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| Brava, Jo-Ann! A Benefit Concert Saluting Jo-Ann Jones The New York Grand Opera Company soloists, conducted by Maestro Vincent La Selva, performing Brava, Jo-Ann!, a benefit concert saluting Flushing Council founder Jo-Ann Jones. The concert is scheduled for Saturday, June 3 at 8 pm at Flushing Town Hall and includes arias by Verdi, Puccini, Bizet and Mozart. A Champagne Meet The Artists Reception follows the concert. Proceeds benefit the Jo-Ann Jones Memorial Fund and Flushing Council's campaign to name the Flushing Town Hall Theater after its Founder. In 1979, Jo-Ann Jones and local business leader Aaron Weiss founded the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts to support and stimulate the visual and performing arts in Queens. Under her leadership, Flushing Council was among the first to promote the creative accomplishments and cultural heritage of recent immigrants from Japan, Taiwan, India, Korea, and the Philippines, at the Asian American Heritage Festival in Flushing Meadows Park. From 1990-99, with the help of Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, Jones and the Flushing Council Board of Directors restored Flushing Town Hall, an 1862 landmark municipal building, that was in a state of extreme disrepair. The architectural gem was converted into a state-of-the-art center for the visual and performing arts, offering lively seasons of jazz, classical music and opera; rotating exhibitions on a wide range of topics and themes; and a diverse array of educational programs for school students and adults. During the period, the Council became a member of New York City's Cultural Institutions Group. Jones was also responsible for the development of the Queens Jazz Trail Tour, which pays homage to the many jazz legends who resided in Queens. Jones retired from Flushing Council in June 2003 to pursue other interests and, following a lengthy illness, passed away in August 2005. "For a quarter of a century, Jo-Ann Jones championed the unfettered expression of diverse ideas and beliefs, and the discovery of new ways to learn from one another through art and culture. Her remarkable accomplishments represent a triumph of vision, dedication and persistence over extraordinary obstacles. Her legacy to our community is rich, important and enduring, and it is most appropriate that the Flushing Town Hall Theater be named in her honor, " said Harvey Seifter, Jones' successor as Executive & Artistic Director of Flushing Council. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |