Birdfoot Welcomes Two New Board Members

Birdfoot Festival is thrilled to welcome Patrick Castillo and Geoffrey Hamlyn to its Board of Directors.

Patrick has been a regular presence at the Birdfoot Festival since 2017 as a featured composer and guest speaker. He currently serves in leadership roles with two premiere new music ensembles, as Managing Director of Third Sound and Executive Director of Hotel Elefant. Previously he has served as Senior Director of Artistic Planning with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and as longtime Artistic Administrator of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival in Silicon Valley.

“The Birdfoot Festival represents an inspired model to the creative industry at large,” says Patrick. “In addition to reaching the community in imaginative and meaningful ways, it has also created a space where artists can develop their most imaginative work. Each festival season is as much a joy for the artists to be a part of as it is to experience as an audience member.”

Geoffrey Hamlyn also comes from a musical background—he’s a violist with degrees from UT Austin and Juilliard, no less. He currently works as an Advisor at the consulting firm trepwise where he specializes in strategic planning. In his current role, Geoffrey has worked with a wide range of institutions, including fixtures of the New Orleans arts and culture scene such as the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Arts Council New Orleans. Previously he worked a Senior Consultant at Deloitte and served as the Executive Director of a nonprofit dedicated to youth in Haiti.

“New Orleans is a melting pot of culture and creativity” says Geoffrey, “from festivals, to jazz, to the visual arts and design, and so much more.  As an innovative and distinctly local music organization, Birdfoot represents an exciting chapter in the evolution of arts and culture in our region. As a performing artist, lover of arts and culture, and recent but proud transplant to New Orleans, I am excited to join Birdfoot’s Board and support the organization as it continues to grow and increase its impact for years to come.”

“It’s incredibly exciting to have Geoffrey and Patrick as part of the Birdfoot team,” says Birdfoot Artistic Director Jenna Sherry. “Both of them bring incredible breadth and depth of experience; Patrick from his work with multiple national festivals and ensembles, and Geoffrey as a consultant for non-profit and arts organizations. I feel so lucky to be working with them and to have their energy and wisdom behind Birdfoot as the festival looks towards its next steps.”

Click to learn more about Patrick and Geoffrey, and meet the rest of the Birdfoot family!