Event | NYFA to Present “Women Leading the Music Industry” Virtual Panel Discussion on March 8

February 22, 2021byAmy Aronoff

Image: "Women Leading the Music Industry" panelists Nikisha Bailey, Christal Jerez, and Marietta Ulacia, Images Courtesy of the Panelists

On Monday, March 8 from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM EST, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) will present “Women Leading the Music Industry,” a free virtual panel discussion as part of New York Music Month Extended Play. The panel will showcase the expertise of Nikisha Bailey, Vice President of A&R Admin + Operations for Artist Partner Group; Christal Jerez, audio engineer; and Marietta Ulacia, Executive Director of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance of New York. The panelists will discuss their career trajectories in the music industry and the roadblocks that they have overcome along the way. The discussion will provide an opportunity for women-identifying artists and professionals in the music industry to learn, network, and ask questions. Register here to attend.

The panel will bring together professionals from different fields within the music industry.

At Artist Partner Group, Nikisha Bailey provides an invaluable creative perspective to the facilitation of A&R operations for some of the world’s most recognizable artists, producers, and songwriters. In her career, Bailey has worked with YG, Jhene Aiko, Kehlani, Youngboy, and more.
Christal Jerez is an audio engineer with experience recording, mixing, and mastering music. An alumna of Platinum Sound Recording Studios and Do What Sounds Good Studios, Jerez is currently working remotely out of Los Angeles as a mixing and mastering engineer.
Marietta Ulacia is a Cuban-American artist and arts administrator with 20 years of experience in the non-profit cultural field. Through her work, she aims to place the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance of New York at the center of progressive jazz programming, education, performance, and conservation programs that prioritize equity and equality.

New York Music Month Extended Play is a city-wide virtual music celebration of more than 40 events produced by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) in support of artists, industry, and fans that is running from January-June 2021. With the pandemic hitting the creative community hard, NY Music Month Extended Play is offering free online resources to help musicians hone their craft and sharpen their business skills and keep the industry connected through a series of curated panels and chats. Music fans are invited to check-out performances and workshops and learn new skills such as music production or podcast creation.

The March 8 NYFA discussion marks the start of a series of virtual programs that will showcase the music recipients and panelists of the New York City Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, a fund created by MOME that is administered by NYFA. Visit NYFA’s website for more information on this program and other upcoming opportunities to experience and hear from women-identifying artists in music.

The NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre, established in 2018, is part of a groundbreaking series of initiatives by MOME to address the underrepresentation of women-identifying artists in film, music, television, and theatre. It has supported 157 projects since its founding. The next cycle will open in late July 2021, with recipients announced in March 2022.