Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA., May 29, 2024 – ArtsQuest, with a heavy heart, shares the passing of Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Levitt Hirsch, whose exuberant demeanor made us smile and incredibly generous spirit inspired us all. Surrounded by loved ones, the 72-year-old passed away on Sunday, May 26 from ovarian cancer.

Levitt Hirsch, much like her parents Mortimer and Mimi Levitt, believed in the transformative power of music and dedicated much of her life to bringing the joy of free, live music to communities across our country, enriching millions of lives. Levitt Hirsch was so proud of the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks and our community. She loved being part of the audience at Levitt venues, including ours, and dancing along with everyone on the lawn.

“Liz was an inspiration for so many and her vision for building community at the SteelStacks venue perfectly aligned with that of ArtsQuest to provide free access to high quality concerts for everyone,” says Shayna Super, Executive Director of the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. “We are so thankful to be one of the Levitt venues blessed with the dedication and generosity of Liz Levitt Hirsch.”

In 2001, at the invitation of her then 94-year-old father, Liz became active with the family foundation, with the goal of realizing Mortimer’s vision to develop a national network of Levitt venues presenting free concerts. To get the program off the ground, Liz became a donor activist on the frontlines, traveling to cities across the country to introduce the Levitt mission to community leaders and identify potential sites and sharing the mission by networking at conferences, community events and fundraisers.

As Board President of the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation for a decade, Liz was instrumental in expanding the number of Levitt venues across the country, and SteelStacks benefitted enormously from the vision and generosity of Liz and the Levitt family. In 2024, the Foundation’s giving has grown to support free music in 50+ towns and cities across America through 650+ free Levitt concerts serving more than 800,000 people every year.

“The Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks is an important part of our organization and our community. We are able to provide free concerts that help to enrich the Lehigh Valley area and bring our community together because of the vision of the Levitt family,” states Kassie Hilgert, ArtsQuest President and CEO. “Liz and the Levitt Foundation were instrumental in getting our Levitt venue up and running and making it into the beloved space it is today. Her memory will live on in our venue, as well as the other Levitt venues, as she has impacted so many lives with her passion and philanthropy.” 

Some of Liz’s other recognitions include: an Honorary Citizen Award from the City of Memphis; recipient of the Ruby McKnight Williams Award from the NAACP (Pasadena Chapter); Gold Crown Award from Pasadena Arts Council; Finalist for the Vanguard Award presented by Western Arts Alliance; and Finalist for Philanthropist of the Year by Association of Fundraising Professionals, Los Angeles.

Liz believed in the power of free, live music to bring us all together and celebrate our shared humanity. To commemorate ‘Liz’s memory and celebrate her extraordinary contributions through music, ArtsQuest will include special remembrances throughout the entirety of this year’s Levitt season.

About ArtsQuest  
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which over 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.