Karen Brooks Hopkins with a store display of her new memoir. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) is hosting a panel discussion of a new memoir titled ... And Then It Hit Me!, which was written by Karen Brooks Hopkins, the president emeritus of the Brooklyn Academy of Music who worked there for 36 years and served in the top leadership role for 16 years.
The event is called “Building communities through the arts: The case of the Brooklyn Academy of Music”.
“We have organised the panel discussion to provide an opportunity for the participants to learn from the author and hear about her first-hand experiences with leading arts professionals,” said Phary Phacdey, CLA’s marketing and fundraising manager.
“We believe that this case study can teach valuable lessons to our arts community and particularly, the artists themselves to learn additional ways to create a thriving and growing arts community as well as strengthen their leadership talents within the sector,” he told The Post.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music is America’s oldest performing arts centre, opening in 1861. In recent decades it has been known for its avant garde and progressive arts performances in a number of disciplines that pushed boundaries at the time of their production.
As president, Hopkins supervised the institution’s 230 full-time employees and its multiple theatres and cinemas, ranging from the 2,100 seat BAM Howard Gilman Opera House to the flexible 250-seat Fishman Space.
The 320-page book isn’t all business, however, as the author makes sure to include plenty of interesting anecdotes about various celebrities, artists and notable figures whom she encountered over the years.
Hopkins is travelling to Phnom Penh as part of her global book tour that has engagements on multiple continents booked.
“I still have a gruelling but thrilling itinerary ahead! I will be stopping in Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and even Cambodia! I will be posting pictures and sharing memorable moments along the way,” Hopkins wrote on her Instagram.
The panel discussion event takes place from 2pm to 3:30pm on November 16 at the Royal University of Fine Arts Auditorium Hall. The author will give a presentation prior to the panel discussion, which will be moderated by Bun Rith Suon.
Rith Suon is well known in the Cambodian arts scene as he has held key roles in arts and culture management in Cambodia’s leading arts organizations such as Amrita Performing Arts, Phare Ponleu Selpak and Cambodian Living Arts.
