Two violinists, a flautist and a pianist. It’s an orchestra in the making, but for four talented students enrolled at the Count Basie Center Academy’s Conservatory, it’s the beginning of a life enriched with sound. Students Rafael Estrada and Ian Kenny (violin), Oliver Schrenk (piano) and Diego Ruiz (flute) were celebrated this week as […]

  Earlier this year, the Count Basie Center Academy brought on its first full-time teaching artist, Jess O’Brien. An accomplished choreographer, director and performer, Jess handles the Academy’s junior productions, teaches dance classes as part of the Basie’s outreach program at Red Bank Primary School, and helps facilitate the Basie Center’s mindALIGNED program, which incorporates […]

  (RED BANK – NOV. 26) “Giving Tuesday,” founded in 2012 by New York City’s 92nd St. YMCA and the United Nations Foundation, was originally a “response to commercialism and consumerism” during the holiday season. It has since turned into an international day of giving. This Tuesday, December 3, the nonprofit Count Basie Center for […]

  (RED BANK – NOV 21) Fall high school theater productions have started throughout Monmouth County, and that can mean just one thing: The 15th Annual Basie Awards can’t be too far behind. This year’s Basie Awards program and ceremony, presented by Bank of America, is slated for May 20, 2020. Tickets for the perennially […]

  (RED BANK – NOV 1) The Count Basie Center for the Arts’ Teen + College Film festival today announced a collaboration with Italy’s John Cabot University and Rome’s Accademia di Belle Arti. The partnership, which will culminate in an event called “JerseyFest,” features screenings of winning student films from 2019’s Basie Center Teen + […]

  (RED BANK – OCTOBER 30, 2019) Brian Kirk and The Jirks, the quintessential ‘Jersey Shore party band, showed up to the Basie Center last month and did what few have done: sold out two, back-to-back shows within a matter of hours. The occasion? The 70th birthday of The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. The cause? […]

  The Count Basie Center Performing Arts Academy offers a host of arts education options for parents and children alike — from private and group vocal and acting lessons, to guidance in acting for television and film, productions like Seussical, Jr. and Shrek, Jr. and more. Today, we introduce Marjorie Enerson, one of the Basie […]

  The Count Basie Center Performing Arts Academy offers a host of arts education options for parents and children alike — from private and group vocal and acting lessons, to guidance in acting for television and film, productions like Seussical, Jr. and Shrek, Jr. and more. Today we introduce Broadway veteran Deb Lyons (Smokey Joe’s […]

  (RED BANK – OCT 21) Details were announced today for the 2020 Pat DiNizio Musical Performance Scholarship, named in honor of the legendary frontman of The Smithereens who passed away in December 2017. Beginning now, interested students may apply by completing the online form and submitting an audition video at thebasie.org/dinizio. Deadline for submissions […]

(RED BANK – OCT 15) The nonprofit Count Basie Center for the Arts has extended its fundraising efforts to include unique lifestyle, sports and entertainment experiences via Charitybuzz.com, the premier online auction site which benefits charities and nonprofit organizations. Two high-end items are currently available to benefit the Basie: • Five VIP, front-row, “on the […]

  (RED BANK – OCT 7) The Count Basie Center for the Arts is accepting submissions for its Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Festival, with the mission to locate, showcase and recognize student filmmakers from 7th grade all the way through college. Students can submit their films now via FilmFreeway. On Saturday, April […]

  (RED BANK – OCT 2, 2019) The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced new performers as part of its Comedy At The Basie stand-up comedy series, sponsored by Urban Coalhouse. Tickets for the following stand-up comedy performances are on sale now through theBASIE.org, phone charge at 732.842.9000 and the Basie Center box […]

  (RED BANK – SEPT. 4 2019) The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced the appointment of Dr. Lucy Chen its Head of Music Programs and Director of the organization’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music. The public is invited to welcome Dr. Chen at the Monmouth Conservatory’s fall open house, happening next Monday, Sept. […]

  (SEPTEMBER 4 – RED BANK, NJ) The Count Basie Center for the Arts and Freehold’s Actors Playground School Of Theatre have announced a new partnership to make the renowned acting school’s program available in Red Bank through the Basie Center’s Performing Arts Academy.   “We’re excited to add another key partner to complement and […]

