Peggy Friedman

Peggy Campbell Friedman is the long-serving Executive Director of the Washington Square Music Festival, the free summer concert series in New York’s Washington Square Park. She has led the Festival since 1967, stewarding its mission to present high-quality, diverse programming—classical, jazz, Latin and world music—to the public while preserving the community spirit that has defined the series since its 1953 founding. A Village native, Friedman grew up immersed in the Festival: her mother, Margaret “Peggy” Campbell, chaired the Festival from its early years. Friedman’s lifelong connection to the event informed her approach as director, balancing artistic ambition with accessibility and hands on fundraising and operations. Before dedicating herself full time to the Festival, Friedman studied theater (and performed under the stage name Courtney Campbell in the Off Broadway scene). Over the decades, she has built close partnerships with music directors, artists, donors, and community organizations to keep the Festival thriving and relevant. Friedman has also preserved the Festival’s institutional history: donating materials to the New York University Archives, ensuring the Festival’s legacy will be available to researchers and the public. Her work—often described as the “glue” that holds the Festival together—has kept Washington Square Music Festival a beloved Village tradition.