Catherine Peterson,
2017 Daniel Pinkham Award Recipient

Catherine Peterson has served ArtsBoston as its executive director since 1997. Peterson’s marketing and audience development experience includes project management of a multi-million dollar Wallace Foundation audience development program at the Worcester Art Museum, artistic administration for the Cleveland Orchestra, the position of vice president at Columbia Artists Management, and handling the careers of 25 internationally known opera singers. Peterson also opened the first opera merchandise store in the United Kingdom for the English National Opera and has written music criticism for The Boston Globe.

Catherine Peterson’s community and national commitments include the Massachusetts Cultural Council 2005 Commonwealth Award Committee, the Boston Foundation 2004 Cultural Task Force which produced a detailed agenda for the state’s cultural groups, and the Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations’ (APASO) National Conference Planning Committee for 2010. She is on the Mayor’s Create Boston Advisory Committee and participates annually in Boston’s City to City Leadership Exchange. She is also a graduate of LeadBoston, the NCCJ’s social justice leadership program. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter on arts marketing and audience development for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations, New England Conservatory, Boston University, Boston Conservatory, Temple University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Wellesley College. Born in Berkeley, California, Catherine Peterson graduated summa cum laude from Wellesley College. She currently serves on the board of directors for Chorus America.