The gift will fund concerts and educational programs at Zankel Hall, which opened in 2003 and was funded by contributions from Zankel and his wife Judy. The Carnegie gift is part of a $120 million bequest made by the estate to recipients including Skidmore College, the United Jewish Appeal, and Columbia University.
Martin Zankel, the executor of the estate, said, "The gifts that we are privileged to announce today are the culmination of my brother's intense commitment to sharing his good fortune and to promoting education as the tool for progress, a proposition in which he deeply believed."
"Arthur loved Carnegie Hall and, in particular, the special programming at Zankel Hall," said Judy Zankel, a current Carnegie Hall trustee. "Many of the concerts in Zankel Hall stretch existing boundaries and feature an extraordinary range of music. Arthur was delighted to see that these programs attracted new and diverse audiences to Carnegie Hall."