World Music: Part 1 of 4 - Introduction

For the college where I work, I manage a visiting artist series. The series presents up to 20 performances during the academic year, one each in touring theatre and dance, and the remainder in music. Our concert venue was specifically designed for chamber music, which works out perfectly, since the director of the series is particularly fond of classical string quartet and solo piano repertoire. We also try to present jazz and world music events, but the acoustics in our hall do not always compliment the amplification that generally accompanies such performances.

Even if not a "world music" concert, we are often hosting artists from abroad. While this goes a long way to serving the global outlook at our college, it does present some real logistical challenges. I'll look at these bureaucratic idiocyncracies in 4 separate posts over the next 2 weeks:

1. This introduction
2. Visa: "It's everywhere you want to be"
   
3. Taxation Without Representation
4. When in Rome...
   

Let me preface this series by stating I am NO expert on this subject by ANY means. I am neither an immigration attorney, or a qualified tax manager. I simply posess some real world experience in these issues. If you are looking for help with visas, tax treaties or immigration-related issues, I recommend the following resources:

• Artists from Abroad
  
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• U.S. Department of State/Consular Affairs
• U.S. Customs and Border Patrol