Interview – Marie-Louise Stille
© Damián Canteros
Inside Concert Agencies: Marie-Louise Stille on Cultural Education, Mentorship and Building Sustainable Careers
What does it really look like behind the scenes of the classical music industry? How do artists approach agencies, build trust, and craft a long-term strategy, especially when resources, politics, and public taste keep shifting?
In this episode of The Art She Manages, I speak with Marie-Louise Stille, Associate Artist Manager at Ekkehard Jung Artists & Projects in Berlin. Raised in Argentina in a German-Argentinian family, Marie-Louise found theatre as a teenager in Córdoba and later crossed continents for graduate study and work in Madrid, Amsterdam, and Berlin. She has managed projects in opera houses and agencies, received scholarship at Deutsche Bank Foundation’s Academy Musiktheater heute, and co-founded Women in Arts and Media (WAM)—a mentorship network now numbering hundreds of women.
Why this conversation matters
Marie-Louise gives a rare, candid look at concert agencies—what assistants and managers actually do, the common misconceptions, and how careers are built through patient, strategic teamwork rather than overnight miracles. She also contrasts academic cultures in Argentina and Germany, shares what great mentoring looks like from both sides, and talks frankly about the gendered expectations still facing women conductors.
If you’re an emerging artist or early-career cultural manager, this episode is a practical guide to approaching agencies, organizing materials, nurturing relationships, and staying resilient while you build.
You’ll learn
Study cultures compared: Argentina vs. Germany.
How concert agencies actually work: what assistants and managers handle, and why organization plus long-term strategy must stay in balance.
Approaching an agency the right way: must-have materials and how to build a relationship over time.
The importance of teamwork between managers and artists.
Marie-Louise’s perspective as both a mentee and a mentor.
"Strategy is experience and honesty. Sometimes the right answer is: not yet—let’s wait for the right time."
“If you’re in a place that doesn’t support you and you have the chance to change—change. Surround yourself with people who believe in you.”
Resources & ways to connect
Listen to the full episode:
