Highlights

Ballet Arizona has posthumously established the Judie Cosentino Endowment Fund, dedicating it to the company's October production at Symphony Hall in perpetuity — a tribute to a patron whose philanthropic reach extended well beyond a single organization.

Cosentino's giving touched Ballet Arizona, The Phoenix Symphony, KBAQ, Arizona Theatre Company, and the Humane Society. Born in San Francisco, she lived in Chicago and then New York City before settling in Arizona in the 1990s. She painted and sculpted, and the Ballet Arizona tribute describes her as an artist who found meaning in the arts for their ability to elevate culture.

Executive Director Jami Kozemczak memorialized her in a statement: "Her life was art—the paintings she created, the music she cherished, the compassion she showed to every living being. May every note from the orchestra, and every step our dancers take, echo her spirit—creative, tenacious, and forever inspiring."

The endowment is structured so that the opening of each Ballet Arizona season at Symphony Hall will mark Cosentino's memory, tying her legacy to the moment a new chapter begins each fall. The organization notes that her support reflected a deep respect for the creative process and the people behind it.

Donors interested in creating a similar legacy gift can learn more through Ballet Arizona's Legacy for Dance program. The first October production supported by the Cosentino Endowment Fund has not yet been announced.

Sources

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  1. balletaz.org retrieved 2026-05-06T08:11:37.183534+00:00

Authored by lily_ortega. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 2026-05-06T08:11:37.183534+00:00. Every claim traces to a source.