Previous Honorees

2021 Frost Legacy Award

The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami is pleased to present the 2021 Frost Legacy Award to Susana and Alberto Ibargüen for their work in “making art general” in Miami.

Susana worked tirelessly for the arts. She started out as a volunteer at the Pérez Art Museum of Miami and later served as president of their Board of Trustees. She strongly advocated for city, county, and private support for the museum by the bay that made architecture and design serve the art form.

She was an early and active member of the Funding Arts Network (FAN) and a trustee of Fairchild Tropical Gardens. As a member of both FAN and the Miami Dade County’s Cultural Affairs Council, she participated in providing resources for hundreds of artists and musicians in South Florida.

Susana passed away this past August after a long struggle with ALS. Despite the crippling nature of the disease, she never lost her appreciation for music, dance, film, writing, or theater. Just hours before her death, she could still smile when she heard some of her favorite songs. It was a testament to the power of music.

Alberto is president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. During his tenure, the foundation has become a major supporter of music and the arts in South Florida, including the New World Symphony, the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center, the Miami Music Project, and most recently the Knight Recital Hall Building at the Frost School of Music.

Reflecting on the foundation’s contributions, Alberto wrote, “Music, and the arts in general, are powerful agents to lift the soul and bind people to place and to each other. They build community. For an organization like ours, whose core purpose is precisely to support informed and engaged communities, our goal of making art general, making it palpable everywhere we turn in Miami, is the most natural thing in the world.”

“Knight Foundation has a long history of supporting the Frost School of Music, but never more than now under Shelly Berg’s leadership. The new music building that will carry the Knight name will not only be an architectural statement on campus but is designed to serve musical education. It will also be equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will enable the entire University, Miami, and the world to share in the work of our brilliant musicians,” Alberto explained.

2021 Frost Legacy Award

The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami is pleased to present the 2021 Frost Legacy Award to Susana and Alberto Ibargüen for their work in “making art general” in Miami.

Susana worked tirelessly for the arts. She started out as a volunteer at the Pérez Art Museum of Miami and later served as president of their Board of Trustees. She strongly advocated for city, county, and private support for the museum by the bay that made architecture and design serve the art form.

She was an early and active member of the Funding Arts Network (FAN) and a trustee of Fairchild Tropical Gardens. As a member of both FAN and the Miami Dade County’s Cultural Affairs Council, she participated in providing resources for hundreds of artists and musicians in South Florida.

Susana passed away this past August after a long struggle with ALS. Despite the crippling nature of the disease, she never lost her appreciation for music, dance, film, writing, or theater. Just hours before her death, she could still smile when she heard some of her favorite songs. It was a testament to the power of music.

Alberto is president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. During his tenure, the foundation has become a major supporter of music and the arts in South Florida, including the New World Symphony, the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center, the Miami Music Project, and most recently the Knight Recital Hall Building at the Frost School of Music.

Reflecting on the foundation’s contributions, Alberto wrote, “Music, and the arts in general, are powerful agents to lift the soul and bind people to place and to each other. They build community. For an organization like ours, whose core purpose is precisely to support informed and engaged communities, our goal of making art general, making it palpable everywhere we turn in Miami, is the most natural thing in the world.”

“Knight Foundation has a long history of supporting the Frost School of Music, but never more than now under Shelly Berg’s leadership. The new music building that will carry the Knight name will not only be an architectural statement on campus but is designed to serve musical education. It will also be equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will enable the entire University, Miami, and the world to share in the work of our brilliant musicians,” Alberto explained.

2018 Frost Legacy Award

The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami presented the 2018 Frost Legacy Award to longtime patrons and supporters of Winter Wonderful Patti and Allan Herbert for their philanthropic contributions to the arts, their commitment to the health and wellness of the community, and their generous support to the Frost School of Music.

The Herberts, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in May 2018, are pioneer South Florida residents who met and fell in love while attending the University of Miami in the 1950s. In 2004, to commemorate their love, they established an endowment for the “Love Bridge” outside the University’s Wellness Center. The bridge not only serves to honor their University-found love, but proceeds from the sale of personalized bricks on the Love Bridge support the ’Canes Health Assessment and Motivation Program (CHAMP) endowment established by the Herberts. 

