Observing its 45th anniversary, the Queensborough Performing Arts Center in Bayside seeks to keep a diverse audience entertained, but it’s a particularly big draw among baby boomers.
In the wake of last weekend’s “Abbamania!” show, jazz guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli and the Swing Seven move into the concert spotlight on Saturday, April 2 at 8 p.m. in the popular Queens venue.
Pizzarelli is the son of his father, journeyman swing guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. The John Pizzarelli Trio was the opening act for the late legendary Frank Sinatra on some of his final concert dates, including Ol’ Blue Eyes’ 80th birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall.
Pizzarelli and the Swing Seven will be swinging on standards at the Queensborough Peforming Arts Center with a particular emphasis on the compositions of Richard Rodgers.
Pizzarelli’s most recent CD release with Jessica Molaskey, his life and musical partner, is a tribute to Duke Ellington dubbed “Rockin’ in Rhythm,” featuring Pizzarelli’s quartet with his bassist brother Martin Pizzarelli, pianist Larry Fuller, and drummer Tony Tedesco.
But the Saturday night performance of Pizzarelli with a larger ensemble will likely reflect tunes he recorded on a 2008 tribute album, the Grammy Award- nominated “With A Song In My Heart,” which included versions of “The Lady Is A Tramp,” “Mountain Greenery” and “Johnny One Note,” along with Rodgers & Hart songs from “South Pacific” and “The King and I.”
“We’re going to do a lot from that record,” Pizzarelli said. “All my records start out as something else. That one started out as something else on Johnny Mercer.”
Pizzarelli said the Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation wanted the show to be done.
He’s anticipating work on a new recording, but said he hasn’t yet settled on a theme for the project.
“This is the fun time. We haven’t come up with something definitive yet. But we never run out of ideas,” Pizzarelli said.
The $40 ticket price for all seats at Pizzarelli’s performance is a foundation of the concert model for the Queensborough Performing Arts Center, according to Susan Agin, the arts center’s managing and artistic director.
“We’re very conscious about making our shows affordable to the people who put us here in the first place,” Agin said. “I think that we have a great selection and I think that our prices allow families, seniors on a fixed budget and the working folks all to be able to participate.”
Following the Pizzarelli show, Queensborough Performing Arts Center presents Broadway star Betty Buckley on April 10 at 3 p.m., when she will reprise performances of songs from shows she’s appeared in, including “Sunset Boulevard,” “Carrie,” “Song & Dance,” “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” “1776” and “Promises, Promises.” She won a Tony Award for her legendary performance as Grizabella in the Broadway production of “Cats.”
Ben Vereen brings his smooth vocal style and impressive Broadway credits to the arts center on May 15 at 3 p.m. in a show that will include Vereen’s interpretations of tunes popularized by Sammy Davis Jr. Vereen is best known among theater-goers for his performances in “Pippin,” “Fosse,” and “Jesus Christ Superstar,”
In between Buckley and Vereen, the Russian National Ballet will perform Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” on April 23 at 8 p.m.
Tickets for the Buckley and Vereen shows are $45; Russian National Ballet are available for $42 and $39.
The overall objective is to present programs with broad audience appeal.
“Nothing that’s too inaccessible,” Agin said. “It doesn’t help us to have a wonderful program and have no one in the audience. We still manage to bring big names.”
Those have included former Monkees star Davy Jones, Three-Dog Night and Herman’s Hermits this year, in sold-out shows with distinctly nostalgic appeal.
“The baby boomers are going to feel right at home. Everything old is new again,” Agin said.
Next season, Blood, Sweat & Tears will be on the schedule, according to Agin, who notes that senior citizens, core Queensborough Performing Arts Center supporters, are a primary target audience, as evidenced by the Sunday matinee shows.
But the art center’s regular roster of rock, Motown and disco shows, along with its Beatles tribute band show, are intended to appeal to all age groups. One arts center program recently featured the Rock Band video game edition featuring Beatles tunes.
A Saturday sing-along series, where Queensborough Performing Arts Center shows movies of classic musicals, boasts a modest $5 ticket price – with a cash prize for the aficionado who demonstrates the most passionate approach.
“We identify someone who we think is the most enthusiastic participant and they win $100 in cash,” Agin said.
“Mama Mia,” featuring Meryl Streep is coming up on April 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Agin, who’s been the director of the arts center for the past seven years, said the arts center has witnessed “a tremendous resurgence of patrons and loyalty over the last 10 years.”
Agin was formerly director of performing arts at Flushing Town Hall.
The Queens performance venue is currently serving 90,000 patrons each year, according to Agin, who credits a change in programming and a new direction in audience outreach for the center’s popularity.
“We’ve changed the menu,” said Agin, who cited an advertising campaign in Blank Slate Media newspapers as one of the marketing charms helping the center to mine new audiences.
“We’ve found our identity,” Agin said of the center, which sits near the border of Nassau and Queens counties. “We’re paying better attention than ever before to our Nassau neighbors.”
The Queens Performing Arts Center expects that it’s broadened aesthetic and geographic appeal will continue to be winning formula with customers from 10 years old to 80.
