BMI Foundation Mourns the Loss of Past Board Member and Benefactor Evelyn Buckstein, 98
BMI Foundation is mourning the loss of Evelyn Buckstein. After a long career in the music and legal sectors, Evelyn passed away peacefully on January 15, 2025 at the age of 98.
Evelyn earned her undergraduate degree from the City College of New York (CCNY) and subsequently obtained her Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law in 1951. Her exemplary career spanned over five decades at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), where she ascended to the roles of Assistant Vice President and Counsel. Evelyn was also a member of the Board of Directors of the BMI Foundation, serving us in the same way she lived, with generosity and the highest ethical standards.
In 2007, Evelyn established the Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship at the BMI Foundation, aimed at supporting talented CCNY music majors pursuing careers as songwriters, composers, performers, and educators. The scholarship prioritizes female-identifying students and students of color, reflecting Evelyn’s lifelong dedication to diversity and equity; recipients of the Buckstein Scholarship receive one full year of tuition at the school. She also founded the Jerry Harrington Awards for participants in the Lehman Engel-BMI Musical Theater Workshop, to honor a longtime friend and colleague with whom she shared a love of musical theater.
As president emeritus Ralph Jackson shared, “She lived life simply with great integrity and never seemed to tire of hard work or helping others less fortunate than herself.” Retired BMI Foundation Vice President and Board Member Gary Roth shared, “She never strayed from her guiding principles of emotional and financial support for those who could benefit from her years of service to helping future musicians and creators. As the BMI Foundation charts its path toward the future, Evelyn’s contributions will be a part of it. She will be missed but certainly not forgotten.”
Along with Roth and Jackson, members of the BMI Foundation community who worked especially closely with Evelyn and will cherish her memory are Antonella DiSaverio, Samantha Cox, Richard Garza, and Pamela Williams.
About the BMI Foundation, Inc.
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit our website at www.bmifoundation.org. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Twitter and Instagram, and like BMI Foundation on Facebook.
