Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 10/07/2026 04:03:00

Queens College has housed the borough's largest indoor performance space since 1961, when Colden Auditorium was built on the Flushing campus to a design by the architectural firm Fellheimer and Wagner. Named after Charles S. Colden, founder of Queens College, the auditorium seats 2,124 across an 1,814-seat orchestra section and a 310-seat mezzanine. The wood-floor stage follows an open concert design with a permanent acoustic shell that can be converted into a proscenium-type theatre configuration. A large apron at the front of the stage lowers via hydraulic elevator to create an orchestra pit accommodating up to 60 musicians. Backstage, the facility provides two star dressing rooms and two chorus dressing rooms. The lobby houses a concession stand, information desk, box office, and administrative offices. A recent HVAC upgrade modernized the climate control without altering the hall's acoustic character. Colden Auditorium is the centerpiece of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts, which also includes the acoustically refined 489-seat LeFrak Concert Hall and the 479-seat Goldstein Theater. Kupferberg Center Performances programs an annual season spanning classical music, jazz, pop, and multicultural family programming. Its Revelations arts education series attracts more than 23,000 schoolchildren each season to multidisciplinary performances aligned with New York State Learning Standards. The venue is accessible via five bus lines including the Q17, Q25, Q35, Q64, and Q88, with multiple subway connections nearby. Campus parking is available. Rental inquiries and event details can be directed to kupferbergcenter.org or the box office at 718-544-2996. The Jazz Project, an eight-week school residency programme run through the Kupferberg Center, brings participating schools to Colden Auditorium each spring for a sharing performance and jam session with Queens College jazz faculty, further cementing the venue's role as both a professional performance space and an educational resource for the borough.