Jon Yanofsky Named New Director of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College

Jon Yanofsky, a seasoned performing arts and nonprofit professional, has been named Director of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Brooklyn.

Mr. Yanofsky has worked in the nonprofit performing arts for twenty years, serving as Executive Director at Paramount Center for the Arts and as Director of Marketing for Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has worked as an arts consultant for clients such as BRIC and the Irish Arts Center. He has also held positions with Community Works and the Stanford Jazz Workshop & Festival.

Mr. Yanofsky co-founded BlueVision Productions, a music event Production Company that presented jazz concerts in clubs, outdoor parks, and theatres around the San Francisco Bay Area. He was also a founding board member of Youth Speaks, a literary organization based in San Francisco, and served on the board at Arts Westchester. He has also served on various panels, workshops, and grant reviews, including the Doris Duke-funded Jazz Audiences Initiative, Chamber Music America's National Conference, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Emerging Leadership Institute.

"I am thrilled to join Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at this exciting time in its long history. The arts are a vital part of life in Brooklyn and at the College, and I look forward to helping shape a redefined notion of the Center's role on campus, building on its rich tradition of presenting world-class arts programming for diverse audiences," said Mr. Yanofsky.

Mr. Yanofsky succeeds Rick Berube, who has been serving as Interim Managing Director during this transition. He begins on July 1, 2013.

Founded in 1954, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College presents outstanding performing arts and arts education programs at affordable prices, embracing the diverse communities that define Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center welcomes over 65,000 people to the 2,400 seat Walt Whitman Theatre each season and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving 46,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools annually with its SchoolTime series.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are supported, in part, by public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Major support for the 2013-2014 season is provided by: Brooklyn College; Target; Con Edison; TD Bank; National Grid; Macy's Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; TD Charitable Foundation; the Herman Goldman Foundation; and The Harkness Foundation for Dance. Additional support provided by CNG Publications and The Brooklyn Eagle. Backstage catering is graciously provided by Applebee's.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges generous support from New York State Assemblywomen Rhoda Jacobs and Helene E. Weinstein, New York City Councilman Albert Vann and the Department of Youth & Community Development, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Kate Levin.