Honoring Jerry Frautschi

The leadership team and employees of Overture Center for the Arts mourn the passing of Jerry Frautschi, the visionary philanthropist whose generosity transformed Madison’s cultural landscape and redefined what philanthropy can achieve.

Together with his wife, Pleasant Rowland, Jerry set the gold standard for civic giving, supporting the arts, education, history and community development with extraordinary depth, humility and care. His historic $205 million gift to build Overture Center remains the single largest contribution to the arts in U.S. history and established Madison as a world-class destination for performing and visual arts.

In celebration of Overture’s 20th anniversary last summer, Jerry said, “When I made my gift for the development of Overture Center, my vision was to create a world-class arts destination that would become the cultural hub of Madison… its success has exceeded even my most ambitious hopes and expectations.”

That vision lives on every day through the artists, audiences, students and community members who experience Overture. Every performance we host, every student we welcome, every moment of wonder that happens in this building is part of that legacy.

In 2024, Jerry reaffirmed his commitment to Overture’s future with a $10 million pledge to the Overture Forever campaign, helping ensure that this extraordinary building continues to serve generations to come.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Jerry for his trust, his vision and his lifelong devotion to this community. Our thoughts are with Pleasant and the Frautschi family.