(AUGUST 29 – RED BANK, NJ) The Count Basie Center’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music has announced orchestra auditions for the 2019-20 session. Auditions will be held on Wednesday, October 2 at 6:30 pm at Red Bank Middle School, 101 Harding Road in red Bank. Students interested in auditioning should visit www.monmouthconservatory.org/mcmo to fill out an […]

  (RED BANK | AUGUST 15) Super Foodtown locations in Red Bank, Ocean, Port Monmouth, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Girt have joined forces to raise money for arts education programs at the nonprofit Count Basie Center for the Arts. From now through August 25, shoppers can make a donation to the Basie upon checkout. It’s […]

(AUGUST 13 – RED BANK, NJ) The nonprofit Count Basie Center for the Arts announced today the appointment of Lauren Goldfarb and Yvonne Grayson to its Board of Trustees. Lauren Goldfarb, AIF, is Senior Vice President at Newport Capital Group, a national independent investment advisory firm. Upon graduating with honors from Rutgers Business School with […]

  (RED BANK – JULY 23) – Joy Bauer, the New York Times #1 best-selling author, world-renowned nutritionist and star of NBC’s Today show and Health + Happiness, has announced an event titled “Yummy Yoga” for Sunday afternoon, October 13th at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank. Tickets, starting from $25, go […]

The Basie Center’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music offers four fun-filled nights – for kids and parents alike (RED BANK – JULY 30) – The Count Basie Center’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music is pleased to announce four nights of freedom for parents – nights cleverly disguised as opportunities for their budding instrumentalists to experience an evening […]

  RED BANK – The Monmouth Conservatory of Music, part of the Count Basie Center for the Arts’ musical performance programs, will be featured in a kickoff concert to celebrate the expansion of the Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation into Monmouth County. The concert takes place this Saturday, July 20th at 7:00PM at Shore […]

  RED BANK – The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced its 2019-20 BROADWAY AT THE BASIE series, featuring an eclectic slate of touring productions live at the Center’s Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre. Sponsored by World Subaru, this season’s BROADWAY AT THE BASIE brings some of the Great White Way’s most beloved titles […]

(RED BANK | JUNE 22) The Count Basie Center’s 2019 summer gala was a night filled with great friends, great music and incredible generosity toward the arts! The night honored Karey & Mark Hogan and BCB Bank and included a headlining performance by Blondie. (Photos by Amanda Stevens & Mark Sullivan for the Count Basie […]

  Free summer music camp to run weeks of July 8 and 15 RED BANK – In another example of creative partnerships designed to empower students through the performing arts, the Gia Maione Prima Foundation will sponsor a free music camp in partnership with the Count Basie Center for the Arts and Red Bank’s Jazz […]

  (MAY 22 – RED BANK) Winners were announced this evening at the 14th annual BASIE AWARDS, honoring excellence and achievement in Monmouth County high school theatre. This year’s ceremony, presented by Bank of America, once again drew a sold-out crowd of 1,500+ to the historic performing arts center. “We spend months evaluating high school productions,” said Yvonne […]

  Strings students at the Count Basie Center’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music gathered last weekend to pay a final farewell to Westeros, with a student and instructor performance of the theme song from HBO’s “Game Of Thrones.” “Game Of Thrones,” HBO’s smash hit based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series A Song of Ice and […]

  RED BANK – The nonprofit Count Basie Center for the Arts has been designated as a Community Partner by Red Bank’s Open Heart Yoga, itself a nonprofit organization with a mission of enriching the community through greater access to yoga and mindfulness. For every single, weekly, monthly, or yearly yoga package purchased by Open […]

 Annual celebration of Monmouth County high school theatre to celebrate producer behind the season’s most-celebrated show on Broadway The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced that Dale Franzen, one of the lead producers of the Broadway smash Hadestown, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award during its 14th annual Basie Awards ceremony on May […]

Bank of America sponsors annual awards ceremony to take place May 22nd at the Count Basie Center for the Arts   (APRIL 29, 2019 – RED BANK) Nominees have been announced for the 14th annual BASIE AWARDS, honoring excellence in high school theatre in Monmouth County. This year’s ceremony, presented by Bank of America, takes place at the […]

  RED BANK – The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced audition dates for this year’s Basie Center Summer Opera Camp. This year’s presentation is Then I Stood Up, a one-act youth opera written by Los Angeles Opera playwright Leslie Stevens, which honors the contributions of young people to the Civil Rights movement. […]

