Herbert Barrett, 97; music publicist and artistic manager
Herbert Barrett, 97, a leading figure in the business of classical music as artistic manager or public relations consultant for a who’s who of performers and institutions, according to the Internet site Playbillarts.com, died Nov. 5 of heart failure.
A native of New York, Barrett graduated from Cornell University in 1930. Three years later he began offering public relations help to leading figures in the classical music and dance world, including impresario Sol Hurok, dancer Martha Graham, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Symphony Orchestra of Mexico.
During that period, he also coordinated national radio coverage for Cadillac Motor Car Co. and General Motors.
In 1940, he began direct management of performers. His client list included Eileen Farrell, Shirley Verrett, John Houseman’s Acting Company, Martha Argerich, the Negro Ensemble Company and Ravi Shankar.
He was considered a leading force in the founding of the Great Performances Series at what is now Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York.
In 2006, he stepped down as president of the company he began in 1940, which bears his name: Herbert Barrett Management.
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