Thor Steingraber was appointed Interim Vice President for University Relations and Advancement and President of the CSUN Foundation in June 2021.
At the time of his appointment, Steingraber had been serving as Executive and Artistic Director of the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) since 2014, where he has brought acclaim to the 1700-seat venue. Located in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, The Soraya has come to be known as home to many Los Angeles artists and arts organizations, and Steingraber's lifetime experience as a producer has brought to The Soraya some of the most innovative and diverse programming in the region. He also has garnered record philanthropic investment for the venue and played a central role in the $17 million gift from the Nazarian family foundation that renamed the performing arts center. He currently sits on L.A. County’s Committee for Cultural Equity and Inclusion, appointed by the County’s Board of Supervisors.
Prior to joining CSUN, Steingraber served as Vice President of two of the nation’s largest performing arts centers — The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and The Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he was responsible for strategic visioning, donor and constituent engagement, fundraising, branding, and fiscal oversight and management. As Vice President of The Music Center, he was responsible for overseeing the opening of Grand Park and establishing the vision that has made the park vital to L.A. as the home to its many celebrations and holidays.
Steingraber's artistic career spans more than 20 years, directing at major venues from Lincoln Center to theaters in Europe and Asia. Los Angeles has long been his artistic home where his work for Los Angeles Opera could be seen at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion from 1994 to 2008. Steingraber also taught and directed at Yale School of Music, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and the Curtis Institute.
Steingraber is deeply passionate about the arts and looks forward to returning as Executive and Artistic Director of The Soraya upon conclusion of the search for the new Vice President for University Relations and Advancement.