Primo Founder Charlotte Lee featured in new profile

Charlotte Lee is the Jerry Maguire of Artist Management
By Morgan Hsieh

The first time Charlotte Lee spoke to Charles Hamlen, founder of IMG Artists, she shared her ambitious dream.

“When I first met Charlie, I said, 'I want to be the Jerry Maguire of classical music,’” she recalled.

Becoming the Jerry Maguire of classical music — a reference to the 1996 film’s sports agent protagonist — felt more like a prophecy than a dream. Nearly three decades later, Lee stands as the visionary founder of Primo Artists, the leading international classical music agency with over 50 signed artists and organizations to its management and public relations rosters. Along the way, the Longhorn shattered records in leadership, guided the industry through unprecedented challenges, and continues to redefine classical music management in a field steeped in tradition.

“Back in the day when I was at IMG, I raised my hand in a staff meeting and said, ‘How about we consider opening accounts on social media?’” Lee reflected. “I still remember to this day that a senior manager said, ‘No one is ever going to be interested in following the Facebook of an agency, Charlotte.’ Now Primo Artists has the largest following on our side of the business, with 30,000-plus followers across all our channels.”

Hailing from New Jersey, Lee chose to attend The University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1998 with a double major in violin performance and Plan II Honors. The school’s strong interdisciplinary liberal arts program, the flexibility to continue her education at Butler School of Music, and Texas’ warmth — a welcome change from the Northeast — drew her in.

“I wanted to be in an environment that was not only warm in climate and had the resources of a large university but classes that were small and curated,” Lee said. “I was [also] very attracted to the warmth of the people of Texas and the community that I could envision being part of, so it was a no-brainer [to commit to Texas].”

The budding violinist established herself at the Butler School of Music, studying under Vincent Frittelli, a protégé of the legendary violin teacher Ivan Galamian, with Lee proudly considering herself a “grandchild” of the iconic pedagogue. Lee’s strong classical music background remains the driving force of her career as a manager, leading her to work with renowned artists like Itzhak Perlman, who notably studied under Galamian.

While under the tutelage of Frittelli, Lee realized that life in a practice room didn’t appeal to her. Wishing to remain rooted in the music industry, she applied to law school in hopes of pursuing entertainment law.

“For me, [it was] just a lack of desire to sit in a practice room for six hours a day,” Lee said. “And to compete with 199 other violins who also play perfectly for a chair in the back of the second violin section of the Dallas Symphony. It just doesn't really float my boat.”

Summer after graduation, with law school admittance in hand, Lee packed her bags and relocated to New York, an opportunity made possible by the Joni Abbott Music Foundation and supported by Ronald A. Crutcher, director of the Butler School of Music.

Under the mentorship of Crutcher, the recent graduate immersed herself in internships at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Universal Classics — encompassing the Deutsche Grammophon and Decca labels. After experiencing both music law and music promotion, Lee realized she needed to take a step back and reflect on how she wanted to spend her time, rather than just what she wanted to do for a job.

“It came down to the basic desire of wanting to go to concerts for free,” Lee smiled. “And to find that there was a job that would place me at the heart and center of creative geniuses of our field was a huge discovery for me.”

By the end of the season, it became clear to both Lee and Crutcher that the music business and arts management aligned with Lee’s true passions.

Crutcher then introduced Lee to Hamlen, co-founder of Hamlen/Landau, a New York City-based boutique management company that eventually became the international powerhouse IMG Artists. Through this connection, Lee found herself in Edna Landau’s office interviewing to be on the management team for artists such as Evgeny Kissin and Hilary Hahn.

For 17 years, Lee rose through the ranks at IMG, eventually becoming the director of orchestral booking and the youngest senior vice president at just 30. Despite her impressive success, she craved a more curated, artist-driven approach to management.

In 2015, Lee took the leap and founded Primo Artists. Starting with four renowned artists, the agency has since expanded to a roster of 13, including violinists Perlman, Nicola Benedetti, and Randall Goosby, thoughtfully selected by Lee herself.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to build something from scratch,” Lee said. “I decided I would do it whether or not anyone came with me. From IMG, I invited four artists from the roster and they all accepted, including Perlman. But whether or not they came, I was going to have an agency.”

As Primo Artists nears its 10th anniversary, the agency continues to grow, now including a social media and public relations roster to adapt to changes in modern media.

Primo’s cutting-edge innovation sets it apart in an industry known for its rigor and tradition. Lee finds creative fuel in unlikely places, staying ahead of trends by drawing influence from industries like pop culture, even citing the Kardashians as a source of inspiration. Primo remains a leader in the field, expanding its artists’ reach by harnessing the power of social media — a breakthrough strategy that sets new standards in classical music management.

Lee’s razor-sharp vision and radical generosity shine like a diamond in the rough, said Afa Dworkin, President and Artistic Director of the arts nonprofit Sphinx Organization, friend and colleague of the entrepreneur. Dworkin and Lee, who met in 2015 through Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year, developed a strong relationship as rising female leaders. Today, both changemakers continue to collaborate, with the Sphinx Organization now on Primo Artists’ PR Roster.

“She was able to respond to the need that’s [in the industry] in a way that no other agency I’ve seen has been able to respond,” Dworkin said. “She is a quintessential leader.”

Addressing industry needs comes as second nature to Lee.

When the COVID-19 pandemic pressed pause on the world, the music industry, among many impacted businesses and industries, took a hit. Though other industries adapted virtually, the music business, which relies on mass gatherings, shut down first and returned to work last, leaving many creatives out of work for an extended period. Lee responded first to the crisis, co-creating the Performing Arts Managers and Agents Coalition in May 2020.

Lee led the faction, consisting of more than 250 artist managers, booking agents and independent producers, in an industry-wide lobbying effort that caught the attention of Senator Mitch McConnell’s Senior Staff. In December 2020, the “Save Our Stages” Act, known as the “Shuttered Venues Operators Grant” program, became law. The grant provided $16.5 billion for live music venues, cultural institutions, independent movie theaters and talent agencies, marking the largest public rescue of the arts and entertainment industry in U.S. history.

Lee’s longtime mentor, Landau, wasn’t surprised by her revolutionary advocacy.

“What she did was nothing short of dazzling,” said Landau, co-founder of Hamlen/Landau, now known as IMG Artists. “The industry and people need to be reminded that there’s somebody like [Lee] who looks beyond their own ambitions and does what is good, for the greater good. [Without her], some of the companies in business today probably wouldn’t be in business anymore.”