The Team of ACA

Our Story Began Here

The Artist Center Agency

Life launched the Artist Center Agency in 2023. After the pandemic was over, a small organization that could pay attention to the details while still organizing large-scale tours and events became necessary. A small business with the relevant expertise was the goal. The partner and the founder were both employed in the performing arts, but at that particular time, one was backstage and the other one on stage. Life brought them together in a joint project, where it became immediately evident that they spoke the same language. Between an artist and manager, or just simply between managers, it’s uncommon.
But we do believe that it exists. Those artists who chose Artist Center Agency also understood our common language. We are always available to them, day or night. It’s a lasting friendship, a circle of trust. Whether they come to us from anywhere in the world of classical music, musical theater, circus arts, or simply plain performing arts, our ambition is that this team will grow into a company and a community.

Bori Keszei – Partner

In the first part of my career, in the national and international theatrical world, I was a performer and opera singer, which has now been replaced by the work of arts management.  At the beginning of my singing career, after a period at the Hungarian State Opera, I was a soprano soloist at the Vienna State Opera for five years, I toured most of Europe, performed in Japan and the Far East, and in 2023 I had the honour of receiving Hungary’s highest music professional award for my work, the Liszt Ferenc Prize. From the very beginning of my career, I clearly saw the importance of representing talent, along with creating and promoting high quality productions. Following my years at the Opera House, I spent many years performing on international stages, and as my career developed, I was able to embrace the international trends and mindsets. My ambitions have changed in recent years and I have turned to arts management, not just in the genre of opera.
The main ammunition in the world of theatre and music is free-flying talent. From my own experience, I know how important it is to deliver quality productions and to relieve the burden on artists so that they can concentrate on their art and development. Nearly thirty years of experience in national and international theatre, in an international genre, has made me fully aware of the importance of advocacy, without genre boundaries.

András Szentpéteri – CEO

I believe that in all of life, but especially in the performing arts, the path is through relationships. It’s easy to get to know each other and, if we get it right, then we help each other, artists and managers alike. We are on a common path.
I’ve worked mostly in musical theater and in the field of classical music over the past 15 years. This is my happy place; it’s where I’ve discovered something I truly enjoy, something that doesn’t have weekdays, weekends, or holidays. With a small detour, I have previously worked as a journalist and marketing manager in the cultural sphere. In my role as a manager, I can effectively apply the skills I’ve gathered here to ensure that artists have not only an agent but also a copywriter and creative in one package.
I was fortunate enough to tour Europe, Asia, India, the Gulf Region, and America with the internationally acclaimed Budapest Operetta Theatre, where I learnt the fundamentals of the cultural management. To this day, I have the pleasure to work with the amazing artists and professional backstage crew that I met.
I oversaw Pentaton, the oldest artist management firm in Hungary and Central Europe, for five years as managing director. I am grateful for the lessons I learned here to the founder-owner Zsófia Zimányi and my predecessor György Lőrinczy, with whom I have been cooperating for over 30 years. I have worked with orchestras, dance companies, opera singers, the best of the operetta and musical genres. I became full member of the AEAA (Association Européenne des Agents Artistiques / European Association of Artist Managers).
It was then that I got the essence of our profession: we are professional trouble shooters. Whether something is missing from the make-up kit or a sheet of music from the counter, we’re there to take care of it.
I formerly oversaw the concert department at BRAAVI Performing Arts Group, where I expanded my domestic and international network in the arts sector. Now it’s time to create my own agency, and I am glad to have found a business partner in this exciting path.