How do shows and artists get picked to be on your season? 

Find out here.

We just made our new season announcement, which led us to wonder if you ever wonder about how we select who ends up on your Peace Center season. We know you enjoy peeks behind the scenes, so we decided to share the method behind the madness that is programming the performing arts.

 

Choosing Artists: The Peace Center Mission

The Peace Center is a non-profit organization, which surprises many people who look at our beautiful facilities and blockbuster Broadway shows and assume otherwise. We get it. But, as a non-profit, our sole purpose is to fulfill a specific mission for the people of Greenville and the Upstate—and, we have so many more venues than the Peace Concert Hall. That’s how it’s always been, and so it will remain.  

The Peace Center’s mission is to enrich the lives of everyone we reach, and we do that through providing live arts and entertainment experiences designed to unite people and transform lives through inspiring arts. This mission drives Peace Center programming, shaping the decisions of who to bring here and what shows to present.

The part of a performing arts center responsible for booking shows is called the Programming Department. The Peace Center’s Vice President of Programming, Jay Cohen, is the man who keeps the mission top of mind when he is booking a season for the people of Greenville.  

His job is a bit of a matchmaking juggle, searching for the best talent available who will most likely appeal to Greenville’s tastes and support the Peace Center’s mission. And, he’s got to make a match that meets the budget and fits the artist’s touring schedule and our venue availability.  

If you’re familiar with the music industry, a performing arts programmer is akin to a talent buyer, which is how Jay started in the business. He worked for Canadian promoter REMG Entertainment  booking up and coming artists, then moved on to Toronto’s TO Live (formerly Sony Centre for the Performing Arts) and eventually to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., where he programmed full seasons across music, dance, comedy and theater. 

As for finding artists and shows to present at the Peace Center, Jay looks for high-quality artists and show titles that range from fan favorites and famous names to up-and-coming acts and artists who aren’t yet big time but will be. “It’s all about having something for everyone and presenting the best of the best,” says Jay. “From world-class art to outstanding entertainment. We want every performance to reflect the quality our audiences have come to expect."

Finding the Artists, Curating the Season, Waiting for the Magic To Happen

In the professional performing arts world, agencies and/or booking agents represent the artists, a.k.a. “the talent.” These agents work with programmers like Jay to secure a date for their talent on the venue’s season. Fortunately for us, Jay came to the Peace Center with excellent professional relationships with a lot of different booking agents from his time programming in Canada and Orlando. 

“I am working directly with booking agents, some of whom I have good, strong working relationships with, and some I am building relationships with if I haven’t booked their artists before,” he says.  

The other boon to being the Peace Center is that we’ve got a reputation for having top notch facilities and production technology. (The dressing rooms here are to die for, and word gets around.) As new agents come on the scene, Jay is able to let them know there’s an enthusiastic audience here that they don’t want to overlook on the Charlotte-Atlanta-Asheville circuit. “A lot of the agents know we’re here and exist, so that’s good for us. There are newer agents out there who don’t know there’s an option between Charlotte, Atlanta, and Asheville. We’re happy to take a new show or act that can come to Greenville via any of these hubs.” 

Sometimes, Jay tracks down the booking agents of specific artists who would make a great fit for the Peace Center. Take, for instance, Ina Garten. She appears on your upcoming season as part of her new cookbook tour, and you can thank Jay. “Last year I wanted to get Ina Garten, but I missed out on her availability,” says Jay. “I said to her agent, ‘Can we do something for 2027?’ and her agent said, ‘Absolutely.’ So, it worked out that we got her for this season. I think it’s going to be a standout show for Greenville. We live in a foodie town, and I think Ina’s going to be great for our audience.”

But not every artist performing at the Peace Center has rock star status, like Ina Garten or ZZ Top or Neil DeGrasse Tyson. As part of the mission to unite people and transform lives through the performing arts, Jay also keeps tabs on lesser-known names who are delivering the kinds of arts experiences that affect audiences deeply. Part of his job curating the season is to provide opportunities for us to witness music, dance, and theater outside of the mainstream. The goal, after all, is about enriching lives. 

The 2026-2027 Peace Center season teems with exciting burgeoning names like Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, NoGravity Theater from Italy, bluegrass group Sister Sadie, and Blue Note recording artist Gabrielle Cavassa. “I’m very excited about who we have coming this season, especially to The Mockingbird and Coach Music Factory,” Jay says. People already know The Mockingbird as the destination for unforgettable, intimate singer-songwriter performances. The lineup we've announced so far reflects that tradition of excellence, and we're looking forward to bringing even more incredible artists to the stage throughout the season.. The Coach [Music Factory] has opened us up to present an entirely different type of experience for the community. There are many great artists who prefer the excitement and energy of a standing-room-only crowd.  The Coach complements our other theaters by offering a general admission, standing-room-only club where we can book acts that thrive in that high-energy atmosphere.”

“I hope our audience checks out something new this season, whether it’s in The Mockingbird or in Peace Concert Hall. Come see something you’ve never heard of,” says Jay. “That act or artist is selling tickets in other cities, and we bring them here to give people the opportunity to see them, too.”  

These acts—the lesser-known names, the newcomers, the experimental and imaginative, the classical giants in music and dance—are your chance to experience something new and different or be in the same room with someone who is considered one of the greatest artists in the world.

"We want to present superlative arts in Greenville, so we’re always going to have the best of whatever genre,” Jay says. “In April, we presented an amazing solo concert by Yo-Yo Ma, who many consider the best cello player in the world. For the upcoming season, Midori returns to the Peace Concert Hall with the Festival Strings Lucerne, a 38 piece orchestra. She’s an amazing violin player, and she’ll be performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin concerto in D major, Op. 35, plus a few other selections, so it’s going to be an unforgettable evening of classical music.” Add experimental dance theater supergroups Pilobolus and MOMIX to that list as well as the relatively new multicultural roots-folk musical collab, American Patchwork Quartet. 

Now, all we have to do is wait for you to get your tickets and watch the magic that is live performing arts unfold. 

As the season progresses, Jay will continue to book artists and shows, and we’ll announce them as soon as we can. For now, feast your eyes on your 2026-2027 Peace Center season, knowing that our entire programming department had you and the mission in mind when he booked these artists for your entertainment and cultural enrichment.  

Want to talk more about the season? Head over to the Peace Center Instagram and drop your thoughts.