  RED BANK – The Count Basie Center for the Arts and the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company have announced a one-night-only production of Puebla: The Story Of Cinco de Mayo on May 6th at the Basie Center’s Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, located at 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank. Tickets, priced at $25, are on sale […]

  RED BANK – The Count Basie Center crowned the best of the best in New Jersey student filmmaking on Saturday, April 6th at the organization’s first-ever Basie Teen + College Film Fest. More than 80 films were submitted to the festival, a record for Basie student film competitions. This year marked the first time […]

  (RED BANK – MARCH 26) Registrations are open for spring 2019 classes, workshops, music instruction and more offered by the Count Basie Center’s renowned Performing Arts Academy The Basie Academy spring 2019 brochure can be downloaded here (PDF Details and registration opportunities for all all classes, workshops, musical performance programs is located here The […]

  RED BANK – The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced official selections for its 2019 Teen + College Film Fest. The following films were selected from a record number of submissions for a Basie Center student film competition. Each film will be shown on the Basie big screen during the official Teen […]

  The following was released by the offices of Senator Vin Gopal and Assemblypersons Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey. The morning of Monday, March 18, Senator Vin Gopal and Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling joined Red Bank residents and the Count Basie Center for the Arts to present a legislative proclamation recognizing the grand opening of the […]

  RED BANK – The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced that trumpeter Chris Botti will return to Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre on Friday, October 4, 2019, the latest performance in the organizations Basie Jazz Series, sponsored by the Monmouth County Freeholders. Tickets for the Botti concert, priced between $30 and $99, go […]

  (RED BANK – FEBRUARY 22) – The Count Basie Center Performing Arts Academy has announced auditions for one of the first junior Broadway productions of Disney’s Frozen in the nation. Two Frozen JR. opportunities are available for young actors: the first, a “studio prep” experience, is built for aspiring actors aged 6-9 and feature […]

  (RED BANK – FEBRUARY 14, 2019) Poetry Out Loud, the national recitation contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, crowned its New Jersey – Region 3 winners at the Basie Center on Tuesday, February 5. Nathan Magno of Toms River, a student at Ocean County Vocational Technical School […]

RED BANK – The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced the availability of its annual Arts Impact scholarships available to Monmouth County high school seniors graduating in 2019. The Basie will proudly offer four scholarships: the Moser Taboada Arts Impact Scholarship, Steven and Jaime Schultz Arts Impact Scholarship, the Siciliano Landscape Company Arts […]

  The Count Basie Center recognizes the importance of the arts in relieving stress and helping those facing adversity. We also understand the hardships being faced by our area’s furloughed government workers and their families. For those affected, we are pleased to offer a limited number of free tickets to the shows below. Tickets are […]

  POAC Autism Services and the Parker Family Health Center were this year’s beneficiaries (RED BANK – JAN 18) The tenth and final HOPE concert, the renowned charity concert series helmed by musician Bobby Bandiera, ended on a high note December 23 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, raising $112,000 each for POAC […]

  Photos from HOPE 10 – THE FINAL HOPE CONCERT on December 23, 2018 at Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center for the Arts (Photos by Amanda Stevens)

  (RED BANK – JAN 15) The Count Basie Center for the Arts will host screenings of this year’s most celebrated films during its 2019 “Awards Season Screenings” program. Titles set to screen are Roma, Crazy Rich Asians, Mary Poppins Returns, Stan & Ollie, VICE, BlacKkKlansman, The Favourite and Green Book. Tickets for all screenings […]

  (RED BANK – JAN 14) The Count Basie Center for the Arts, Townsquare Media top 40 station 94.3 The Point and Citi joined forces in November on “Giving Tuesday,” raising money to underwrite free tickets to Basie Center holiday shows for area first responders and their families. Today, the Basie Center announced an extension […]

  (RED BANK – JAN 7) Registrations are open for winter 2019 classes, workshops, music instruction and more offered by the Count Basie Center’s renowned Performing Arts Academy. The Basie Academy winter 2019 brochure can be downloaded here (PDF) Details and registration opportunities for all all classes, workshops, musical performance programs is located here. The […]

