The event will honor opera singer Jessye Norman, choreographer Merce Cunningham, set designer Ming Cho Lee, as well as artist Helen Frankenthaler and philanthropist Douglas Durst with the college's Nelson A. Rockefeller Awards. Purchase Conservatory students will present performances as tributes to the honorees.

The college's many distinguished alumni include actors Edie Falco, Parker Posey, David Sabella, Wesley Snipes, Sherri Stringfield, and Stanley Tucci; choreographer Doug Varone; lighting designers Kenneth Posner and Brian MacDevitt, set designer David Gallo, and playwright Donald Margulies.