STAFF
Robert Besen
DIRECTOR
Robert Besen founded BesenArts LLC in 1999 after serving two seasons a Managing Director of the Riverside Symphony. Prior to that, he was Associate Director of Concert Artists Guild, where he served on the staff since completing his Bachelor’s degree in music at Harvard College in 1983. Mr. Besen created and implemented Concert Artists Guild’s artist management program, which continues to launch the careers of many fine soloists and ensembles. During his tenure with the Riverside Symphony he participated in establishing the orchestra’s “Music Memory” education program, which now serves thousands of public school students throughout New York City. Widely recognized for its representation and career development of chamber ensembles, BesenArts seeks to enhance growing and continuing careers through innovative projects and programming.
Mr. Besen has served as an adjunct lecturer at the Mannes College of Music, teaching a course on career development, “Booking Your Own Concerts.” He is also a frequent speaker on career development, including presentations at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and other major universities and conservatories throughout the United States, for the Carnegie Hall-Juilliard Ensemble Connect program, as well the national conferences of Chamber Music America and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.
Lily f. dog
Lily F. Dog joined the BesenArts staff in 2015 as Director of Research and Development, and is doing her best to fill the shoes of Argo. Indeed, she runs off with any shoes she can sink her teeth into. Ms. Dog was born in Tennessee, evidently precisely 259 years to the moment after the birth of W.A. Mozart, or at least that’s the best estimate of the staff of the North Shore Animal League. Ms. Dog has injected considerable zaniness into the BesenArts office culture.
argo s dog
Argo S Dog (1999-2013) served as Chief Operating officer, in charge of security, bill collection, and document shredding. Mr. Dog came from humble origins. Abandoned as a newborn (at approximately the same time as the founding of BesenArts), he was rescued by Animal Control and subsequently spent about six months at the Bide-A-Wee animal shelter on the East Side of Manhattan. There he met Robert Besen and Dena Levine in May 2000, striking up such a fast friendship that they invited him to move in. Robert soon realized that Argo showed extraordinary skills in customer relations, as well as a discerning ear (in fact, two of them), and asked him to join BesenArts. Mr. Dog took his name from the loyal friend of Odysseus, Argos, the sole member of the warrior’s family to recognize him upon his return to Ithaca after 20 years on tour. We miss you, Argo!