In 2008, the Herberts gifted $8 million to name The Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus. Allan also serves on the University’s Board of Trustees and the Frost School of Music’s Board of Advisors.

Patti and Allan Herbert have long been involved in the arts scene in Miami. In 2012, they gave $500,000 to the Frost School of Music to create the Patti and Allan Herbert Endowed MusicReach Student Support Fund. In 2017, they gifted over $1 million to rename and endow the Patti and Allan Herbert Frost School of Music Program at Salzburg.

The Herberts have both had successful careers.  Allan as a group executive and insurance company president at Teledyne, and Patti at the Grubb & Ellis commercial real estate firm. Recently, they renovated the historic Richmond Hotel in Miami Beach, which they continue to own and operate. 

They are recipients of the UM Alumni Association Henry King Stanford Alumni of the Year Award (2004) and the UM Alumni Association Green: Outstanding Fundraiser Award (2008). They are also members of Iron Arrow.

“The University is very special to both of us,” said Allan. “It is where we got our education, made life-long friendships, gained leadership skills, and met our life partners. Every successful alumnus owes it to their university to repay them in some way for the education and opportunities they received while in school.”

Patti Herbert passed away on Monday, July 27, 2020. She was 84.

“Patti Herbert was an inspiration not just to her beloved husband, but to every member of the University of Miami community,” said President Julio Frenk. “We will miss her dearly, but find comfort in her legacy, which will be carried forward with the same passion that she displayed for her alma mater for the last 60 years.” 

Read more about Patti Herbert's legacy here.

2017 Frost Legacy Award

The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami presented The Miller Family with the 2017 Frost Legacy Award in recognition of their generous philanthropy to education and the arts in South Florida.

The Miller Family has left an indelible mark on the University of Miami with gifts totaling over $200 million since 2004, including $5 million in 2016 to the Frost School of Music. Leonard M. Miller, former chair of UM’s Board of Trustees, built a prominent homebuilding company with an investment of his own capital that ultimately became Lennar Corporation, one of the nation’s leading homebuilders and providers of residential financial services. When he passed in 2002, Susan “Sue” Miller became the torch bearer of her family’s boundless generosity.

Sue, who passed last year at the age of 81, was an ardent music lover and one of Miami’s most significant philanthropists. In her honor, her three children, Stuart Miller, Leslie Miller Saiontz, and Jeffrey Miller, initiated a Frost School of Music Instrument Collection with a generous donation of a rare, early 18^th century Guarneri violin valued at $1.1 million, to be named the Sue Miller Violin. Their gift helps in establishing the Sue Miller Fund, a donation program for purchasing fine and rare instruments, to attract brilliant musicians to the school, and provide performance experiences at the highest level. The new Miller Family String Quintet will be comprised of the school’s world-class performance fellows presenting on these historic string instruments.

In 2015, the Miller siblings received United Way’s prestigious Alexis de Tocqueville Award for Outstanding Philanthropy. The family’s $100 million donation to UM in 2004 renamed the UM School of Medicine in their father’s honor. In 2014, a lead gift of $50 million named The Lennar Foundation Medical Center, a state-of-the-art facility that brought the University of Miami Health System to UM’s Coral Gables campus, and an additional $50 million in 2015 to name the Miller School of Medicine Center for Education. Stuart and Jeffrey Miller are both University of Miami alumni.

Stuart Miller

Following in his father’s footsteps, Stuart Miller serves as CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Lennar Corporation, having worked over 30 years in various capacities for the company’s Homebuilding Division and former Investment and Commercial Properties Division. He served as Chairman of the Board of LNR Property Corporation, Lennar’s commercial real estate, financial, and management activities until its sale in 2005. Stuart is a member of the Board of Directors of Builder Homesite, Inc., a consortium of homebuilders nationwide. He served as past Chairman of the Joint Center for Housing Studies Policy Advisory Board at Harvard University, and of the Board of Trustees at the University of Miami where he currently serves on the Executive Committee. Stuart is incoming Co-Chairman of the Miami Dolphins Foundation.

