23rd Annual Great Lawn Summer Concert Returns to St. John’s University Featuring the Queens Symphony Orchestra

Queens, NY (July 10, 2023) – St. John’s University’s Annual Great Lawn Summer Concert returns to the Queens campus on Tuesday, August 8, from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

The 23rd annual concert features Italian and Argentinian classical masterpieces performed by the Queens Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Maestro Martin Majkut. Guests should enter through Gate 1 on Utopia Parkway before the 7 p.m. start and bring chairs and blankets.

In case of rain, the concert will move indoors to the University’s Little Theatre.

“For more than a generation, St. John’s University has partnered with the Queens Symphony Orchestra to bring some of the finest music to the people of Queens and surrounding communities in a wonderful outdoor setting,” said Joseph Sciame, the University’s Vice President for Community Relations and event sponsor. “This year’s theme promises to inspire our guests to keep in step to the sounds of music.”

Founded in 1953, the Queens Symphony Orchestra is the borough’s only professional orchestra and the oldest and largest professional arts organization in Queens.

The two main pieces to be performed are Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien will be the symphonic closer to a wonderful night. 

For more information about the summer concert, contact Paul Lazauskas, Associate Director of Community and Alumni Relations at St. John’s University, at 718-990-1912 or [email protected].

For media inquiries, please contact the University’s Office of Media Relations at 718-990-1621; [email protected].

WHAT: St. John’s University 23rd Annual Summer Concert Featuring the Queens Symphony Orchestra
WHEN: Tuesday, August 8, at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Great Lawn, St. John’s University Queens Campus, 8000 Utopia Parkway

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About St. John’s University

St. John’s University is a private, coeducational, Roman Catholic University founded in 1870 by the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians), with its main campus located in Queens, NY. St. John’s University also has campuses and locations on Staten Island and in Manhattan, NY; in Rome, Italy; in Paris, France; and in Limerick, Ireland.

St. John’s University is comprised of six Schools and Colleges, including the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies; St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; The Peter J. Tobin College of Business (including the Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science); The School of Education; and the School of Law.

As of Fall 2022, the University has more than 1,400 full-time and part-time faculty; 15,652 undergraduate students; and 4,011 graduate students who come from 48 states and 118 countries. St. John’s offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs, including 16 doctoral programs.

About the Queens Symphony Orchestra

The Queens Symphony Orchestra, now in its 70th year, is dedicated to educating families and individuals of all ages, races, genders, and abilities about the value of orchestral music through live performances, educational programs, and access to music instruction. Based in Queens, it is the only professional orchestra in the borough. In addition to classical programming from Beethoven to Puccini and beyond, it performs popular orchestral pieces from Broadway musicals and American summer classics from John Philip Sousa, Leonard Bernstein, and others.