Cathy Barbash is a cultural diplomacy impresario, cultural catalyst, an independent producer, and a specialist in creative industry development in the People’s Republic of China and Cuba. She received a 2015 Silver Magnolia Award from the Shanghai government in recognition of her longtime contributions to the economic and social development of the city, and the 2018 Patrick Hayes Award from the International Society for the Performing Arts, in recognition of her transformative leadership in the performing arts. Barbash has spent 40 years managing and consulting to organizations including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the United States Department of State, The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, The Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Juilliard School, and the China Shanghai International Arts Festival. A graduate of Harvard University, Barbash serves on the boards of Pink Fang (formerly Ping Chong & Company) and Early Music America. She is President of the Barbash Arts Foundation, which produces the annual Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition for young string players. She is a member of the International Advisory Council of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum, and the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Barbash expanded her work into Cuba in 2016. She collaborates with several theater and dance companies and maintains strong relationships with the Casa de las Américas, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, and the Havana International Jazz Plaza Festival.

Filmography