Leslie Miller Saiontz

Is an educational activist and impact investor, dedicated to narrowing the opportunity gaps facing low-income communities. She founded Achieve Miami, an education-focused foundation that increases educational opportunities for low-income students, and she chairs the board for Teach for America, a national organization aimed at closing the achievement gap. Leslie is board member for the Frost Museum of Science and a member of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent's Business Advisory Council. Before launching her foundation, she was an entrepreneur who founded and scaled multiple companies, including her Kidding Around and Running Around stores. A tennis champion and avid gardener, Leslie’s proudest accomplishment is seeing how committed her five children are to positively impacting their own communities.

Jeffrey Miller

A business and civic leader, Jeffrey Miller is an active investor in commercial real estate, banking, utilities, and healthcare. He serves as managing partner and co-founder of Krillion Ventures, a venture capital fund providing early stage funding to tech-enabled companies in Miami, New York City, Boston, and San Francisco. Splitting his time between business and philanthropic endeavors, Jeffrey is deeply committed to improving education at the local, state, and national levels. He is Chairman of the Board of Breakthrough Miami, a non-profit organization providing academic enrichment programs for motivated, under-resourced students, as well as Founding Chairman of the Board of Beacon College Prep. He serves on the Board of Miami’s Ransom Everglades School, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Council for Educational Change, The Miller Foundation, and the Frost School of Music Board of Advisors.

2016 Frost Legacy Award

The University of Miami Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music presented Dr. Richard and Mrs. Carin Krasno with the 2016 Frost Legacy Award in recognition of their generous support of the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program.

Richard and Carin represent an international love story. While President of the Institute of International Education, Richard met his Swedish-born wife during a trip to Sweden in 1991. She accepted his invitation to visit him in New York and the rest is history. They have now chosen to make their home in Florida and devote their time to staying informed about the area’s many causes in support of the arts, education, and health care.

As the former Executive Director of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, Richard Krasno is widely admired for guiding the Trust’s philanthropic activities around the country. With a Ph.D. from Stanford, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education in Washington, DC, President of the Monterey (CA) Institute of International Studies, and chairman of the University of North Carolina Health Care System.  Currently, he is Lead Independent Director at Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services in Miami, trustee of the Miami Heart Research Institute and a member of the advisory board of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University. 

Carin Krasno brought great leadership and clarity to her role as a charter member of the Friends of PlayMakers Repertory Theatre Advisory Council. While living in Chapel Hill, the couple regularly attended the PlayMakers Ball, Opening Night performances, and held events in their home in support of theatre.
Carin holds a degree from the University of Connecticut, and has worked as a technical translator, as well as with the Swedish Women Educational Association (SWEA).

Richard and Carin Krasno are enthusiasts of arts and have played an integral role in the growth of the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program. They often enjoy attending events and concerts, and support various musical endeavors students and faculty.

2015 Frost Legacy Award

The University of Miami Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music presented Debra and Dennis Scholl with the 2015 Frost Legacy Award at its annual Winter Wonderful holiday gala on December 6, 2015 in recognition of their advancement of the cultural arts landscape, both regionally and internationally.

As contemporary art collectors, Debra and Dennis Scholl are renowned for their support of art, and artists. They are also highly regarded for their efforts to build the permanent collections of contemporary art museums. They are founding chairs of the Guggenheim Photography Committee, the Tate American Acquisition Committee, and an acquisition committee for the new Pérez Art Museum Miami where they have donated 300 works of contemporary art from their personal collection.

Debra Scholl’s leadership of Locust Projects, a nationally recognized alternative art-space in Miami, reflects the couple’s commitment to providing artists with a place to experiment. She serves on a number of Miami boards including Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, Brickell Avenue Literary Society, and Funding Arts Network. She received an American Red Cross Spectrum Award for service to the cultural community.

Dennis Scholl stepped down as Vice President of Art for the $2.5 billion Knight Foundation, where over the last six years he has overseen funding of over $150 million to arts organizations across America. He created Random Acts of Culture, and with his Knight arts team developed the Knight Arts Challenge, expanded a Community Supported Art program, and more. He has served on the boards and executive committees of Aspen Art Museum, MOCA Miami and the Pérez Art Museum Miami.

Debra and Dennis are avid music lovers and often attend events that feature Frost School of Music students and faculty.

