First earning a diploma in piano from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, Tanja Dorn went on to achieve a master’s degree in music from the Free University of Berlin. Cultivating her expertise as a music executive and officer manager, she spent the early days of her career as the artistic director of Klavierhaus and as an associate manager at Columbia Artists Management Inc. She became the senior vice president and the director of artist management for IMG Artists in 2007, positions she held until 2015. In 2016, she founded Dorn Music, where she continues to excel as the owner, chief executive officer and president. In her day to day work, Ms. Dorn finds and manages new talent, produces records as well as concerts and movies; and trains artists.
Not long after establishing Dorn Music, Ms. Dorn had the opportunity to work closely with comedian and actor Bill Murray. She was a producer for “New Worlds: Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends,” a collaborative project between Murray and famed cellist Jan Vogler, which ran from 2017 to 2018 and was one of her first major projects. The show toured internationally, and Ms. Dorn is particularly proud of being able to arrange for a performance in the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, which played to a sold-out crowd of 2,789 people. While the tour has long since ended, a film of the show from a performance in Greece, titled “New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization,” recently premiered in February 2022.
One of Ms. Dorn’s ongoing projects involves bringing the New York Philharmonic to Germany for a one-week residency, which will be the orchestra’s first trip outside the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout her career, she has had the incredible fortune to produce numerous Carnegie Hall debuts and help countless young artists achieve their dreams. Always striving to push boundaries, Ms. Dorn hopes to do more projects that fall outside of her comfort zone as well as continue her work in movie production. Her ultimate goal is to develop exciting and meaningful projects that inspire people and help them realize the importance of never giving up and attempting the impossible.
Attributing much of her success to never taking “no” for an answer, Ms. Dorn brings enthusiasm and a positive attitude to everything she does. She also notes the importance of seeing the person she is working with as a whole, not just as a client. Standing out for her patience as well as for her skill in seeing potential beneath an unpolished exterior, she is incredibly motivated by the artists that she works with. In 2016, she founded the Young Artists Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Germany that offers support and guidance to young musicians so that they can excel in their careers. Ms. Dorn would advise those seeking a career in music to aim for the highest quality, do things with integrity, keep a positive attitude and never give up.
Above everything, Ms. Dorn hopes to cultivate a legacy of integrity and quality service that brings her name and her company to represent the best in the field in terms of artist support. In addition to all her accomplishments in the entertainment industry, she takes pride in her German heritage and, notably, was able to persuade the Berlin Senate to allow her to bring a piece of the Berlin Wall to New York City to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Living her life by the motto, “Never give up,” Ms. Dorn is the proud mother of twins and enjoys spending her free time with her family and gardening.
