Fund for Artistic Innovation Launches to Honor the Legacy of Thor Steingraber
The fund will underwrite high-quality, original public performances that exemplify The Soraya’s artistic leadership and profile.
By: Stephi Wild Dec. 04, 2025
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) announced the launch of a new initiative to honor the legacy of Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber as he concludes his 12-year leadership of the institution currently celebrating its 15th anniversary.
With key philanthropic leadership support from the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation and Milt and Debbie Valera, the Thor Steingraber Fund for Artistic Innovation will underwrite high-quality, original public performances that exemplify The Soraya’s artistic leadership and profile, preserving and perpetuating its commitment to new works, commissions, premieres, and major programs in scale or scope.
Soraya Nazarian, for whom the theater is named, said, “Over the past ten years, we have come to know Thor and his vision. Through his leadership, we have witnessed values we so admire come to life on this stage — in the artists, their work, and the experiences they create for Los Angeles’ many communities and for the students of CSUN. Thor’s dedication and imagination serve so many, and it is my wish that his legacy be preserved long into the future. In honor and recognition of Thor’s accomplishments, I am pleased to announce a new fund supporting the art and artists who will continue this work, to be named the Thor Steingraber Fund for Artistic Innovation.”
Steingraber said the commitment to the arts is evident in the new works The Soraya brings to the stage — premieres, commissions, and cross-discipline artistic collaborations cultivated by The Soraya and often featuring the artists of Los Angeles.
“These projects are significant not only in their demands of time and resource, but also in the impacts they provide — new, diverse, and cross-generational audiences served, educational opportunities created, and the major contributions to the output and advancement of artists themselves, representing a vast array of different artistic disciplines,” Steingraber said.
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