The Arts Management Program has announced that world renowned drummer, percussionist and two-time Grammy nominee Quentin Baxter ’98 has joined the faculty of the Arts Management Program and will serve as the new host of the IN THE MIX speaker series, replacing Artist-in-Residence Emeritus Mark Bryan, who has returned to recording and touring with Hootie and the Blowfish.
Quentin Baxter at the Verner Awards Ceremony in the South Carolina State House in 2017.
Baxter will host his first IN THE MIX talk on Monday, Feb. 4, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts at 54 St. Philip St. The event, “EPIC WOMEN: INDUSTRY JOURNEYS OF TWO EXECUTIVES AT EPIC RECORDS,” will feature a live video conference with Traci Adams, executive vice president of promotion for Epic Records, and Leah Bekele, field national director of Promotion and Lifestyle for Epic Records, who will discuss their career paths and experiences as women in the music industry. This event is free and open to students and the public.
Bryan launched IN THE MIX in 2014 with the goal of connecting musicians and College of Charleston students to industry leaders through intimate conversations about success and experience in the music business. The speaker series has explored timely and engaging topics impacting the musical landscape on both a local and national level, all while exposing audience members to industry insiders with real world experience and insight. Recent sessions have examined songwriting compensation, the music streaming business model and the emergent Charleston music scene. Former guest speakers have included Darius Rucker, Cary Ann Hearst and Jeff McClusky.
Baxter has taught at the College of Charleston as an adjunct professor of jazz percussion since 1997. In his expanded role with the Arts Management Program, he will be able to share the full breadth of his music industry knowledge and experience with a greater student population as well as the Charleston community as a whole. Baxter is the CEO of his own music production company, Baxter Music Enterprises, LLC, as well as an active performing and recording artist. He currently tours worldwide with several acts including award-winning vocalist and composer René Marie, Grammy-nominated vocalist Freddy Cole, and Ranky Tanky – the jazz-infused Gullah music ensemble which he co-founded in 2017. Baxter received the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for the Arts in 2017, South Carolina’s highest award given in the arts.
