Globalfest / Live Sounds

Isabel Soffer has been at the forefront of global music programming in the USA for over two decades. She is co-founder and co-director of globalFEST, Inc, an organization serving the world music community since 2003. gF moves world music into the center of the performing arts field in the Unites States through its annual groundbreaking festival each January, touring fund, national tours, an annual award and stage curation. She is also founder of Live Sounds, an independent company that produces, creates and curates numerous concerts and festivals of diverse music and dance traditions from around the world including regional music of the America, in New York and across the country. Her innovative programming highlights musical styles from traditional to sounds at the intersection of old and new. She is director of the Fado Festival NY + NJ.

Isabel worked at World Music Institute for twenty-five years where she was instrumental in shaping, developing and cultivating the North American world music scene into what it is today. As director of programming she brought creative curatorial vision and new sounds from around the world to New York and developed extensive touring and outreach programs. She curated Zankel Hall’s World Views music series; was an artistic director of the bi-annual New York World Festival at NY SummerStage and was a founding producer of the annual NY Flamenco Festival. She has produced four Grammy-nominated recordings and created the pioneering international film festival Reel Rhythms.

She collaborates with cultural institutions on a variety of projects in the U.S. and abroad and serves on numerous local and international conference panels and as a consultant for festivals and special events.