About us:
Left Bank is a Nashville-based arts management company devoted to supporting artists and projects that are mission-driven and responsive to communities.
dedicated to:
* managing, supporting, and marketing deeply creative artists, projects and events
* developing projects that are inclusive, diverse, revelatory, which encourage hope, promote peace.
* connecting artists to like-minded presenters and institutions nationally and internationally
* amplifying women's voices in the arts, especially in the South
Our Services:
* artist & project management
* grant-writing and fundraising
* booking
* tour marketing & promotion
Photo by Khalid Ali
CARISSa stolting / Artist & Event Management
Carissa Stolting is an artist manager, producer, and writer working at the intersection of visionary music and social justice. She is the founder of Left Bank Artists, a management company built on deep partnership and long-term strategy, whose roster has included internationally celebrated and Grammy Award–winning musicians like Abigail Washburn, Rachel Grimes, Allison Russell, Leyla McCalla, and others whose work bridges tradition, experimentation, and global dialogue. Across nearly two decades, Carissa has built an international music-industry network rooted in trust and creative advocacy—connecting artists based in the American South with audiences and collaborators worldwide.
Inspired by the innovative visions of artists on the Left Bank management roster, Carissa is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Unmanageable Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports ambitious, large-scale creative projects connecting across history, discipline, culture, and community, with a particular commitment to anti-racist and feminist values. Unmanageable has raised over 3.5M for artists and their creative works, and has helped artists realize complex, boundary-pushing works through inventive fundraising, producing, and project management models.
She previously served as Managing Director of the internationally renowned Big Ears Festival (2018–2019) and began her career in music at AC Entertainment, working closely with founder Ashley Capps on landmark concerts and festivals including Bonnaroo, Moogfest, and Forecastle. Her production work includes co-producing Circle Round Home with Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, serving as Festival Manager for Rhiannon Giddens’ inaugural Biscuits & Banjos festival, and co-producing an annual retreat for civically engaged artists at Rancho La Puerta in Baja California.
She is the host and creator of Radio Resistance a podcast highlighting the voices and stories of Tennessee-based experimental musicians and the former host and co-curator of Mirror House, a quarterly salon pairing innovative musicians and writers, sponsored by The Porch Writers’ Collective. Her writing has appeared in Los Angeles Review of Books and Reckoning. Carissa also serves as Board President of chatterbird, a Nashville-based experimental chamber ensemble and recipient of the 2022 BON Award for Best Creative Programming.
Before working in music, she earned an M.A. in French & Linguistics and was a French lecturer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she was named 2019 Alumna of the Year by the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures. She plays the drums and lives in Nashville, TN.
Celine Thackston / Grant-writer & Development Consultant
Celine Thackston is a grant writer and development consultant. A skilled writer, she raised more than three million dollars in the last fiscal year for a range of arts, education, and human services organizations as well as individual artists.
Past and current partnerships include the Nashville Symphony, the Big Ears Festival, Nashville Opera, OZ Arts, End Slavery Tennessee, Second Harvest Food Bank, Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities, ALIAS Chamber Ensemble, and others. Beyond assisting arts organizations with grant writing and development strategies, she has helped a number of individual artists, including musicians, composers, and visual artists.
In addition to grant writing, Celine has experience in crafting direct mail appeals, producing focused individual and foundation prospect research, designing advocacy campaigns, and building out annual fundraising plans. She holds a DMA in Music Performance from the University of Oregon, with supporting studies in Arts Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management.