Karen Brooks Hopkins: BAM…And Then It Hit Me

Kelly connects with Karen Brooks Hopkins, the former president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), to discuss her book “BAM…And Then It Hit Me” 

 

You write that working at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), was not a job but a crusade. 

“It was a situation that required 100% dedication at all times. That was the way that I approached the job, and that was the way that I expected my colleagues and staff members to also approach the job. And I think because there was this attitude about work, this attitude of dedicated service, this attitude of respect for the audience, respect for the artists, respect for the building, that we were altogether bonded in what I called a crusade. Now that word has become more politically incorrect. So, in the book, I went back to the dictionary and found a way to define it that I felt gave it enough credibility that we didn’t have to take it out of the book. I think the definition was something about having an almost religious or passionate fervor for the thing that you were dedicated to and that is how I felt about BAM.” 

 

You started as a fundraiser and that kind of became your identity. 

“There’s the famous story that I tell about fundraising where every morning I would get up, do my exercises, take my shower, get dressed and ready for the day, and the last thing I would do before leaving the house would be to look in the mirror, clench my fist and say, ‘Good morning, Karen. Today you will raise a million dollars,’ and out I went. And this was my mantra. I had to kind of pump myself up every day for the job, and when you do that over 36 years, it takes a lot out of you. But it also gives you a lot because you don’t have to question your commitment. Your commitment is a fact.” 

 

Then you found yourself in Harvey Lichtenstein’s office at BAM. 

“He looked at me and he said, ‘I need someone who can work like hell.’ And I said, ‘I’m your gal.’ And we shook hands. He hired me and that was that was it. I worked with him for 20 years until he retired, and then I succeeded him as President in 1998. So, he was tough. He pushed us really hard. But that’s also where this kind of crusade mentality kicked in during those Harvey years. He was on a path for glory and we were all on it with him, and nothing was going to stop us.”