Ron Delsener
Promoter | 2014Since 1964, promoter Ron Delsener has been at the forefront of the outdoor concert scene. He cut his teeth while working for the promoter of The Beatles’ first outdoor concert performance at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens. Other shows quickly followed, featuring Bob Dylan during his controversial early electric period, Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen, and Frank Sinatra with Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, and the Count Basie Band conducted by Quincy Jones. In 1966, Delsener created and produced the highly successful $1 per ticket concert series at Wollman Ice-Skating Rink in Central Park. During its fifteen-year history, every major contemporary artist appeared at this series, including Joni Mitchell, Louis Armstrong, Otis Redding, Led Zeppelin, and many more. (The spirit of these concert events lives on today at Central Park’s Summerstage.) In 1967, Delsener began producing the first free popular music concerts in Central Park. In 1983, Delsener was awarded a three-year exclusive contract to renovate the Jones Beach Amphitheatre in Wantagh, Long Island, and present all concert events. During that same period, he also became the exclusive booker for all programs of popular and contemporary music at the Garden State Arts Center—now known as the PNC Arts Center—in New Jersey. In addition to large outdoor shows, Delsener is active in the production of all concerts booked through Ron Delsener Presents in the New York/New Jersey area.