Maure Aronson
Executive Director — Global Arts Live
Maure Aronson was born in South Africa and lived there for 27 years. Mr. Aronson began his professional career in the arts in South Africa as an artist manager and presenter. From 1986 to 1990, he was general manager for Boston modern dance companies Beth Soll & Company and Concert Dance Company. In 1990, he founded World Music and is the organization’s Executive and Artistic Director. In 2001 World Music launched CRASHarts, a division of World Music dedicated to presenting a multidisciplinary contemporary performing arts series. In 2018, after 30 years in operation, Aronson decided it was time for a rebranding. The meaning of world music had changed significantly over the years and he wanted to rename the organization to reflect contemporary cultural trends. After conducting comprehensive market research, results showed that people expressed increased interest in artistic excellence that reflected a global, interconnected culture because they wanted to find understanding with people who came from different backgrounds. To be as inclusive as possible, Aronson renamed his organization Global Arts Live, a name that encompassed everything it stood for: performances rooted in artists’ native cultures while at the same time reflecting international contemporary culture.
Prior to this honor, Mr. Aronson has been honored with two other distinguished awards: The Proscenium Award for Audience Development and The Heinz Award for Entrepreneurship in the Arts. He served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters from 2004 – 2007.
Global Arts Live presents approximately 100 performances annually and, over the last 18 years, has presented more than 700 performing ensembles from all corners of the globe.