The Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra is playing for a cause.
The group is holding its decades-old Cerebral Palsy Benefit Concert Sunday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. in the Tilles Center at LIU Post. All proceeds go to the Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County, an amount that Orchestra Director Louis Panacciulli hopes will exceed the last event’s donation of $30,000.
“We hope to do even better this year,” Panacciulli said. “100% of the proceeds go directly to the Cerebral Palsy Association.”
The Frank Sinatra-themed concert, Sinatra and Stories, will feature the 70-piece orchestra accompanying performer Tony Danza, who will sing Sinatra covers and tell stories of his time with the star.
“He does some great Sinatra standards and tells stories about his personal relationship with old blue eyes,” Panacciulli said.
Danza performed at the orchestra’s 2023 benefit concert and has prepared an all-new show for this one, which involves tap dance, storytelling, singing and a wide range of orchestral Sinatra covers.
Tickets range from approximately $30 to $60; however, an additional box office fee applies. Panacciulli said attendees can call the Tilles Center Box Office at 516-299-3100 to purchase a ticket directly from the venue. People can also purchase a ticket on Ticketmaster; however, purchasing online involves a greater surcharge.
He hopes to sell out the venue, which seats roughly 2,000.
Panacciulli, who founded the orchestra with his partner Dawn Manuel in 1984, has been using its popularity and platform to fundraise tens of thousands of dollars for local charities like the Cerebral Palsy Association, the Special Olympics, One in Nine, a breast cancer charity, and The Independence Fund, which supports severely wounded veterans since 1987.
“There are many orchestras on Long Island, most of them classically oriented. When Dawn and I started this orchestra, we took a page out of the Boston Pops Orchestra’s book because they generate a lot of excitement with the music they perform,” Panacciulli said. “Our repertoire consists of music from Broadway, from television and film. We started getting very popular right off the bat, because people enjoy hearing music that they’re familiar with.”
“As our popularity grew, we started saying, ‘Well, what can we do differently? What can we do that will make a difference on Long Island that we don’t see other orchestras doing?’” Panacciulli continued. “We wanted to do something over and above that not only entertains the community here on Long Island, but makes a difference and helps people.”
He said playing for the Cerebral Palsy Association was a cause close to his heart because it’s one his mother had supported until her death.
“I have an emotional attachment to the cause because my mother was part of the Cerebral Palsy Auxiliary in Valley Stream,” Panacciulli said. “My mom knew I was doing charity benefits, and she said, ‘Why don’t you look into this organization? They’re doing a lot of good and helping a lot of people.”
“They help about 1,800 people who are afflicted with CP,” he said of the center. “I met the people who run the organization, and I was very taken by the work they did and the individuals who attend the center who are helped by them.”
Panacciulli said he could promise the concert would be both a good time and a good use of concert ticket money.
“People love going to concerts. Think about the money people spend on Taylor Swift,” Panacciulli said with a laugh. “People like to be entertained. The Nassau Pops also has a reputation for being a very entertaining performance. This gives people an opportunity, not only to be entertained, but to provide funding for a very, very good cause.”
Those who would like to make an additional donation to the Cerebral Palsy Association can do so on the Orchestra’s donation page by indicating the foundation in the notes section.
