New Jersey’s Premier Center for the Cultural Arts
First opened in 1926, The Count Basie Center for the Arts as it was renamed in 1984 after jazz great William J. “Count” Basie, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, and has had an impressive storied history of hosting famed entertainers.
Over the years, the center has grown to become of the nation’s most celebrated performing arts centers. The Basie Center’s 1,568-seat historic theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in America. The stage has welcomed many entertainers with Italian roots such as Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bongiovi, Giada Valenti and Mike Marino – just to name a few. The stars names that take the stage are in fact an impressive mix that appeal to all ages – from musicians, comedians mediums, motivational speakers, theatrical productions and much more.
Today, the Count Basie Center for the Arts includes the historic Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, and The Vogel – the Basie Center’s second smaller performance space. The Center is now also home to the Grunin Arts Education Building, which houses the Turner Academy of the Arts, the organization’s classical music conservatory. The Count Basie Center for the Arts aims to be the premier center for the performing and visual arts, inspiring, educating and entertaining through its diverse and engaging offerings and embracing the diversity of the region.
I’ve personally attended many shows here over the years. It is always a great night out while enjoying first-class entertainment in a beautiful historic atmosphere with modern additions. Living in Monmouth County myself and having this exceptional venue so close to home, is a real treat. The central location is also convenient for those traveling from elsewhere, and only about an hour drive south from New York City. With the great local hotels, fantastic restaurants and proximity to the Jersey Shore… I highly recommend you to look at the Events Schedule and plan a little getaway.
Also, as I am myself, I encourage you to consider joining the Count Basie Center as a Member and support their efforts in keeping the arts alive and growing. There are many benefits to you as a supporting member as well. One of my favorites is having access to the Diamond Lounge to relax and enjoy a cocktail before a show and during intermission.
Check out the various member levels available to determine what may be of interest to you.
To learn more about Count Basie Center for the Arts visit: https://thebasie.org
View Membership Level Details Here
And as a Special Offer, we are collaborating with the Count Basie and providing a Discounted Membership. Use code: ItaliaLiving
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Jonathan Vena is an Italian-American and Chief Marketing Officer for the Count Basie Center for the Arts. We spoke with him a little about his background and outlook for the arts center.
As an Italian-American, share with us a little about your heritage and any fond family memories growing up.
Obviously, given my heritage, the first word that comes to mind is family. My father is the youngest of eleven children, so I was raised by a literal countryside of aunts, uncles and cousins. My brother and I are the youngest of the first cousins, though now there are dozens and dozens of second, once-removed, and all sorts of other designees of cousins and family members. Like most large families, everything felt most cohesive when things were smaller and our grandparents were still living, but we have dozens of pockets of folks these days that remain in touch, remain close, and are there for the important moments – the happiest of birthdays, newborns and college graduations, and the saddest of funerals and other solemn days.
People love to grab dinner before a show. Do you have any favorite Italian restaurants in the Red Bank area?
Red Bank has an incredible diversity of Italian restaurants, from Buona Sera to Pazzo and beyond. My personal favorite is Semolina, though I think each Italian restaurant here has one or two dishes that stand above and beyond anyone else’s. (In the wintertime, I’ll consume many bowls of Buona Sera’s pasta e fagiole, for example. It’s fantastic.)
The Count Basie Center for the Arts offers so much and has continued to grow and expand over the years. Is there anything new planned in the future you can share with us?
2026 marks our historic theater’s 100th birthday, and so our Centennial Celebration will incorporate that moment and so many others in a showcase for our organization as a whole. So much has happened here in the last 100 years – and so we’re so proud to be a conduit for the very best of the area’s economic and artistic integrity. We’re going to throw a birthday party and invite everyone in to recapture their memories and our very own legacy here at the Basie Center.
As arguably the best-selling nonprofit performing arts center in New Jersey, what are some of the biggest challenges you face?
Sometimes, there aren’t enough hours in the day or days in the year to do everything we want or could. The beauty of working in the arts is that no two days are the same. So the challenges in that sort of environment can literally change by the hour. We work hard to remain integral to the community, and to reflect what the community expects from an arts and education-oriented nonprofit.
What are the best ways for people to financially support the arts through the Count Basie Center?
The lifeblood of our vitality – the vitality of any nonprofit organization, really, is the generosity of our donors. When someone makes a donation to the Basie Center, they’re investing in their community, and for its children to experience the arts regardless of any barriers they may face. Those donations become scholarships for students to experience performing arts classes at our Turner Academy, they become the building blocks of community and cultural programming – you name it. Every dollar we raise goes into our mission or promoting and providing the performing arts to everyone. Once upon a time, I was one of those kids – I did everything I could to get close to music. Thanks to mentors and opportunities like the Count Basie Center offers, other kids have a chance to chase their own passions.