Lydia Liebman

Lydia Liebman is a music industry professional with experience as a publicist, radio professional, reporter and jazz vocalist. She is the Founder, Lead Publicist and Creative Director of Lydia Liebman Promotions.

About Me

Full Biography: Lydia Liebman was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on November 11, 1991. Raised in Stroudsburg, PA, she began jazz vocal lessons at the age of 10 with Nancy Reed (Duke Ellington All Star Band, John Coates Jr.) and classical voice lessons at age 13 with Shellie Bransford (Metropolitan Opera Guild Program Director, Creating Original Opera Program). Her interest in music began with an early love for musical theater and soon she developed an interest in jazz. Throughout her high school period, Liebman performed often in theatrical productions as well as a variety of jazz festivals and venues.

Of note, Liebman participated and performed with the Camp Broadway Program in New York City for two years, as well as taking part in the International Association of Schools of Jazz conferences in Den Haag, Netherlands and Lucerne, Switzerland. She performed for three years as the featured singer of the COTA Cats Big Band and in local productions of Oklahoma, Bye Bye Birdie and Guys & Doll. She was also chosen to be part of the highly selective All State Vocal Jazz Ensemble for two years.

Along with her musical endeavors, Liebman was part of the Pennsylvania chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and in the Client Service category, went on to place ninth in the nation.

Upon graduation from Stroudsburg High School, Lydia went on to attend Emerson College to pursue a B.A. in Producing. During this period, she also attended Berklee College of Music.

It was during this period that Liebman discovered her love for broadcast media and music business. During her first semester of college, she was chosen to create and produce her own jazz radio program for Internet radio station WECB. Thus, Reeds & Deeds II was born and aired throughout her entire college career, a full four years.

Through her radio program, Liebman interviewed artists such as Pat Metheny, Kurt Elling, Jason Moran and more. Her radio program led her to be a host of the 2012 Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival.

Following her first successful semester at WECB, the current managers took notice and hired her to be the Operations Manager of the station. Liebman was then selected to become the General Manager of the station, a title she currently still holds.

While at WECB, Liebman also began to work on air at 88.9 WERS. There, she became an on air host during the Daytime hours but soon transitioned to the Urban department where she hosted The Secret Spot, a program featuring soul music. During this period, she also went on to become an Administrative Assistant for the station.

During the summer of 2012, Liebman interned at Sirius XM’s famed Real Jazz station with broadcast guru Mark Ruffin. It was through this internship that she gained experience working with Dalet and attended the Montreal Jazz Festival as an assistant to Ruffin.

Parallel to her radio endeavors, Liebman began building a promotional business during her second year of college. What began as a flyer designing business for Berklee students soon went on to become a full-fledged public relations firm spearheaded by Liebman. Past and current clients include Francisco Mela, the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Danilo Perez, Dave Liebman, Christiane Karam, Eddie Gomez, JazzBoston, the Italian Consulate of Boston and more.

To bolster her marketing experience during summer 2013, Liebman served as a marketing intern at Ted Kurland Associates in Boston.

She has lead many workshops concerning promotions and has been featured as a guest speaker. In January 2014, Liebman was hired to be the Assistant to the Executive Director of the Panama Jazz Festival under Patricia Zarate.

In March 2014, Liebman was elected to the Board of Directors of JazzBoston.

One of the most important professional aspects of Liebman’s career was her position as an intern in summer 2011 at Education Update, an award-winning monthly publication that covers education in New York City. Following her internship, Liebman took up the position of reporter. Through Education Update, Liebman assisted in the interviews of Joyce Cowin, Tina Santi Flaherty, and Richard Kessler, Dean of Mannes School of Music. She also covered the 2012 Imagination Summit at Lincoln Center as well as the 2013 National Summit on Education Reform.

Liebman remains an active performer having released her debut album Familia featuring the Dave Liebman Group on the Vector Disc label. During her college years, Liebman performed at a variety of venues including the Deer Head Inn, the Falcon, Scullers Jazz Club, the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival, Berklee College of Music and more.

Currently, Liebman is finishing her last semester at Emerson College and Berklee and hopes to attain her MBA in the near future. She cites her mentors Mark Ruffin of Sirius XM, Pola Rosen of Education Update and Howard Simpson and Jack Casey of WERS as being prime influences in her professional life.

Along with her professional happenings, Liebman is an avid fashion lover whose style has led to a feature in the Boston Globe. She is also an enthusiastic film buff and art lover.

My Jazz Story

Published on: 2016-06-15

I love jazz because my father is Dave Liebman. What else is there? I was first exposed to jazz literally as I was being born. I met Miles when my mom was pregnant with me. That counts right? The best show I ever attended was Wayne Shorter in recent memory with Danilo, John and Brian was epic. The first jazz record I bought was John Coltrane at the Village Vanguard. My advice to new listeners... start with the masters.

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