2014 Legacy Award

The University of Miami Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music presented Swanee DiMare and Paul J. DiMare with the 2014 Frost Legacy Award at its Winter Wonderful holiday gala, in recognition of their inspirational philanthropy to the performing arts and dedicated service to the University.

Paul J. DiMare is a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees. Paul and Swanee are vice chairs of the University’s Momentum2 Campaign, and Paul is also Campaign Chair for Intercollegiate Athletics. The couple’s generous support for UM includes gifts to Athletics, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the School of Education and Human Development, the Miller School of Medicine, and the Frost School of Music.

Paul DiMare is president of DiMare Brothers, Inc. and DiMare Homestead, Inc., an organization of growers, packers, and shippers of whole fresh fruits and vegetables. An active community leader, he is chairman of Florida Farmers, Inc., a trustee of the Jackson Memorial Foundation, and serves as a director of the Red Cross of South Florida, the Frost Museum of Science, Camillus House, and The Buoniconti Fund, among others.

Swanee DiMare is dedicated to a wide range of community organizations including Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, the American Red Cross, and sits on the national board of Women of Tomorrow and has served as gala chair or co-chair for all of these charitable organizations. She is also on the boards of Miami City Ballet and the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation. Her community involvement began as a ten-year member of the Delta Airlines management team where she inspired employees to volunteer for charities such as the March of Dimes and the Special Olympics. The Association of Fundraising Professionals recognized Swanee and Paul DiMare in 2007 with its Outstanding Philanthropists Award for their community wide and far-reaching philanthropy.

2013 Frost Legacy Award

The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music at the University of Miami presented David R. Weaver and Dorothy Collins Weaver with its Frost Legacy Award during the Winter Wonderful 2013 celebration. The award acknowledged their inspired and dedicated service to our great music school, the university, and their noble support of the arts throughout our community.

David R. Weaver is a senior trustee of the University of Miami Board of Trustees and is the Frost School of Music Momentum2 campaign chair. He hails from a musical family and worked throughout his college years as a church organist…and still plays the organ, as time permits. He is Chairman and CEO of Intercap Energy Systems, LLC, a technology company providing energy conservation software as a service. Dorothy Collins Weaver was chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Collins Capital Investments LLC, a hedge fund. She was a former chair of the Miami Federal Reserve and an active philanthropist and community leader. David and Dorothy, along with daughter Christina, son Andres and extended families, have hosted several large musical soirees with Dean Shelly Berg and other musical luminaries on behalf of the Frost School of Music.

The Frost School of Music will soon be home to the Dorothy and David Weaver Auditorium located inside a proposed new 200-seat Recital Hall on the UM Coral Gables campus. It will feature a dramatic concert stage framed by a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Lake Osceola and the Cobb Fountain, conceived to showcase student and faculty recitals, as well as chamber music concerts. Its serene setting and intimate acoustics will reflect the quiet impact that the Weavers have made on South Florida, and far beyond.

2012 Frost Legacy Award

Michael S. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. (1937-2017) made a lasting institutional impact to the University of Miami as founder and first director of the Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education at the Miller School of Medicine. His legacy as a true pioneer, who developed the Harvey cardiology simulator for teaching clinical skills, inspires generations of physicians around the world. Barry Issenberg, MD, the center’s current director, said, “What Michael was able to do was get people to believe in the vision of saving lives. His passion rubbed off on them...Everyone, every day, knew they were contributing to the mission.”

Michael had an international reputation as an innovator in the adoption of more effective medical education through advanced computer technology and simulation. His programs received widespread recognition for their educational excellence, and have had a major impact on training programs in several professions. This included working with Miami Fire Rescue Chief, Carlos Gimenez (now Miami-Dade County Mayor), in the early 1990s. They changed the model of “scoop and run” that paramedics were previously taught, and developed life-saving protocols for managing heart attacks and other medical emergencies in the field.

Michael was deeply committed to his work, but he was also devoted to his wife, Lynda, and their Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Corky. He and Lynda enjoyed 28 wonderful years together and renewed their wedding vows last January among family and friends. “He never focused on the fame, or how he was regarded in the industry and in life,” says Lynda. “He always gave credit to his colleagues and thanked them when he and the University of Miami received numerous awards for innovation in medical education. His favorite saying was ‘If you want to go faster, go alone; if you want to go further, go together.’”

