Announcing new Director of Artistic Programs
The Global Arts Live Board of Directors announces the appointment of Liz Keller-Tripp as the organization’s new Director of Artistic Programs, effective January 05, 2026, as part of its planned expansion. This appointment follows an extensive national search by the Board of Directors, the CEO, and the Founder, guided by Arts Consulting Group, marking a key moment of growth in artistic vision and organizational capacity.
Liz Keller-Tripp's appointment comes as Global Arts Live prepares to launch and operate The Platform, the new performing arts center opening in Kendall Square next fall. The Platform will host more than 400 public events annually across its three spaces: the 400-seat Takeda Theater, the 125-seat cabaret stage, and the rehearsal studio—through a mix of Global Arts Live presentations and events presented by artists and the nonprofit community through The Platform’s rental program.
One-third of The Platform’s programming will be directly curated by Global Arts Live, expanding its annual programming from 60 to 140 concerts each year. This includes concerts that Global Arts Live will continue to present in venues across Greater Boston. “As we prepare for this exciting strategic expansion, Liz’s creative leadership and global artistic perspective are exactly what this moment calls for,” says Connie Chin, CEO of Global Arts Live + The Platform. “Her experience building multidisciplinary, community-engaged programs and bold, cross-cultural programming makes her the ideal partner as we enter this next chapter.”
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to help shape Global Arts Live’s expansion at The Platform and carry forward the next chapter of Global Arts Live’s programming,” says Keller-Tripp. “Global Arts Live has always celebrated the beauty and power of art, stories, and perspectives from across the world, and I'm thrilled to help bring even more global voices to Boston.”
Founder and current Director of Artistic Programs, Maure Aronson, will remain in a leadership role, transitioning his responsibilities to Artistic Advisor. Working alongside Keller-Tripp in a collaborative new structure, the pair will support and complement each other's efforts in booking Global Arts Live programming at The Platform and the many Greater Boston venues where the organization has presented for more than 35 years.
In partnership with Chin, Aronson will also continue to oversee the buildout and construction of The Platform and Global Arts Live’s support of the venue’s operations. Aronson remarks, “It has been a dream of mine for Global Arts Live to have a home base. This new phase for the organization is thrilling, and I am equally thrilled to have a partner to help support the exciting increase in events. Liz will help expand our programming in new directions and spearhead support of emerging artists.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Liz Keller-Tripp to Global Arts Live as our new Director of Artistic Programs,” says Global Arts Live Board President Nagesh Mahanthappa. “Liz’s impressive work at Spoleto Festival USA shows her talent as both a curator and a stellar manager. She’s exactly the person we hoped to find.”
Driven by creative experimentation, the thrill of live performance, and artistic practices from around the world, Keller-Tripp brings more than two decades of experience leading innovative, cross-cultural performing arts programs in Boston and nationally. Her career includes world and North American premieres of operas and plays; international performance tours across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australasia, and the United States; and three album recordings, including the 2016 Grammy Award–winning Sing Me Home by the Silk Road Ensemble. She has also developed interdisciplinary initiatives with refugee communities in Jordan and Lebanon, underscoring her commitment to global artistic collaboration.
Keller-Tripp most recently served as Chief Artistic Producer at Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC, where for the past three years she shaped all aspects of artistic curation, new work development, production, and long-term program strategy. Her leadership emphasized collaboration across traditions and storytelling that reflects global perspectives and contemporary issues. She also guided community engagement efforts, education partnerships, and managed a department of staff and a seasonal workforce of more than 100 people—helping to ensure a welcoming, equitable environment for artists, audiences, and personnel.
Prior to Spoleto, Keller-Tripp spent nine years with Silkroad, serving as Producer and Artistic Programs Director. There she helped design and execute international Silkroad Ensemble tours and residencies, fostered community partnerships around the creation of new work, and gained extensive knowledge of Boston’s arts audiences. Her approach—rooted in diplomacy, positivity, and artist-centered collaboration—was shaped by working with a wide range of cultures, artistic practices, and creative teams.
Keller-Tripp’s earlier roles include serving as Director of Performance Services at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she built and led a new department overseeing theater and opera production, concert logistics, and performance technology. She has also held artistic and programming roles with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York, G. Schirmer, and Musica Sacra of New York. A 2004 Spoleto Festival USA orchestra management apprentice, she holds degrees in arts management and flute performance from Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia.
She is a soccer fan, a student of drum set and surfing, and a dedicated world traveler, and lives in Jamaica Plain with her partner Josh and stepson Liam.
