Legacy Gift Delivers Encore of Support

Music filled Steve and Connie Delehantys’ childhoods. Connie remembers taking piano lessons and listening to the classical music her mother played. Steve recalls learning piano chords from his father and the many sing-along parties his family hosted.

The Delehantys’ love of music continued into adulthood. Before the couple met, they were both attending performances at Carnegie Hall. Then, in 1983, the Delehantys went to their first performance together—a concert by an English a cappella group.

“From the beautiful interior to the wonderful acoustics and the variety of performers, Carnegie Hall is a full sensory experience,” Connie says. “We just love going there.”

The Delehantys continued to frequent Carnegie Hall, and often think back to a favorite performance of the New York Philharmonic’s Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6.

“The performance was thrilling,” Connie says. “When the orchestra finished, there was silence. The audience was emotionally stunned. Then the applause broke out.”

After years of making annual gifts to the Hall, the Delehantys decided to commit more deeply toward the future of music. That commitment took shape as a bequest to Carnegie Hall in their estate plan.

The couple has designated Carnegie Hall a beneficiary of a percentage of their tax-deferred retirement accounts, which has a larger impact as the funds will be distributed tax-free.

“We want to help perpetuate music,” Steve says. “By making a gift through our estate plan, we feel like we’re doing something good to help a cultural institution.”

Like the Delehantys, you can help future generations enjoy the music of Carnegie Hall. To explore your giving options, contact Susan J. Brady at 212-903-9624 and sbrady@carnegiehall.org to learn more.