  (RED BANK – JAN 4) The Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced a free community presentation of actor Damien Sneed’s multimedia performance, We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on January 17th at 7:30pm at the Basie Center’s Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre. Free tickets can be acquired by […]

  (RED BANK – DEC 19) The Count Basie Center for the Arts has received a $10,000 School Readiness grant from United Way of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, allowing the nonprofit Basie Center to launch a pilot program to engage parents, grandparents and caregivers of preschool students in Red Bank and Freehold boroughs. “For more […]

  Grateful donors, a daylong broadcast and a generous match from Citi help underwrite free tickets to holiday shows for first responders and their families (RED BANK – NOV. 29) The Count Basie Center for the Arts, Townsquare Media top 40 station 94.3 The Point and Citi joined forces on “Giving Tuesday” to raise nearly […]

  (RED BANK | NOV. 21) Select students and teachers from the Count Basie Center’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music will open the show this Friday, November 23 at Red Bank’s annual holiday tree lighting ceremony. Monmouth Conservatory performers take the stage at Broad and Canal Streets at 6:45pm, performing an assortment of holiday compositions and […]

  (RED BANK – NOV. 21) “Giving Tuesday,” founded in 2012 by New York City’s 92nd St. YMCA and the United Nations Foundation, was originally a “response to commercialism and consumerism” during the holiday season. It has since turned into an international day of giving. Next Tuesday, Nov. 27, the nonprofit Count Basie Center for […]

  (RED BANK – NOV 9) Legendary Garden State radio personality Big Joe Henry is ringing in 2019 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts on Saturday, December 29th as host of a special concert starring Felix Cavaliere and Gene Cornish’s Rascals. Tickets for “Big Joe Henry’s New Jersey New Year’s Celebration,” priced between […]

  Construction at the Basie Center starts to take shape, with the placement of the final beam on the west side of the Center’s expansion project. Watch now!

  (RED BANK – NOV 2) Super Foodtown shoppers in Red Bank, Ocean, Port Monmouth, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Girt helped raise nearly $8,000 last month for the Count Basie Center’s arts education programs. “We were pleased to facilitate the ‘ask’ on behalf of the community to support the Count Basie Center,” said Philip J. […]

  (RED BANK – NOV 2) Fall high school theater productions have started throughout Monmouth County, and that can mean just one thing: The 14th Annual Basie Awards can’t be too far behind. This year’s Basie Awards program and ceremony, presented by Bank of America, is slated for May 22, 2019 at the historic theater. […]

  (RED BANK | OCTOBER 26) The Count Basie Center for the Arts and Hackensack Meridian Health unveiled the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, the new name for the historic venue housed on the Center’s growing campus.  

  (October 26, 2018) The Count Basie Center for the Arts and Hackensack Meridian Health unveiled the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, the new name for the historic venue housed on the Center’s growing campus. “The Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre will hold a special place on our creative campus,” said Tom Widener, chairman, Count Basie Center […]

  Competition and onsite festival will locate and showcase the Garden State’s best student filmmakers – at home and out-of-state (RED BANK – OCT 15) The Count Basie Center for the Arts today announced the first-ever Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Fest, with the mission to locate, showcase and recognize student filmmakers from […]

Bobby Bandiera & Friends set historic night to benefit Parker Family Health Center and POAC Autism Services (RED BANK – OCT 15) Musician, bandleader and community icon Bobby Bandiera and the Count Basie Center for the Arts have announced details for HOPE 10 – THE FINAL HOPE CONCERT. The annual charity concert, which has raised […]

  (RED BANK – OCT 12) On the occasion of what would have been his 63rd birthday, details were announced today for the Pat DiNizio Musical Performance Scholarship, named in honor of the legendary frontman of The Smithereens who passed away last December. Beginning today, interested students may apply by completing the online form and […]

  (RED BANK | OCT 2) The nonprofit Count Basie Center for the Arts has announced a big-screen showing of Disney’s Coco as part of its annual celebration of Dia de los Muertos, sponsored by Basie’s partner program Calpulli Mexican Dance Company. The screening, which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 11am, will also […]

  (RED BANK | SEPTEMBER 28) Super Foodtown locations in Red Bank, Ocean, Port Monmouth, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Girt have joined forces to raise money for arts education programs at the nonprofit Count Basie Center for the Arts. From now through October 8th, shoppers can make a donation to the Basie upon checkout. It’s […]