Leading the Arts: Landmark Donation Secures Adelphi's Performing Arts Spotlight

A recent $1.77 million legacy gift supporting the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center is building on the rich history of the University's theatre, dance and music programs.

When arts patron and friend of the University Lee Steinberg made her generous bequest to Adelphi, it not only strengthened the future of the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center-it shone a spotlight on the vibrancy of the arts at Adelphi.

"Lee Steinberg's legacy gift reflects a deep belief in the transformative power of the arts," said Thomas Kline, EdD, vice president of University advancement and external relations. "Her generosity strengthens not only our facilities, but the student experiences and creative opportunities that define Adelphi's performing arts community."

The $1.77 million gift supports immediate physical improvements at the Center as well as permanent, flexible funding for its ongoing capital, programming and operational needs. In recognition of her extraordinary generosity, the University has named the center's Recital Hall in her honor-the Lee Steinberg Recital Hall.

The hall is one of the five state-of-the-art venues at the Center, along with the 500-seat Westermann Stage at the Concert Hall, the Olmsted Theatre, the Dance Theatre and the Black Box Theatre.

Adelphi's Rich History in Theatre

Adelphi's theatre, dance and music programs have produced generations of artists, none more illustrious than Jonathan Larson '82, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and composer of the iconic Broadway musical Rent. Larson majored in acting at Adelphi and began composing music for small student productions and cabarets, often writing about topics like AIDS, addiction and homophobia, which would later inform his renowned works.

"He came in like a spark plug," said Nicholas Petron, MA '70, retired professor and chair of the Department of Theatre. "My first impression was: 'Who is this guy?' He was a firecracker."

Larson's legacy lives on at Adelphi through the $2 million Jonathan Larson Scholarship endowment, established by a bequest from the Larson Family Trust and a matching grant from the University. The endowment supports four annual scholarships for theatre students.

In 2015, Adelphi also launched the annual Larson Legacy Concert Series at Center to celebrate the next generation of musical theatre creators. It has featured performances by recipients of Jonathan Larson Grants from the American Theatre Wing and artists who've gone on to Broadway stardom, like Michael R. Jackson, who won a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award in 2021 for A Strange Loop.

Adelphi also hosts The Poole Family Broadway Series, generously sponsored by Mary Jane '62 and Thomas Poole, which brings Broadway legends, cabaret stars and musical theater revues to the center.

Empowering the Next Generation of Excellence in Music and Dance

Theater isn't alone at Adelphi as a pacesetter for university arts departments. The University's dance department became one of the first established at a college in the United States when it was founded in 1938 by one of the leading lights of modern dance, Ruth St. Denis. Since then, it has been home to many prominent faculty members, including Frank Augustyn, Paul Taylor, Norman Walker, Carmen de Lavallade, Jack Cole and Hanya Holm.

In the music department, Pulitzer Prize-winning and Grammy-nominated composer Paul Moravec, DMA, has been a professor since the early 2000s, nurturing new generations of musical talent while continuing to produce critically acclaimed oratorios. He was honored as one of only five University Professors at Adelphi in 2004.

"One of the great things about Adelphi is that it supports its faculty in its research-in my case, its creativity," Dr. Moravec said. "I'm eternally indebted to Adelphi for facilitating all of the work that I've done in the 25 years that I've been here at Adelphi."

A Donor's Lifelong Commitment to the Arts in New York

Lee Steinberg's gift, which was received from her estate in July 2025, reflected her wish to support arts programming and performance centers on Long Island as well as her lifetime commitment to cultural institutions throughout the greater New York region. Steinberg, who briefly served on Adelphi's Performing Arts Council, died in 2021 at the age of 106 and was posthumously added as a member of Adelphi's Million Dollar Roundtable, which recognizes our most generous donors, whose cumulative giving exceeds $1 million.

In accordance with Steinberg's intent, the University has established two funds to support the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center-the Lee Steinberg Performing Arts Center Capital Fund, for immediate physical improvements, and the Lee Steinberg Performing Arts Center Excellence Endowed Fund, to provide permanent, flexible support for the center's ongoing capital, programming and operational needs. This generous gift reinforces Adelphi's reputation as a preeminent leader in arts education and performance in our region.

Enhancements to Center will elevate the experience of student performers, faculty directors, guest artists and audience members. Several capital improvements have already been funded through an initial $500,000 allocation, including:

• A comprehensive refresh of the Olmsted Theatre, featuring new lighting, audience seating, carpeting, acoustic panels and painting, as well as the installation of a new digital sound mixing console
• Brighter lighting in the Center's second-floor dance studios
• New house lights and work lights in the Concert Hall

Beginning in 2027, annual distributions from the endowment will ensure that the spotlight never fades-empowering generations of future artists to push creative boundaries and inspire the world from Adelphi's stages.