A long-standing passion for Tampa’s music community has now left a lasting mark on the USF arts scene. 

The USF Concert Hall was officially renamed the Peter and Cynthia Zinober Concert Hall on March 20, honoring the couple’s $2.5 million gift to the university earlier this year.

Amy Harroun, a spokesperson for the USF Foundation, said the donation is the largest gift ever in the history of the USF College of Design, Art and Performance.

Harroun said the funds will be used where the college needs them most and help with improvements.

“Transformative gifts allow the university to build a better future, achieve long-term goals and create lasting change,” Harroun said. 

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The naming followed a small ceremony with family and friends and was later announced in a USF newsroom article, according to Cynthia Zinober. For the couple, the recognition reflects their decades of involvement with the arts.

The concert hall was constructed in 2011, features a 450-seat layout and serves as a hub for student, faculty and guest performances, according to the USF Foundation website.

Peter, 81, and Cynthia Zinober, 78, first connected with USF in the 1970s, shortly after moving to Tampa for their careers. Peter began practicing labor and employment law while Cynthia worked in development, supporting the Tampa Museum of Art and USF’s Graphicstudio. 

Though both are graduates of the University of Florida, Cynthia said they quickly became active in the USF arts community, attending summer theater productions, music performances and connecting with university leadership. 

But their love for music and the arts stretches back even further. Peter, who spent much of his early life as a musician playing piano and other brass instruments, said he still plays in community bands. 

Cynthia said she helps coordinate performances at senior living facilities around Hillsborough County for local bands. 

“We are so emotionally involved with music and with art and with theater,” Cynthia said. “We wanted to contribute as it is such an important part of our lives.”

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The idea for the gift to USF came organically, sparked by years of personal involvement with the university.

But the Zinobers said seeing their names on the hall came as a moving surprise.

“It’s sort of a physical manifestation of our passion for music and our involvement with USF,” Peter said.

From dance to theater to music, the couple has long supported and attended productions from USF students and faculty alike. 

“We’ve attended many performances there, and it’s an amazing concert hall,” Peter said. “Beautiful and acoustically brilliant.”

Peter said he hopes the gift will help bring world-class artists to campus and sees the arts as essential to building a fuller life. 

“We think young people ought to be passionate,” Peter said. “Even if it’s not what you do professionally, having that passion is important.” 

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The Zinobers said they hope their story encourages others to find a cause that stirs their soul. 

“Don’t sit around or feel sorry for yourself. Find something that excites you,” Peter said. “It doesn’t have to be the arts, but it should be something that moves you to act.”

As for their hopes for the future, the Zinobers said they simply want to watch others enjoy the space. 

“I so look forward to sitting quietly in the back of the room and watching people enjoy the performances,” Cynthia said.

Their names now mark the concert hall, a space where they’ve long been involved as supporters and attendees of the arts at USF.

“It’s fun to be part of it while we’re still living,” Peter said.