Queensborough Names Chris Aucoin Performing Arts Director
Chris Aucoin, a former deputy executive director of a Galveston, Texas opera house, will lead the Queensborough Performing Arts Center in Bayside.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in People
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Queensborough Community College has named Chris Aucoin executive director of the Queensborough Performing Arts Center, according to an announcement by Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Stephen Di Dio. The venue, at 222-05 56th Ave. in Bayside, has produced more than 1,200 performances and served over 1 million audience members.
Why it matters
The appointment places a leader with prior experience in development, season planning and endowment building at the helm of a long-running Bayside venue. For Bayside residents, the center's programming and audience reach are directly tied to who leads its operations.
The Queensborough Performing Arts Center has produced more than 1,200 performances and served over 1 million audience members across its nearly 60-year history. The source does not provide annual attendance or budget figures for comparison.
The players
Queensborough Community College
Queensborough Community College is a public two-year college in Bayside, Queens, part of the City University of New York system, which hosts the Queensborough Performing Arts Center.
Chris Aucoin
Chris Aucoin is an arts administrator with prior leadership roles at performing arts venues in Texas, Louisiana and New Jersey.
Stephen Di Dio
Stephen Di Dio serves as Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Queensborough Community College, and announced the appointment.
The details
Aucoin previously served as deputy executive director of The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas, where he helped lead development, institutional giving, season planning, marketing and organizational strategy. He was also the founding executive director of the Dr. Rodney R. Lafon Performing Arts Center in Luling, Louisiana, where he helped secure a multi-million-dollar endowment, and served as managing artistic and education director of Mainstage Center for the Arts in Blackwood, New Jersey.
Timeline
Nearly 60 years: The Queensborough Performing Arts Center has operated across its history, producing performances throughout that period.
Nov. 6, 2026: Queensborough Community College announced Aucoin's appointment as executive director.
Season Trajectory
Leadership changes at established performing arts venues often shape multi-season programming and fundraising direction. The source does not indicate any specific programming shift tied to this appointment.
Patrons of the Queensborough Performing Arts Center may see new programming direction under Aucoin's leadership, though the source does not specify changes. Ticket prices and season schedules were not addressed in the announcement.
The takeaway
Leadership appointments at community arts venues can signal shifts in programming, fundraising and audience development over time. Readers interested in local arts can follow the venue's season announcements as they are released.
Further reading
For more on leadership moves like this one, browse People coverage in business news.
Source note: This article includes information reported by QNS.
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