SV Chat: Iris Nemani on stewarding ‘the heart of Stanford's cultural hub'
Some of Iris Nemani's earliest memories of the arts have to do with her parents waking her up - as a very young child - late at night to watch classic movie musicals on TV.
"I loved ‘West Side Story' so much that I thought I might be a dancer in musicals on Broadway one day," the Toronto native recalls. "I really wanted to be a Jet."
Nemani's dancing dreams quickly fell to the wayside as this self-described "strong math-and-science-minded kid" decided that she wanted to become a doctor. But, as they say, "when you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way." And Nemani's love for the arts would end up winning the day as she went to work for a musical theater company in Toronto after graduating from college.
That put her on the path that eventually led to becoming chief programming officer of the Toronto Harbourfront Centre, a role Nemani held for eight years before heeding to the call to move westward.
And that call came from Stanford Live, the multidisciplinary arts organization that presents shows at a number of venues on the Stanford campus. She’d join the organization in 2024.
We recently spoke with Stanford Live's (still relatively) new McMurtry Family Director about what's its been like working on The Farm thus far, the challenges/opportunities facing the organization moving forward and what to expect from the recently announced 2026-27 season.
Q: How did you end up working in the arts?
A: After starting my university journey in pre-med, I realized I didn't want to spend what I thought of as the "rest of my life" in school and so, took a year off and travelled Europe with a backpack. I ended up getting interested in architecture and design, and that led me to a degree in interior design. When I graduated, there was a recession in Canada and I fell into a temporary job as a typist at a musical theater company in Toronto where I ended up staying for eight years, working my way up from a temp to a production assistant to company manager for shows like "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" with Donny Osmond, "Showboat" with Ned Beatty and Cloris Leachman and "Ragtime" with Brian Stokes Mitchell.
Q: Tell us about the job you held right before coming to Stanford Live – at Harbourfront Centre
A: I had spent eight years as the chief programming officer of Harbourfront Centre, a 10-acre multidisciplinary arts center on Toronto's central waterfront that welcomed over 6 million visitors annually. I oversaw several departments including contemporary visual arts; craft and design with 26 artists in residence working in five different studios; and contemporary performing arts including dance, theater, circus and lots of music festivals.
I also oversaw the education team where we welcomed over 25,000 children annually who came for arts-based learning and a robust children's summer day camp program that offered dozens of different kinds of camps throughout the summer.
Q: How did you end up getting the job at Stanford?
A: Well, that is a fun story. At my last job, I would send my team potential jobs that I thought they might be interested in - jobs that may have offered something that I couldn't. One day, after I sent one to one of my colleagues, she sent me the Stanford Live posting and said "I'll apply to the job you sent, if you apply to Stanford Live". And so I did.
To my surprise, after a number of interviews, where I met more and more of the various stakeholders I would be working with and supporting, I was offered the position. It took a bit of time to process what that would really mean. I would be leaving my home, my family (I have three grown fabulous children), my friends and my arts community in Toronto. However, It became clear that as I looked around at what that might mean to pick up and move, it felt like the right time to embark on a new chapter and what a privilege to get to come to Northern California, to Stanford no less. Needless to say, my parents were chuffed.
Q: How has the experience been for you since getting the job?
A: It has been an incredible new chapter for me as I left my home in Toronto and landed in this beautiful part of the world where the flora is on steroids, the trees are humbling and the proximity to the Pacific Ocean a gift. The Stanford campus is vast and inviting, peppered with beauty in every direction. It has influenced how much I enjoy the work that I get to do here.
Q: Had you spent time in NorCal before taking on the job? And what's it been like living here during what has certainly been – to put it mildly – an interesting couple of years for the country?
A: My first visit to NorCal was the 26 hours I spent here for my final in-person interview. I didn’t really know what it would mean to live in the Bay Area until I actually arrived in April of 2024. The excitement and new possibilities I felt then hasn't faded. I still feel that way, there is so much still to discover that sometimes I wish I could stop time simply to get my bearings.
The past two years have been a bit of a roller coaster particularly with regard to the new administration and more broadly the current state of the world. I do feel, now more than ever, that the performing arts are critical to shoring up the human spirit and so I do think this is where I need to be right now. Coming from away, as a Canadian, feels like a good perspective to bring to the cultural conversation at this moment.