Upon first hearing the Frost Chorale perform holiday music at Winter Wonderful, Michael remarked, “I had tears in my eyes. All those students standing around you and singing, it was glorious!” The Gordon’s have attended Winter Wonderful for many years, sponsoring a table and contributing generously because they deeply care about the Frost School’s mission, Dean Shelly Berg’s vision, and the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program. Michael and Lynda Gordon were honored with the Frost Legacy Award in 2012.

2011 Frost Legacy Award

The University of Miami Frost School of Music presented its 2011 Frost Legacy Award to humanitarian Ginny Mancini on November 4th at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in tribute to her transformative and inspiring support of the Henry Mancini Institute, the Frost School of Music, and other institutions of musical excellence throughout the world.

The award was presented to Mancini when she attended a Jazz Meets Gershwin concert the month prior, co-presented by Jazz Roots, Festival Miami and the Arsht Center. The program featured the Frost School’s Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, led by its new artistic director Terence Blanchard, with special guest artists Michael Feinstein, Denyce Graves, Monica Mancini, Dee Dee Bridgewater, UM Frost School of Music Dean Shelly Berg and Mark O’Connor. The concert was sponsored in part by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and UM trustee Adrienne Arsht.

A video of the award was also presented at the Frost School’s Winter Wonderful Holiday Dinner on December 4, 2011.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ginny Mancini enjoyed a flourishing singing career, performing with Mel Torme, the Mel-Tones and the Tex Beneke Orchestra before marrying composer/conductor Henry Mancini. As a long time supporter of major performing arts organizations dedicated to music education, Mancini was a Founding Member of the Henry Mancini Institute and is a past president. She continued to support the Henry Mancini Institute when it moved to the Frost School of Music in 2007. She is a former Trustee of the National Foundation For Advancement In The Arts (NFAA/Young Arts) headquartered in Miami.

Mancini currently serves as Vice President of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and is a director of The Leo Buscaglia Foundation. She is a founding member of the USC Thornton School of Music’s Board of Advisors, a Board Member of the ASCAP Foundation, and Secretary of the Geffen Playhouse. She was previously a member of the Royce Center Circle UCLA Performing Arts, and a past chairman, president and co-founder of the Society of Singers.

2010 Frost Legacy Award

Ambassadors Chuck and Sue Cobb are longtime contributors to the University of Miami. Chuck has been a trustee for 42 years and has been the past chair of the Board of Trustees and the former chair of many of its committees, including Executive, Finance, Investment, Strategic Planning, Construction, and the Presidential Search Committee. Sue is a graduate of UM School of Law and was the 2006 UM Alumnus of the Year. She continues serving on the Law School and Athletic Policy Committees. Their family has contributed over $5 million to UM such as Cobb Stadium and the Cobb Fountain. Many scholarships have been funded through their generosity. Sue is president of the Cobb Family Foundation, former ambassador to Jamaica, secretary of state of Florida, CEO of the Florida Lottery, a partner at Greenberg Traurig and a multi-year member and three-term chair of the Miami Federal Reserve. In addition to being an alumnus of UM School of Law, she is a graduate of Stanford University. 

Chuck has served as the CEO and/or board member of many prominent corporations including Arvida, Pan Am, Disney, Penn Central, LNR, Southeast Bank, WCI Communities, Ameritas, and CLC of America. He is the former undersecretary of commerce and ambassador to Iceland. He received his BA and MBA degrees from Stanford University. 

The Ambassadors have been officers and directors of several public, private, and charitable boards and have received numerous awards including national honors from both Jamaica and Iceland.

They were honored with the Frost Legacy Award in 2010. 

2010 Frost Achievement Award

Marcus Lovett made Broadway history when he played the title role in Phantom of the Opera and Billy Bigelow in Carousel in the same week. He was in the original Broadway companies of Les Miserables and Aspects of Love, and starred in the West End in the Olivier Award nominated, Whistle Down the Wind, by Andrew Lloyd Webber. His career has included recording, as well as roles in film, and television.  His solo concert career has taken him to Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and L’Opera de Paris.  He is the voice of Good Morning America. His son, Dylan Lovett, studied vocal jazz at the Frost School of Music and his daughter, Cathryn Lovett, is currently studying Vocal Performance and Music Therapy at the Frost School of Music. Marcus Lovett was honored with the 2010 Frost Achievement Award at the Winter Wonderful Frost School of Music Holiday Dinner.

