Cristina Demiany
Palm Springs, California
Biography
Cristina Demiany is a visual artist, entrepreneur, and arts business strategist who has dedicated over 15 years to bridging the worlds of creative expression and business excellence. Guided by her belief that business itself is an art form, she brings a uniquely creative approach to entrepreneurial leadership.
As co-founder and Executive Director of the National Children's Chorus of the United States—the largest professional youth chorus in America—Cristina transformed a creative vision into a thriving national institution. During her decade of leadership, she grew the organization to serve over 1,000 families, managed a team of 100+ professionals, and secured a landmark million-dollar endowment gift. Her innovative production designs graced prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and St. Peter's Basilica in The Vatican.
Cristina's academic credentials include a Master of Arts in Art Business from Sotheby's Institute of Art (honors and distinction) and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from UCLA (summa cum laude). Her master's thesis on female artists of the pre-modern era earned special distinction, reflecting her commitment to advancing the understanding of art history's overlooked voices.
As an oil painter, Cristina creates works that bridge historical techniques with contemporary aesthetics, exploring subjects from abstract landscapes to the female figure. This hands-on artistic practice informs her work as a senior art business consultant at the Professional Artist Association, where she guides a global portfolio of artists in scaling their creative enterprises.
Cristina is co-host of the Professional Artist Summit, a global virtual event reaching more than 15,000 attendees, and host of the forthcoming Professional Artist Podcast, where she continues her mission of empowering artists to achieve both creative and business success.
Cristina lives and works in Palm Springs, California.
More information about Cristina can be found below.
Art History & Music
National Children's Chorus Concert
Washington, D.C.
Cristina began painting and singing at the age of 13 and has been committed to the arts in numerous expressions throughout her life.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history (summa cum laude) from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as a Master of Arts degree in art business (honors and distinction) from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York.
While pursuing her art history degree, Cristina auditioned into the UCLA Chorale and developed a passion for choral singing.
Under the baton of legendary conductor Donald Neuen, Cristina performed an extensive repertoire of major choral works including Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Handel’s Messiah, and Verdi’s Requiem.
While at UCLA, Cristina also studied classical voice privately with Professor Michael Dean.
In the final year of her B.A. Cristina interned in the Islamic Art department at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art under curator Linda Komaroff, where she organized a 600-piece collection of ancient artifacts.
She finished her degree in a study abroad program at Oxford University in England, where she wrote extensively on Medieval Gothic architecture.
National Children's Chorus Concert
New York
After earning her B.A. Cristina embarked on a mission to impart her love of choral music to a non-profit educational mission for children.
She co-founded and built the National Children’s Chorus of the United States (NCC), where she served as Executive Director and President for 10 years.
Under her leadership, the NCC became one of America's largest and most successful non-profit choral institutions, serving more than 1000 families nationwide with world-class educational and performance experiences.
As Executive Director, Cristina oversaw bicoastal operations and a national team of more than 100, as well as an annual budget of approximately $3M.
She is credited with growing the NCC’s financial strength significantly, managing all aspects of development and securing major gifts. Her fundraising work often involved live speaking in front of large audiences.
She founded a thriving scholarship fund and established an endowment with a lead gift of one million dollars—the largest single donation given to a children’s chorus.
National Children's Chorus
With students of the National Children's Chorus
Los Angeles, California
In tandem with growing the business, Cristina grew the NCC artistically by personally conceptualizing and creating all marketing campaigns and concert designs.
She invented new methods of lighting and producing choral music, earning standing ovations from tens of thousands of audience members both domestically and internationally.
Cristina’s critically-acclaimed productions were seen at venues such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Royce Hall, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Internationally, she has produced in historic spaces including the Great Wall of China, St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, and St. Peter’s Basilica in The Vatican.
Musical collaborations include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera Company, Los Angeles Master Chorale, New York City Master Chorale and the American Youth Symphony, among others.
Production design by Cristina Demiany
Carnegie Hall, New York
Production design by Cristina Demiany
Lincoln Center, New York
National Children's Chorus Concert
Washington, D.C.
Sotheby's Institute of Art
After closing out her decade-long career in the National Children’s Chorus, Cristina embarked on a photographic sabbatical traveling with her camera through the Azores Islands, Portugal, Morocco, and Egypt.
Upon returning to New York, she was accepted to Sotheby’s Institute of Art, where she earned her M.A. in art business, writing her master’s thesis on female artists of the pre-modern era, for which she earned the award of distinction.
After graduating with her M.A. Cristina was recruited by Sotheby’s Institute of Art as Senior Program Manager for the Academics department of the Global Online division.
Drawing on her experience in the National Children’s Chorus, she was instrumental in planning a new curriculum for Sotheby’s Institute’s Pre-College program, creating courses around art history and the art market for students ages 14 to 18.
Concurrently, she designed and managed 30 art-related courses for the company’s online educational portfolio.
While completing her degree at Sotheby's, Cristina revived her passion for painting and discovered her love for traditional oils, which is her current medium.
The Professional Artist Association
After 15 years in executive management and arts education, Cristina's work in arts leadership is evolving into a consulting role, providing mentorship and guidance to top performers in the field while maintaining her own creative practice in painting and photography.
She currently serves as Senior Art Business coach at the Professional Artist Association, helping a global portfolio of artist entrepreneurs scale their businesses and achieve transformational goals.
Cristina is co-host of the Professional Artist Summit, a global virtual event reaching more than 15,000 attendees, and host of the forthcoming Professional Artist Podcast, where she continues her mission of empowering artists to achieve both creative and business success. ❧