About The Speaker
“Ambassador of World Music” – PollStar Magazine
Mehmet Dede is an internationally recognized, award-winning Music Curator, Festival Producer and Tour Promoter with 20 years of experience in the culture space. Dede has produced concerts in collaboration with Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage, the Kennedy Center and many more. Since 2010, he serves as Director of Programming at Manhattan club Drom, “New York’s premiere venue for world music” (Wall St. Journal). He is also the curator of the annual NY Gypsy Fest. Previously, he held positions at concert promoter Giant Step and Universal Music Group. Dede collaborates with world-class international artists to introduce them to US audiences through showcases and nationwide tours, while his consulting expertise is sought by cultural organizations in France, Hungary, England and Romania.
Dede published “Make It Live: The Handbook for Getting Gigs” and coaches artists on strategies for booking live concerts. His bylines appear in Rolling Stone, PollStar and International Arts Manager. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London and a professional member of the Recording Academy, Dede is the recipient of the 2021 globalFEST Impact Award. He was profiled in Wall St Journal, Forbes andfeatured on PBS, Crain’s Business, Voice of America.