Mehmet Dede

Education

MA, New York University

BS, Istanbul Technical University

Executive Program, University of Pennsylvania

"Ambassador of World Music" - PollStar Magazine

Mehmet Dede is an internationally recognized, award-winning Music Curator, Festival Producer and Tour Promoter with over 20 years of experience in the culture space.

Dede has produced hundreds of concerts and event series, contributing to international music's growing presence in the US. Fueled by New York’s diverse communities, he’s collaborated with seminal American institutions Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage, the Town Hall, the Kennedy Center and many more for medium and large-scale events.

Dede serves as Director of Programming at Drom, a 300 people-capacity club in downtown Manhattan since 2010. His entrepreneurial and curatorial vision established Drom as a key player in NY nightlife, shaping the club into a dynamic and prestigious platform to showcase emerging talent and new sounds. Wall St. Journal proclaimed Drom as “New York’s premiere venue for world music” and an eclectic array of artists from Grammy-winners Robert Glasper, Snarky Puppy, Questlove, Gregory Porter and Hilary Hahn to esteemed performers J Cole, Camilla Cabello, Gloria Gaynor and Ibrahim Maalouf graced the Drom stage. In 2022, Drom was awarded the Live Music Society grant in the small music venues category.

Previously, Dede spent seven years at concert promoter Giant Step and two years at Universal Music Group. Dede is also the curator and co-founder of the NY Gypsy Festival. His experience in global music programming and cultural diplomacy has facilitated a meaningful presence for artists in the US and his consulting expertise is often sought by agencies in France, Hungary, England, Poland and Romania. He regularly conducts workshops for artists and managers in the US and abroad.

Dede serves as public speaker, panelist, and jury member at local and international conferences. He was profiled in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Pollstar, and featured on PBS, Crain’s New York Business and Voice of America. His articles and book criticism appear in peer-review journals, prestigious trade magazines and summit proceedings. He is the author of the Make It Live: The Handbook for Getting Gigs to coach artists on strategies for booking and marketing live concerts.

Dede received the 2021 globalFEST Impact Award for his curatorial work and The Belle K. Ribicoff Prize, the highest honor for junior faculty at the University of Hartford. He serves on the board of the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA), is a professional member of the Recording Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. Dede is also an alumnus of Leadership Music in Nashville.