.
Upon graduating from Eastman in 1998, he began work at Columbia Artists Management, Inc. before creating a roster of young singers at Trawick Artists in 2000 and joining Colbert Artists in 2003. He is a 15-time marathoner and lives in Newark, NJ with his husband, bass-baritone Jason Grant.
About Martha Bonta
A seasoned classical music executive, Martha Bonta joins Colbert Artists with deep experience in artist management, classical music curation, strategic planning, and event production. Martha previously worked at New York’s WQXR as an executive producer and at IMG Artists as a vice president and artist manager. Martha was also the Director of Artistic Planning and Touring at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and she spent several summers on the staff of the Marlboro Music Festival.
Martha has managed some of the most sought after artists of our time, including the Emerson String Quartet, Leif Ove Andsnes, and Murray Perahia. She graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and also studied music theory and piano performance at the Evening Division of the Juilliard School. She is married to the writer Mark Rotella; they live in New Jersey with their two children.