2009 Frost Legacy Award

Immediate past chair and senior member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, Marta S. Weeks is a multifaceted philanthropist, loyal patron of the arts, community leader, speaker, and retired Episcopal priest. A member of the prestigious Iron Arrow honor society, she has provided primary support for several transformative facilities and programs at the Frost School of Music, including the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center, the L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance, the Marta and Austin Weeks Music School Fund, and the Marta and L. Austin Weeks Scholarship Endowment, which supports more than 20 students each year. Her generous contributions also have funded many other scholarship s and priorities throughout the University, including endowed chairs in the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miller School of Medicine, and College of Arts and Sciences. In 2009 the Frost School of Music paid tribute to the amazing legacy of this special humanitarian with the Frost School of Music Legacy Award.

2009 Frost Achievement Award

Frost School of Music alumnus Jon Secada, B.M. ‘83, M.M. ‘86, is a multi-Grammy-winning vocalist, inspiring performer, songwriter, producer, actor and engaging host of Latin American Idol who recently released a new CD, Expressions, which explores his jazz roots! Among many community service and charitable endeavors, he created the Jon Secada Music Scholarship at the University of Miami. In 2009 the Frost School paid tribute to the professional excellence of this marvelous musician with the Frost School of Music Achievement Award.

2008 Frost Legacy Award

Dr. Sanford L. Ziff was the founder of Sunglass Hut International, Inc. He was born in Akron, Ohio and attended the University of Akron, the University of Miami and received his Doctorate Degree from the Northern Illinois of Optometry in Chicago, Illinois. He practiced Optometry in Miami specializing and doing clinical research in Contact Lenses. He has been published in most all Optometric and Ophthalmologic Journals in the United States and abroad where he has also lectured extensively.

Dr. Ziff and his late wife Dolores were engaged in Philanthropy on a full time basis. They provided numerous naming gifts to higher education including the Sanford L. Ziff Family Art Gallery at the University of Miami Lowe Art Gallery, the Sanford L. Ziff Career Services Center at the University of Miami School of Business, and have named centers at Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University.  The Ziff have also contributed to the music scholarship fund at the Frost School of Music.

Their commitment to the arts and culture of South Florida has also been recognized by the naming the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts in downtown Miami, where they also provided annual funding for the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Classical Music Series and the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Dance Series.

They were the recipients of the Frost Legacy Award in 2008 in honor of their love and support for the arts.

2007 Frost Legacy Award

The Frost School of Music honored Roger J. Medel, M.D. and Virginia B. Medel, M.D. at the Frost School’s 2007 holiday dinner in honor of their generous commitment to the enrichment of the educational and artistic experiences of the students at the University of Miami.

2006 Frost Legacy Award

The Frost School of Music honored longtime supporter Jay W. Jensen at its 2006 holiday dinner for his commitment to the arts and cultural development to benefit the experiences of the students at the University of Miami.

2005 Frost Legacy Award

Roe and Penny Stamps were honored at the Frost School of Music’s 2005 holiday dinner. They generously support educational and artistic experiences at the Frost School School of Music through the The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. Committed to the enrichment of educational and artistic experiences for student scholars throughout the country, the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation Distinguished Visitors Series and the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation Music Scholarship Fund at the Frost School of Music are enriching the lives of our music students, and in turn, the South Florida community.

Roe Stamps is co-founder and managing partner of Summit Partners in Boston. Before founding Summit Partners in 1984, Stamps worked as a partner at TA Associates and as a senior investment manager at First Chicago Investment Corp. He spent five years as director of Ameripath and seven years on the board of directors at the Pediatrix Medical Group. He is a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Miami and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. In 2004, he was awarded the Outstanding Service Award by the National Venture Capital Association for his work to engage the industry in public policy discourse and to raise awareness of venture capitalism’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

Since the early ‘90s, Penny Stamps devoted her time to charitable causes. She served on boards of private elementary and secondary schools, as well as various community and arts organizations in the area. She was the president of the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, until her passing, which supports the Stamps Scholars Program at five universities, including the University of Miami.

