With a catalog of hit songs that have served as the soundtrack to the lives of legions of music fans worldwide, the incomparable Valerie Simpson will grace the stage at Queens College's LeFrak Concert Hall tonight, December 14th at 8:00 PM. Kupferberg Presents hosts the legendary singer and songwriter as she performs the music of her hit-making duo, Ashford and Simpson, which created such classics as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need To Get By," "Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand," and many more. Tickets are on sale now!
Along with her late husband,
Nick Ashford,
Valerie Simpson co-wrote scores of hit songs for other artists including
Ray Charles ("I Don't Need No Doctor)," The 5th Dimension ("California Soul"), and
Aretha Franklin ("Cry Like A Baby"). It was during this time that they caught the attention of Motown chief
Berry Gordy who brought them in as writers for such artists as
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. They later wrote hits for
Chaka Khan ("I'm Every Woman"), Teddy Pendergrass ("Is It Still Good To You?") and also achieved fame as artists in their own right with several hits including "Solid (As A Rock), and "Found A Cure" among others. Modern artists such as
Amy Winehouse and
50 Cent have also found inspiration in the songs of Ashford & Simpson, using samples to create their own hits. The celebrated duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
"The music of
Ashford and Simpson was of such high quality, it's easy to see why they were so successful for so long," remarked Leon Denmark, Artistic Director of Kupferberg Presents. "To hear
Valerie Simpson presenting their deep catalog of hits is going to be a real thrill for me personally, and to bring one of the world's best songwriters to our stage at LeFrak
Concert Hall is going to be a very special evening for our audience."
Funding and support for this and other Kupferberg Presents events is provided by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Queens College/CUNY, Queens County Savings Bank, and the Max and Selma Kupferberg Foundation.
Valerie Simpson - LeFrak
Concert Hall at Queens
College - Saturday, December 14th at 8:00 PM. Ticket Prices: $39.00, $49.00, and $75.00.
Tickets for
Valerie Simpson and all Kupferberg Presents performances are on sale now and available online at
www.KupferbergPresents.org or at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts' Colden
Auditorium Box Office on the campus of Queens
College (65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, NY). Season Subscriptions are also available online at
www.KupferberPresents.org/subscribers and include access to the best seats, savings of 10% when you order three (3) or more shows, plus many more great member benefits.
Box Office hours are 12 Noon to 6:00 PM Monday through Thursday and one hour before events. Onsite parking is available. Located just off the Long Island Expressway at Exit 23 & 24 and by bus lines Q25-34, Q44, Q64, Q17, Q88. For additional ticket info, including Group Sales, please call 718-793-8080. Discounts are available to groups of 10 or more, valid on select shows and based upon availability.
ABOUT KUPFERBERG PRESENTS:
Kupferberg Presents is the entertainment hub of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College. The Kupferberg Presents 2013-14 Season features a vibrant lineup of world-class cultural events, concerts and Family programs at Colden Auditorium, LeFrak Concert Hall, Goldstein Theatre, and select off-campus locations for the 2.2 million residents of New York City's most diverse borough. The Queens
College campus is easily accessible from the Long Island Expressway at Exit 23 & 24 and by bus lines Q25-34, Q44, Q64, Q17, Q88. For tickets and information, visit
www.KupferbergPresents.org.
ABOUT KUPFERBERG CENTER FOR THE ARTS:
Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens
College is Queens' premier arts center, providing superior, accessible, cultural arts programming and arts education for Queens residents and surrounding communities. KCA is comprised of eight partner organizations including Kupferberg Presents, the
Aaron Copland School of Music, the Godwin-Ternbach Museum, the
Louis Armstrong House Museum, Queens
College Art Center, Queens
College Department of Drama, Theater & Dance, and the Queens
College Evening Reading Series. For further information, visit
www.KupferbergCenter.org.
Kupferberg Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KupferbergCenterArts
Follow us on Twitter @KupferbergArts
Official
Valerie Simpson Website:
www.valeriesimpson.net
Official
Valerie Simpson Twitter: @ivaleriesimpson