Q: What are your job responsibilities?
A: I wear two hats here at Stanford Live. I am both the artistic director and the executive director of the organization. As artistic director, I lead the curation of the season, working with my artistic team and inviting artists into the beautiful venues we have the good fortune to program for: Bing Concert Hall, The Studio, Frost Amphitheater, among others. As executive director, I am responsible for the business of the organization. I lead a team that includes programming, production, operations, marketing, ticketing, development, finance, community and campus engagement.
Q: What do you like best about your job?
A: I love so many things about my job. I get to invite such a broad range of artists, both established and emerging, to our venues. I also get to invite the community into our house, to offer an opportunity to experience music, dance, theater, or something else. To offer a live shared experience is a gift, and I love being in service of the artists and communities!
My daughter calls me a creative engineer, someone who spends her life creatively thinking about ways to provide live experiences that offer joy and beauty, or maybe more importantly, that challenge us to see things differently.
While I have been working in arts and culture for more than 30 years, this is my first time on a university campus, where students are amongst the key stakeholders. I believe that arts and culture are critical to a healthy society - a must-have, not a nice-to-have. If I can connect with Stanford students here on campus - many of whom will go on to be leaders in their respective fields - and center the arts in their education, in who they are as people, then I think we will all reap the benefits as a global community.
Q: What is the hardest part of your job?
A: The hardest part is staying on top of all the different elements that require attention. I believe we all want to matter. And for me as leader of Stanford Live, that translates into trying to ensure that my staff are supported, our patrons are properly welcomed and the artists we engage are offered all that they need to put on their best performance. It is not easy to keep all those plates in the air while also ensuring that financially, the business is thriving.
Q: What do you think are some of the misconceptions that some might have about Stanford Live and what the organizations present on the campus?
A: I think there are many in the broader Bay Area who don't feel Stanford Live is for them, or that they are even welcome to come down Palm Drive and onto campus. Stanford Live's programs are not just for Stanford students or alumni, we want to engage the broader Bay Area community. We are an important part of the cultural ecosystem here, offering an eclectic mix of local, national and international artists in every discipline including classical, jazz, world, blues, new music, comedy, theater, dance, talks - really anything that is performed live.
As well, Stanford Live has had a long and deep commitment to arts education across the Bay area, particularly within the Palo Alto, Ravenswood and Redwood City school districts. Stanford Live will see over 5,000 K-12 students this school year alone at one of five school matinees that we offered, which for many, was their first time in a theater, seeing a classical pianist or a circus performance or a dance company.
Q: What kind of reaction do you get from first-time visitors who get to experience your awesome venues - notably Bing Concert Hall and Frost Amphitheater?
A: First-time patrons are consistently blown away by how stunning our venues are. From the intimacy and outstanding acoustics of Bing Concert Hall, to the cool club vibe of The Studio, to the magic of seeing a concert at Frost Amphitheater amongst the trees under the stars. Each venue offers a breathtaking experience that is unrivaled.
Q: Frost is one of the loveliest outdoor venues in all of California. But, for years, it was barely used for public events. How satisfying is it to see Frost - which now hosts several concerts per year - just continue to grow in notoriety and acclaim as a major Bay Area concert venue?
A: Frost is such a gift to get to experience, for both audiences and the artists who get to come perform. It has a legendary quality to it, a sense of lore that comes with being the stage where the Grateful Dead once played. And physically, there is no other venue like it, sitting in the grass, surrounded by trees, in a natural amphitheater that can host outdoor concerts for nearly eight months of the year. More and more artists discover it for the first time and fall in love with it each year. This year we get to welcome David Byrne, Paul Simon and Brandi Carlile to Frost among others still to be announced.
Our goal is to host about 15 to 20 concerts at Frost each season across EDM, rock, pop, singer-songwriters, comedy, classical and others, and our hope is to become one of the most sought-after venues for artists to perform and for audiences to come hang out.
Q: Frost, however, is definitely not the university's biggest outdoor venue that is now hosting music acts. That would be Stanford Stadium, which hosted its first ever massive rock shows - with Coldplay - last year. And then you followed up this year with three huge BTS concerts. How in the world did Stanford Live get into the stadium show business?
