BMCC Hosts Art and Rita Siegel Piano Lab Dedication Ceremony

November 23, 2016

On Sunday, November 20, the Art and Rita Siegel Piano Lab Dedication Ceremony was held in the Miles and Shirley Fiterman Hall.

Dedication

“We were honored to officially recognize and celebrate the naming of the Art and Rita Siegel Piano Lab,” says Doris Holz, BMCC Vice President of Development and Chief Operating Officer of the BMCC Foundation, Inc. “The naming was accompanied by a generous gift of $50,000 from our friend and supporter, Leslie Siegel, who chose to name this room in memory of her parents, who were music lovers.”

Siegel and her sister Stephanie Koppelman shared that their parents met each other because of their involvement in music, and it is gratifying for them to know that BMCC students will learn to share their parents’ love of music in this dedicated piano lab.

The donation Siegel made to the BMCC Foundation will be directed to support BMCC MoneyWorks Scholarships, making it possible for students to attend financial education seminars presented by BMCC in collaboration with the Financial Planning Association of New York, and led by pro-bono Certified Financial Planners.

The celebration included the unveiling of the naming plaque, a champagne toast and brief piano concert by BMCC student Sheila Sarkar. Guests included Leslie’s husband and former BMCC Foundation Board Member Joe Castellano; long-time friends of BMCC Ronnie and Larry Levine; Steve Greene; Steven Koppelman; Florence Rubenfeld, and Peter Remch.

Aspiring photojournalist and BMCC MoneyWorks Scholar Daya Van Dam photographed the event, and Howard Meltzer, Professor and Chair of the Music and Art Department, spoke about BMCC’s growing Music and Art department. 

“This was a warm and wonderful celebration and I express our thanks to Leslie Siegel and her friends for being with us,” said Holz. “There are many classroom and other types of naming opportunities available throughout BMCC. This is a wonderful way for our friends and donors to honor or memorialize people in their lives who are important to them.”

Naming a physical space that already exists, she explained, “enables the naming gift to be directly contributed for critically needed scholarships and other programs that benefit our students. I extend our thanks, again, to Leslie Siegel.”

For more information on naming opportunities at BMCC, call 212-220-8021.

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