ALLAN XENIUS GRIGE

Founder, consultant, and cultural innovator ALLAN XENIUS GRIGE has more than 24 years' experience in the international performing arts and cultural management industry.

Following a year as a performing cast member, he spent 10 years in international sales, marketing, tour management, community service, and event development for the multicultural, educational performance group "Up with People" in North America and Europe. He also served 3 years as the organisation's European Communications and Admissions Director, and as manager of the organisation's field marketing staff.  While working for Up with People, he lived for extended periods in cities such as Tucson, Chicago, Denver, and Oslo, and worked on an ongoing basis with colleagues and participants from more than 50 countries.

Resettling in Denmark, he was marketing co-ordinator for the DR National Symphony Orchestra and Choir during Copenhagen's year as EU Cultural Capital 1996, and became the first CEO and Artistic Director of the Esbjerg Performing Arts Centre, one of Denmarks leading multi-purpose venues designed by Jorn and Jan Utzon, which he managed succesfully for 7 years. In this framework, and in addition to programming and general venue management, he developed national tours in Denmark for the Pavel Smirnow Orchestra and Prague State Opera, was on the steering board of the annual Esbjerg Festival and the regional WestCoast Jazz Festival (1998), and chairman of the organising committee behind the St. Petersburg Russian Arts Festival (2000) and Images of Asia Festival (2003).

Prior to founding CACC in 2006, he spent 3 years as General Manager of the DR Copenhagen Concert Hall in its pre-launch phase, developing operations for Denmark's new national concert hall designed by Jean Nouvel and operated in the framework of DR Danish Broadcasting Corporation.

Allan Xenius Grige has worked extensively with people from many nations and has developed several cross-border cultural projects for arts venues and festivals. He has served as a member of the Esbjerg Tourist Board, the Counsil of Nordic Concert Halls, the Association of Danish Concert & Culture Centres, Culturehouse Network Denmark, Event Denmark, and on the advisory boards of Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Bicentennial Celebration and of WoCo, the tourist association of Copenhagen.

He has also been an active member of the International Society for the Performing Arts, American Club in Copenhagen, and Danish Marketing Forum, and served for three years as founding chairman of FED, Association for Festivals and Events in Denmark.

Allan Xenius Grige lectures at business schools and to professional associations in Europe in subjects relating to Event Management and Arts & Culture Management, and is a freqently used specialist on intercultural communication. Since 2006, he has served as Chairman of the International Festival and Events Association Europe, and in 2008, he joined the UK-based consultancy network Festivals & Events International as an Associate Director. 

In addition to persuing his business career, Allan Xenius Grige has maintained a strong personal, artistic passion for the arts. He writes music and lyrics, has appeared in stage productions, been producer and director of a number of stage programmes, and held public photographic exhibitions. His personal creative web site (currently under reconstruction - please come back and visit soon) can be found at www.grige.dk.

Direct e-mail: axg@cacc.dk.

CACC * Gentoftegade 76 * 2820 Gentofte * Denmark * Tel. +45 40 96 94 84 * E-mail: cacc@cacc.dk