A: I think the inspiration for Stadium Concerts started well before I arrived at Stanford with a few dedicated alumni and staff working together. Again, I happened to come at just the right moment. I had experience producing large-scale events like the cultural program for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games where essentially I produced, alongside my team, a 35-day festival for the City of Toronto with music concerts every day and fireworks every night. And so, Stanford Live, in partnership with Stanford Athletics, working with Live Nation, hosted Coldplay in the Stanford Stadium. Now that's a big first concert! It was an incredible show, with both nights sold out.
It is important to note that Stanford Stadium is first and foremost for football and our student athletes, and we are not looking to be in the stadium show business per se. These exciting concerts will remain unique special opportunities, where Stanford Live, in partnership with Stanford Athletics, get to come together and welcome the broader community onto the campus and into the stadium to experience great entertainment together.
Q: Stanford Live just released its 2026-27 season lineup. What are some of the things you're really excited about on the schedule?
A: The 2026-2027 season is all about embracing the future, centering on the newest generation of artists - bold voices whose work is shaping the cultural landscape of today. They are artists like pianist Eric Lu, cellist Jaemin Han, mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, and guitarist Jontavious Willis. The season is also acknowledging America's 250th anniversary and celebrating those artists, musicians and composers alike who came from far away and chose to become American citizens and make their creative home here in this country. Composers like Rachmaninov, Previn, Korngold, and Lerner and Loewe all have found their creative voice in this country and made lasting impact on American music. We also have a spotlight on the guitar, which I often think of as the instrument of the people. It is the instrument of movements, the instrument of change.
We are excited to present artists like Bay Area native Molly Tuttle, Julian Lage Quartet, Stanley Clarke with Hiromi, Camila Fernandez and Mary Halverson, among many others. In the spirit of exploration and experimentation, we're continuing our Direct from the Fringe series with two unique theater shows - “Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World” (presented by Duane Forrest) and “300 Paintings” with Sam Kissajukian from Australia. It's going to be an impassioned, reflective, brilliant and at times hilarious season.
Q: How hard is it to balance presenting shows that appeal to students with offering a lineup that appeals to the broader Bay Area?
A: It’s not really that different because naturally we curate with many different audiences in mind. We all have different interests, regardless of our age or stage of life. Some of us like sophisticated classical music, while others like thought-provoking theater. Some like to be adventurous and try new things and others want what is familiar and comfortable. At the end of the day, what ties it all together is a commitment to quality, making sure that what we put on stage is genuinely interesting and reflective of our communities.
Q: How important is it to Stanford Live to not just book for students - but to also work with them in putting on events?
A: Stanford Live is deeply committed to the academic mission of the University, and that includes offering students real opportunities to learn, intern and be mentored across all areas of the business. Whether as a curatorial fellow, usher, ticket agent, marketing intern or a live music production intern, students work alongside a seasoned team that is passionate to both teach and to learn from the next generation of thinkers.
Q: Why is Stanford Live's role on campus so vital?
A: Stanford Live is the place where culture and ideas converge, where students and faculty learn directly from visiting artists through master classes, workshops and in-person conversations.
By bringing incredible artists from across the globe to perform and connect with the campus community, we help turn Stanford into a living cultural space. And through our education and community programs, we also serve as a bridge to the broader Bay Area, building meaningful connections beyond the campus walls.
Beyond these, we are stewards of some of the most important performance venues on campus, and together they form the heart of Stanford’s cultural hub.
Name: Iris Nemani
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Job Title: McMurtry Family Director
Company: Stanford Live
Education: BAA in Interior Design from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
Previous Job: Chief Programming Officer at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Canada
Iris Nemani 5 Things:
1. Walking the dog: "I love to take my dog Tilly for a long walk on the beach at Fort Funston and hope to see dolphins playing in the water."
2. She collects small heart-shaped rocks that she finds in nature from all over the world: "I currently have about 75 of them - from Georgian Bay to Mount Kilimanjaro to Carmel to Sydney Harbour."
3. She skipped fifth grade.
4. "I have a degree in Interior Design which taught me about beauty, specificity, rigor and being in service of the needs of others."
5. Her "random superpower": "I can read documents that are upside down about as quickly as if they were right side up."
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 8:20 AM.