Juilliard Receives $20 Million in Gifts From Arnhold Foundation

The Juilliard School announces $20 million in gifts from the Arnhold Foundation in recognition of two outstanding areas of the school, Creative Enterprise and Juilliard Jazz.  

John and Jody Arnhold have made a $5 million endowment gift to Juilliard Jazz. The gift will provide vital resources for scholarships and the department’s ongoing performance activity, renowned faculty, and robust curricular offerings, ensuring the program’s preeminence in the field for generations to come. This gift, the largest ever received by Juilliard for the jazz program, celebrates the leadership of its director, Wynton Marsalis.  

Additionally, the Arnholds have made $15 million in gifts to Juilliard’s Creative Enterprise programming. They began generously supporting Creative Enterprise when President Damian Woetzel launched the program, a major priority for the institution, at the start of his presidency, in 2018. The Arnholds’ contributions support activities for Juilliard students, faculty, and an expanding roster of resident artists, renaming the Creative Associates to Arnhold Creative Associates. Creative Enterprise offers a new approach to interdisciplinary work that is unique among conservatories. This year, Creative Enterprise work can be seen in action starting on September 12, at the school’s inaugural Fall Festival. 

“We are grateful for this generous gift from John and Jody Arnhold to Creative Enterprise and Juilliard Jazz,” President Damian Woetzel said. “Their support is a powerful acknowledgment of the innovative excellence of these programs and will provide resources for artistic development and affordability for our talented students from around the world. Juilliard’s inaugural Fall Festival exemplifies the impact of this major gift, as we kick off the 2024 performance season with world premieres, interdisciplinary programs, and participatory events that bring the arts to life for all.”

“We are deeply committed to nurturing young artists and fostering creative excellence to shape the future of the performing arts, and this gift ensures that Juilliard Jazz and Creative Enterprise continue to set the standard for what is possible for generations to come,” the Arnholds said. “Our support underscores our belief in the power of music, dance, and drama to transform lives, and we are pleased to support the outstanding work of Wynton Marsalis and the extraordinary jazz faculty. It also reflects our unparalleled admiration for President Woetzel’s innovative leadership to push artistic boundaries, inspire new ways of thinking, and create interdisciplinary opportunities for future artists. We are excited to witness the creativity emerging through Creative Enterprise, starting with the Fall Festival this September.” 

Trumpeter, alum, and composer Wynton Marsalis—who helped envision Juilliard’s jazz program in advance of its inception in 2002—has directed the program since 2014. Today, Juilliard Jazz is the preeminent college jazz program in the country. Scholarships are available to ensure that talented young artists from all financial backgrounds who wish to expand their technique and studies in jazz have access to this innovative program. It combines rigorous education in the history and traditions of jazz with unmatchable performance opportunities in New York City designed to integrate students into a thriving jazz environment. Students work closely with a dedicated faculty made up of some of today’s most renowned jazz artists and enjoy numerous performance opportunities with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and smaller ensembles not only at the school and around New York City but also in prominent venues and festivals nationally and beyond. Jazz alums are leaders in the field, among them Jon Batiste (also a Juilliard trustee), Endea Owens, Samora Pinderhughes, and Immanuel Wilkins.  

Juilliard Jazz is committed to developing exceptional musicians versed in all styles of jazz and American roots music. Its unique vision for jazz education begins with building a supportive community of the best young musicians under the tutelage of an incomparable faculty, guest teachers, and staff, and it programs a diverse range of music from early jazz styles to students’ compositions for them to study, arrange, and perform. 

Beyond greatly impacting the growth of Creative Enterprise, Creative Associates, and Juilliard Jazz, the Arnholds’ support has enhanced classroom and performance work throughout the school and sponsored special guests and projects in dance and drama. Creative Enterprise support was instrumental in launching the Drama Division’s professional film curriculum component for fourth-year actors.  

Members of the Arnhold family are longtime donors to Juilliard, reaching back to Henry Arnhold’s support of the graduate resident string quartet beginning in 1991. The family’s generosity continued with Jody and John’s investment in Creative Enterprise when Damian Woetzel became president of the school and launched the program in 2018.

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