2004 Frost Legacy Award

Dr. Lee “Doc” Kjelson (1927-2009), Professor Emeritus at The Frost School of Music, left a legacy of excellence in the professional field of choral music, having conducted and taught worldwide. Known for his compassion, devotion, and limitless energy, Kjelson touched many lives in his own unique way, striving for excellence, professionalism, and dedication to music throughout his career.

A native of Stromsburg, Nebraska, Kjelson served over two decades as a collegiate educator in four states. He was recruited to the University of Miami in 1967 as Director of Music Education and became Director of Choral Activities in 1968 until his retirement in 1993.

As director of the University of Miami Singers, Kjelson accomplished twenty-two national and international concert tours, presenting a wide range of literature, both popular and traditional. He founded the Civic Chorale of Greater Miami in 1970, and for more than twenty years led the Chorale to be Miami's most prestigious university community choral ensemble, performing regularly with the Florida Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, the New World Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Kjelson’s work as a guest conductor had a significant influence on the lives of countless young musicians through his involvement with All-State and Honor Choirs in forty states, as well as with choirs internationally.

Kjelson received many community, university, and national recognition. At UM, he was honored with The Frost School of Music’s Excellence in Teaching and Most Meritorious Faculty awards; the UM Alumni Association’s annual Inside-Outside award; and The University of Miami’s prestigious James W. McLamore Outstanding Service Award, presented for “going above and beyond the call of duty.”

After his retirement, Kjelson continued to support the arts through community and church activities, publications, and the sponsorship with his wife of the “Lee and Betty Kjelson Visiting Scholars Programs” at both the University of Miami and the University of Nebraska. Betty is a UM alumna and former adjunct instructor who received her Master of Arts degree in 1971.

They were honored with the Frost Legacy Award in 2004.

2003 Frost Legacy Award

The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music honored the Gould Family at its 2003 holiday dinner for it’s long-standing leadership and continued generosity to the arts throughout South Florida.

2002 Frost Legacy Award

The University of Miami Frost School of Music was pleased to honor Dr. M. Lee Pearce for his long-standing leadership and continued generosity at the school’s 2002 holiday dinner.

2001 Frost Legacy Award

Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Frost have a longstanding tradition of involvement with UM with a total recognition of over $130 million, primarily to the Frost Institutes of Chemistry and Molecular Science and Frost School of Music.  Their $33 million gift to the School of Music in 2003 was the largest ever given to a university-based music school in the United States; the school was then officially renamed the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music.  The new state-of-the-art Patricia Louise Frost Music Studios complex opened in February 2015 on the University of Miami campus.  It houses over 77 individual teaching and chamber music studios, plus classrooms for percussion and contemporary music production.  The Frosts thoughtful support continues to fund program endowments, faculty chairs, student scholarships, and facility improvements.
 
The Frosts began their philanthropic relationship with the School of Music in 1989, when they donated three gifts, establishing the Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music Chair for the Dean of the Music School, the Anna Frost Music Scholarship Fund and the Abraham Frost Prize in Music Composition.  They also donated $1 million to establish the Frost Band of the Hour and more recently donated $1 million to rename the Frost Music Reach (community music program) in honor of UM’s former president Donna Shalala.  It is now known as the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music.
 
At President Frenk’s inauguration in January 2016, he announced a transformational and historic $100 million gift from the Frosts to support basic and applied science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the University.  This is the largest single gift ever announced at an inauguration.
 
Dr. Phillip Frost served as campaign chair for UM’s first Momentum campaign during his tenure as chair of the Board of Trustees.  He is currently a member of the UHealth and School of Law visiting committees, and both he and Patricia serve on the Frost School of Music Board of Advisors.  Dr. Frost is CEO and chairman of OPKO Health, a biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company.  He founded IVAX Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest U.S. generic drug manufacturers, selling the company to TEVA Pharmaceuticals in 2006 while continuing to serve on the TEVA board until 2015.  Mrs. Patricia Frost, formerly principal of West Laboratory School, worked closely with UM’s School of Music to develop music programs at the school.  She is Chair Emeritus of the Smithsonian National Board and Smithsonian American Art Museum and is currently a member of the State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors.

They were honored with the Frost Legacy Award in 2001.