Patricia Corbett Long-time Cincinnati arts patron and philanthropist Patricia Corbett died Monday, January 28, 2008, at her home in Hyde Park. Mrs. Corbett and her husband J. Ralph Corbett started their foundation in Cincinnati 1955. In the years since its inception, the Corbett Foundation contributed tens of millions of dollars toward many arts and education-related organizations, productions and scholarships. The list is long and includes not only Foundation funding but also several personal gifts from Mrs. Corbett: the restoration and preservation of Cincinnati's historic Music Hall, the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music and College of Medicine, School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Northern Kentucky University, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Ballet and Cincinnati May Festival, among others. For Music Hall, the biggest boost came when Mr. and Mrs. Corbett joined with the city to fund a major renovation of Music Hall in the late 1960s. It was a time when the structure was falling into disrepair. Mrs. Corbett is quoted as saying that she and her husband "became alarmed at the thought that we could lose this place." They financed a major, multi-year renovation of the entire structure, moving it from an exposition center and performing arts hall to a facility totally dedicated to the arts. Click here to watch The Corbett Legacy, a special program about Mr. & Mrs. Corbett. The major, multi-year renovation provided air conditioning, updating electrical wiring and plumbing, escalator service to the third floor, new seating, carpeting and painting. The funding also provided for a transformation of the south wing into administrative space for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Opera and the Cincinnati Ballet, a new conductor’s office, new Green Room, musicians’ and performers’ dressing rooms and music library. The second phase of renovation went backstage and into the north hall to revamp the rigging and counter-weight system, install a loading dock, paint shop, areas for set construction and storage, flooring, and upgrade the lighting system and orchestra pit for the Opera, Ballet and other performances that needed those facilities. These renovations made it possible for the Cincinnati Opera to move performances from the Cincinnati Zoo to Music Hall in 1972. Remodeling included an update for Dexter Hall, the large room above the lobby. It became an elegant reception room, complete with chandeliers and kitchen facilities, and would be renamed "Corbett Tower." In addition, Mr. Corbett provided the elegant chandeliers that hang in the auditorium, foyer, and in Corbett Tower. Recently, the Corbett Foundation provided the funding for extensive renovation of the north hall to give the Cincinnati Opera its own administrative home -- The Corbett Opera Center at Music Hall. Contributions in memory of Mrs. Corbett may be made to the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall. Get more information on how to make your donation. The Cincinnati Opera remembers Patricia Corbett