The Music Man Foundation adds Curtis Stewart and Steve Benson to board

The Music Man Foundation has named violinist-composer Curtis Stewart and arts executive Steven T. Benson to its Board of Directors. The move adds artistic and financial experience as the foundation uses Meredith Willson’s licensing royalties to support arts organizations and community impact.

Why it matters: - The Music Man Foundation is adding board expertise at a time when it is directing licensing royalties from Meredith Willson’s work to arts and community organizations. - Curtis Stewart brings an artist-educator perspective, while Steven T. Benson brings decades of arts finance and endowment experience. - The appointments could shape how the foundation supports organizations using music to drive education, health and wellness, and broader access to the performing arts.

What happened: - The Music Man Foundation named Curtis Stewart and Steven T. Benson to its Board of Directors. - The announcement came July 23, 2026, in Los Angeles. - Stewart is a seven-time GRAMMY Award-nominated violinist and composer. - Benson is the former president and CEO of the Music Center Foundation.

The details: - Stewart has been praised by The New York Times for “combining omnivory and brilliance.” - Stewart serves as artistic director of the American Composers Orchestra, professor at The Juilliard School, and member of PUBLIQuartet and The Mighty Third Rail. - Stewart said his background in a musical family shaped his work in education, innovation and diversity in classical music. - Benson spent 10 years on Wall Street before moving into arts philanthropy more than 27 years ago. - Benson led the Music Center Foundation for 15 years and helped grow it to nearly $320 million in assets. - Benson’s work with Music Center resident companies focused on expanding resources for arts education and access to the performing arts. - Sarah Lyding, the foundation’s executive director, said the two new directors bring different backgrounds that fit the foundation’s role as an artist legacy foundation. - Lyding said the foundation honors Meredith Willson, who wrote the Tony Award-winning musical “The Music Man,” and stewards licensing royalties from Willson’s works for community benefit. - Benson said arts organizations can have a strong positive effect on the communities they serve when they have security and room to innovate. - Benson said he is especially interested in the foundation’s support for music-based health and wellness work and music education. - The foundation said it has awarded more than $32 million to 90 organizations over the last decade. - The foundation said it donates 100% of profits from Willson’s licensing royalties to organizations that use music to catalyze enduring change and amplify his musical legacy. - Meredith Willson also wrote “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas” and the University of Iowa fight song. - More information is available at the foundation’s website.

Between the lines: - The board additions blend creative and financial experience, which can matter for a foundation that balances grantmaking, stewardship and legacy preservation. - Stewart’s background signals a continued emphasis on artists’ voices in governance. - Benson’s endowment background suggests a focus on long-term sustainability as the foundation deploys royalty income.

What’s next: - Stewart and Benson will join the foundation’s board as it continues funding organizations that use music for social impact. - The foundation’s next phase likely centers on maintaining grant support while managing the legacy tied to Meredith Willson’s catalog.

The bottom line: - The Music Man Foundation is reinforcing its board with one leader rooted in the arts and another in arts finance, strengthening both mission and stewardship.