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Encore Awards

Lydia Kontos is a nonprofit leader whose vision and enthusiasm for the arts has driven extraordinary growth for the Kaufman Center, as well as growth in the arts industry of New York City. As founder of the Special Music School, Ms. Kontos crafted a new kind of organization, offering the most gifted children access to a high-caliber music education regardless of their ability to pay for it. She also recently spearheaded a $17 million renovation of the center, which included the update of Merkin Hall's audio/visual systems, and the building's mechanical support systems—all to create a new public face that would reflect the Kaufman Center's vitality and mission. The center now provides music and performing arts education to more than 2,000 students annually and welcomes more than 65,000 audience members to its concert hall.