Lena Khandros has over 20 years of senior experience in global marketing, communications, and strategic program management. From New York to Singapore, her progressive and successful career in the corporate world (American Express in New York, Standard Chartered Bank and JP Morgan in Singapore), combined with her extensive experience in the non-profit performing arts sector (Brooklyn Center for the Performing arts in Brooklyn, the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore), are the bedrock on which Momentum Artists is built.

Lena is not only passionate about the arts and culture, but has also volunteered her skills and time to the Arts & Business Council of New York, 92nd Street Y, as well as the Over the Rainbow Foundation in Singapore. “Music has always been an essential part of my life,” says Lena. “Even prior to launching Momentum Artists—and often times pro-bono—I’d end up helping my musician-friends in a managerial capacity to grow and develop their careers.”

Lena holds an MA in Performing Arts Administration from New York University and a BA in Music Education from Kiev Pedagogical College. She is a graduate of the Kauffman Foundation’s FastTrac NewVenture Program, and a certified Innovation Coach. Read more about Lena on LinkedIn – and feel free to reach out and connect.

Ania Perzanowska has an extensive background in arts programming and management, cultural diplomacy, and project development. She holds an M.A. in Ethnomusicology and a B.A. in Business Administration. From 2007 to 2019, she served as the music curator for the Polish Cultural Institute New York, where she was responsible for planning and implementing projects promoting Polish culture in the U.S.

She has worked on presenting events and concerts in partnership with such diverse institutions as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, BAM, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Santa Fe Opera, Bard Music Festival, Luminato Festival, International Festival of Arts & Ideas, World Music Festival Chicago, Symphony Space, The Morgan Library, Juilliard, Yale University, MoMA, (Le) Poisson Rouge, National Sawdust, Joe’s Pub and many more. Ania works with several Polish contemporary composers on presenting their music in North America, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Agata Zubel and Paweł Mykietyn and has also programmed and promoted works of Witold Lutosławski, Henryk Górecki and other titans of Polish music. Over the years, she has collaborated with dozens of exceptional artists and ensembles, among them the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, JACK Quartet, American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), Silesian String Quartet, and Arte dei Suonatori to name a few. Ania is the executive producer of the North American edition of the Jazztopad Festival and co-curator responsible for bringing the adventurous UNSOUND festival to New York.

Music has been Ania’s passion since her early years when at the age of five she started playing piano and cello. Her broad music education, interests, and experience led her to work on projects across varying genres and formats.

Igor Reznik comes from the alternative rock world. He is first and foremost a musician and band manager, which he has been for over 15 years. He is the bass player and manager for bands such as the Sonsof Venus and Mad Meg, amongst others. Under his guidance, the music from his projects was featured on international television, in international press, and licensed for films. His projects have toured the world and shared the stages with many big names in the industry, while Mad Meg even recorded a live album in a Lithuanian prison for women.

For several years, he worked as a project coordinator for Bliss Records, a company which booked US tours for many Eastern European rock acts. He also holds experience as an advertising executive producer, English teacher, project developer for a food supplement company (MTI Medical), and as a copywriter for the Brooklyn Tea Company.

After finishing high school in 2000, Igor was awarded a full 2 year scholarship for his poetry, which he used to earn himself an associate’s degree in web design from Montgomery College, MD, after which he went on to study journalism/public relations at the University of Maryland.

Despite being from the “rock” world, Igor loves all music genres. As he himself is a musician, Igor is extremely sensitive to other musicians’ needs and will stop at nothing to make sure his work brings about results.

With well over a decade of website, graphic design and online marketing experience, Jeremiah manages Momentum Artists’ online presence.

Graduating in 2004 from Oral Roberts University with a degree in Communications and PR/Advertising, Jeremiah has managed websites and online accounts for clients in industries ranging from book publishing, motivational speakers, hardware stores, dentists, and many trade professionals.

Born in the Washington/Baltimore area, Jeremiah now lives in North Carolina with his wife and four kids. An avid backpacker and guitarist, he spends any remaining free time getting his heart broken by the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles and eating way too much ice cream.

Preston Giannini has over a decade of experience working for arts organizations, both in the music industry as well as the nonprofit arts field. Skilled in event management and operations, she has a strong background in program planning and implementation at every step, from writing and marketing to overseeing live events.

Preston managed a variety of public programs including concerts, lectures, and films at the Morgan Library & Museum, where she found her interest in interdisciplinary program planning. At one of the top artist management agencies, Opus 3 Artists, she arranged performance logistics and managed tours for dozens of world-class soloists, as well as small jazz and pop/rock ensembles.

She holds a BA in Music and an MA in Music History from Hunter College, where she studied classical clarinet and played jazz saxophone. She has a passion for all kinds of music and art forms, and enjoys working with others to produce live events and help realize their artistic vision.

Romina Gurian is a soprano originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her early music education started at the Teatro Colón and the Conservatory of Music Lopez Buchardo.

Since her arrival to the United States, she attended the Manhattan School of Music and Brooklyn College. She was a full scholarship recipient at the Music Conservatory of Westchester with Renata Scotto, the Epcaso Institute and at the Martina Arroyo Foundation.

Romina made her operatic debut in 2007 in Buenos Aires with the Juventus Lyrica Company singing the role of Gilda in Rigoletto, a role she reprised several times after. Specializing in the lyric and bel canto repertoire, she currently studies with Virginia Grasso.

As a recitalist, Romina has performed in Argentina, Italy, and the US. While continuing to perform, she dedicates her time to nurture the careers of other artists.

Kamila Slawinski is a Brooklyn-based freelance editor, writer, and PR & social media consultant with over ten years of experience in various industries, including the arts, media, and nonprofit. She specializes in strategy- and brand-building for independent artists and small art organizations.

Her PR business has to date represented over 100 artists and projects, including 2019 New York Dance and Performance Awards – The Bessies, and an array of award-winning NYC artists and venues such as New Ohio Theatre, JACK, the Guggenheim Fellowship honorees Shamel Pitts and Gabri Christa, and many more. Currently, she is a Content Manager for the web portal The Creativity Post, devoted to cross-disciplinary research on the science of creativity.

In her spare time, Kamila translates American literature into Polish, specializing in nonfiction dealing with women’s and social issues and sometimes writes on culture for Polish-speaking media. Her 2010 nonfiction debut, Nowy Jork: Przewodnik niepraktyczny went through four editions and six printings.

https://kamilaslawinski.com/