38 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • FEBRUARY 10, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Flushing Town Hall presents February lineup of global programming
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th is February, Flushing Town Hall is
presenting in-person and virtual programs
Photo courtesy of Flushing Town Hall
Former MTA exec to lead Terminal 6 redevelopment project at JFK Airport
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
While city and state offi cials joined
Governor Kathy Hochul to celebrate the
completion of Terminal B at LaGuardia
Airport last week and with Delta Airlines
scheduled to fi nish its new Terminal C in
the spring, the focus is already shift ing to
the massive overhaul of JFK Airport.
Vantage-led JFK Millennium Partners
(PMP) recently announced that Helena
Williams has been appointed project
director and CEO of the team selected by
the Port Authority to lead the development
of the new multibillion-dollar international
Terminal 6.
Th e St. John’s University School of
Law graduate most recently served as
chief deputy county executive for Nassau
County, overseeing the county’s operating
budget of $3.1 billion and some 7,000
employees, as well as delivering signifi -
cant initiatives for the county’s 1.3 million
residents. Previously, Williams held
a variety of leadership positions during
three decades at the MTA including president
of Long Island Rail Road, executive
director of MTA and president of Long
Island Bus.
“World-class transportation infrastructure
is critically important to keep
a region moving, create strong local
employment opportunities, and,
at an international gateway
airport like JFK, deliver
a positive, memorable
fi rst and last impression
of New York to
visitors,” Williams
said. “I look forward
to leading
the JMP team
and collaborating
with our
airline partners
to create a new
Terminal 6 at JFK.”
The new
Terminal 6
will connect
to
JetBlue’s
Terminal
5 and be equipped with capacity for 10
new gates. Th e project includes 100,000
square feet of commercial dining and
retail amenities, lounges and recreational
spaces. Much like the experience at the
Vantage-led new LaGuardia Terminal B,
the new Terminal 6 will incorporate the
latest advances in both sustainability
and security, infused with the partners’
renowned customer experience,
operational excellence and
a uniquely New York sense of
place.
“Helena’s track record of
delivering complex transportation
infrastructure projects
and operations, leading
high-performing teams and
engaging meaningfully with
the local community and project
stakeholders in the greater
New York region makes
her the ideal person
to lead the world-class redevelopment
of Terminal 6 at JFK,” Vantage Airport
Group Chair and CEO George Casey said.
“We are delighted to welcome her to the
Vantage team, as we embark on this exciting
project with the Port Authority to help
reimagine the travel experience at JFK.“
Th e redevelopment will also include
critical infrastructure improvements to
the airport’s roadways to optimize traffi
c fl ow; enhance aircraft circulation; and
increase capacity for additional airline
operations to improve connectivity and
maximize the use of space. Construction
of the new terminal is scheduled to begin
later this year and the fi rst new gates are
scheduled to open in 2025.
“JetBlue is delighted to welcome Helena
to the Terminal 6 team as we work alongside
JMP to modernize JFK into a worldclass
airport,” said Lisa Reifer, head of
fi nance and treasury at JetBlue. “Helena’s
success delivering complex transportation
infrastructure throughout the region
demonstrates that she brings the experience
and passion needed to develop a terminal
that New Yorkers can be proud of.”
in celebration of Chinese Lunar
New Year and Black History Month, along
with festivals and concerts of diff erent
genres of music and cultures.
“Th is month, Flushing Town Hall is
off ering many great events that celebrate
diff erent cultures from around the world
and the extraordinary diversity of our
community here in Queens. We are especially
excited for audiences to enjoy our
Lunar New Year programs, our Black
History Trilogy, great jazz and much
more,” said Ellen Kodadek, executive
director of Flushing Town Hall.
Here is a lineup of this month’s events:
Black History Trilogy #1: “Third
Stone From The Sun – A Tribute
to Jimi Hendrix,” Saturday,
Feb. 12, 7 p.m. (In-person
tickets: $15/$12 members)
Th e musical genius of Jimi Hendrix —
one of the most infl uential electric guitarists
in the history of popular music, and
one of the most celebrated musicians of
the 20th century — is recreated on stage
by Jimy Bleu. Bleu is the longest-running
— and considered the most authentic —
Hendrix tribute artist rocking on stage
since 1968. He is joined by Moby Medina
on bass guitar and Ted Edwards on drums.
Common Ground: Mini-Global
Mashup #6 – Korea Meets
Armenia, Sunday, Feb. 13, 1
p.m. (In-person tickets: $15/$12
members; Virtual: Free)
To conclude its Lunar New Year festivities,
Flushing Town Hall invites world
music lovers to enjoy the next concert in
its Mini-Global Mashups series, “Korea
Meets Armenia.”
Th e series, which presents a new mini
mashup each month, pairs musical artists
from diff erent countries and cultural
traditions on stage for an inspired collaboration.
“Korea Meets Armenia” will
feature Korean violinist Sita Chay with
Armenian-born, American oud player
Ara Dinkjian. Th ey will be accompanied
by Japanese percussionist Satoshi
Takeishi.
Alicia Olatuja: “Intuition: Songs
From The Minds of Women,”
Saturday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m.
(In-person tickets: $15/$12
members; Virtual: Free)
Focusing on the rich contributions of
a diverse selection of female composers,
Alicia Olatuja’s performance entitled
“Intuition: Songs From the Minds of
Women” celebrates the achievements of a
long list of esteemed female composers.
Material includes songs of Brenda Russell,
Sade, Tracy Chapman, Kate Bush, Angela
Bofi ll and Linda Creed, and off ers a musical
perspective unique to Olatuja.
Black History Trilogy #2: “The
Black King of Vaudeville:
Remembering Bert Williams in
Song,” Sunday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m.
(In-person tickets: $15/$12
members; Virtual: Free)
Tony-nominated actor Larry Marshall
(“Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Hair,” “Porgy
& Bess”) rejuvenates the life and music
of Bert Williams, one of the pre-eminent
entertainers of the Vaudeville era,
and one of the most popular comedians
for all audiences of his time. In an age
when racial inequality and stereotyping
were commonplace, Williams became the
fi rst Black American to take pioneer leading
roles, both on Broadway and in the
1914 fi lm “Darktown Jubilee,” pushing
back racial barriers in his three-decadelong
career.
Black History Trilogy #3: “The
Power & The Glory – Music of the
Black Church,” Thursday, Feb.
24, 7 p.m. (In-person tickets:
$15/$12 members; Virtual: Free)
Award-winning Broadway veteran
Tina Fabrique — star of “Ragtime,”
“Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk,”
“Th e Wiz,” “Bubbling Brown Sugar,”
“Gospel at Colonus” — pays homage
to Gospel, spiritual music that remains
a staple of African American life today.
Gospel originated from Black spirituals,
slave songs and white hymnody and it
emerged in tandem with ragtime, blues
and jazz.
In February, Flushing Town Hall presents a lineup of global performing arts programs.
Courtesy of JFK
Millennium Partners
Helena Williams
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