Monday begins my 12th summer season as Usdan’s Executive Director. By now, I have come to anticipate this flood of joy and creativity that students bring to campus each summer, always affirming the third line of our mission: “When we welcome the diverse group of passionate young artists here each summer the heart of Usdan comes alive.”

Our summer theme, VOICE, feels especially enlivening this year, celebrating the individual expressions that make up our unique community. With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next week, we look forward to exploring various American voices. The World Cup in our region also invites us to consider the possibilities of global voices. Throughout the summer, this theme will be reflected in Festival performances, open studios, lesson plans, and community art projects.

We hope all friends of Usdan will join in the fun. Visit our 2026 Summer Calendar for dates and directions on how to visit. We will also be sending the Summer Weekly with recaps, along with reminders about upcoming performances, exhibitions, and community events.

See you soon! 

Lauren Brandt Schloss 
Executive Director

Along with our theme, Usdan celebrates a chosen element and insect every summer in appreciation of the vibrant ecosystem that makes up Usdan’s campus. This year's element, EARTH, reminds us to appreciate and collaborate with our shared home. 

We highlight an insect to help students feel comfortable with our fellow creatures. ANTS can be found building little hills on paths and plants across campus. This summer and beyond, we encourage curiosity and appreciation of the little creatures that help our biodiverse campus thrive. 

Whether you are a current family, a new friend, or an alum, we hope you join us in a summer of appreciating the EARTH and the ANTS. 

WHAT'S COMING UP AT USDAN

• Save the Date for 2026 Community Gatherings
  • July Community Day: Wed, Jul 22 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:05 p.m.
  • Hip-Hop Pool Party: Sat, Aug 8 from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
  • August Community Day: Wed, Aug 19 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:05 p.m.
• Check out the 2026 Summer Calendar for a full list of Festival performances, Theater shows, in-studio performances, open studios, and more. Check out the last page of the calendar for details on how to visit for any show this summer. 
• Register for the My Style Camp Usdan Merch Workshop on Saturday, July 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at My Style Camp in Port Washington. This fun, hands-on event is open to all members of the Usdan community and 10% of the proceeds go back to supporting Usdan. Make sure to RSVP! 
• Enrollment for our second session (4-week B) running from July 27 – August 21 is still open. Enroll today! 
• Text 631-646-1677 with any enrollment questions or to schedule a one-on-one phone call. You may also reach us Mon – Fri, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at enrollment@usdan.org or by calling 631-643-7900.

Did you know about these tuition discounts? 

If you believe Summer Arts Camp at Usdan is a valuable place for children to experience the transformative power of the arts, we hope you will take a few minutes today to think of a child in your life who would thrive at camp and share our program with them.

Friend Referral Discount: For every new family who enrolls and was referred by your family, you will receive a $150 tuition discount.

Alumni Referral Discount: Any new student referred by a Usdan alum—a former Usdan student who has completed a summer at Usdan and has graduated grade 12—will receive a 10% tuition discount. This includes children of alumni, extended family members, and friends.

Sibling Discount: Two children: $500 off the second 8-week child enrolled; $250 off the second 4-week child enrolled. Three or more children: $1,200 off each additional 8-week child enrolled; $600 off each additional 4-week child enrolled.

Scholarships and discounts cannot be combined to total 25% or more of the original tuition and are not available for our 1-week Recreational Camp Program. Learn more.

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Usdan receives grant to restore eight Music studios

Earlier this month, Usdan received the Capital Projects Fund grant award of $237K from NYSCA to support the restoration of eight Music studio roofs on Usdan's campus. This grant is part of a capital project by NYSCA, which totals over $82 million to 132 arts & culture facilities across New York.

Usdan's Festival performance lineup is live

This year's Festival lineup includes performances from alumni such as celebrated songwriter and musical theater writer Zack Zadek (Mon, Jul 6) and back-by-popular demand acts such as The Red Trouser Show (Mon, Jul 27). Check out the full lineup here. 

New works to premiere at Usdan this summer 

Usdan's New Works initiative commissions original musicals inspired by and developed with Usdan students. Written by former Theater Chair Jim Incorvaia with music and lyrics by Music Director Ben Boecker, "Sleepy Hollow Awakens: A Washington Irving Re-mix," will premiere Thu, Jul 23.   

Interested in volunteering at Usdan this summer? 

Email volunteers@usdan.org if you are interested in contributing to the transformative power of the arts on campus this summer! 

Lose Yourself at Usdan, Find Yourself Surrounded by Lemurs

Our Alum Spotlights highlight former Usdan students who have gone on to have exciting careers in the arts and beyond. Written to inspire our current and future students, the spotlights show how you can lose yourself for summer and find yourself for a lifetime at Usdan.*

When Usdan alum Abby Flyer reflects on her summers at Usdan, she describes a magical oasis.  

"It felt like we were taking a bus ride to a different world.” 

For Abby, who studied Musical Theater and Creative Writing at Usdan in 2013 and 2014, that "different world" offered something rare: a place to immerse herself in nature, explore her creativity, and become who she is. 

Years later, she found another place that feels familiar. 

Today, Abby is the Communications and Education Specialist at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina, where she spends her days helping people connect with one of the world's most endangered groups of mammals. On her best days, she says, it feels surprisingly similar to wandering through Usdan's wooded campus. 

"It's like being in a unique little dimension where I can be in the forest with lemurs." 

Usdanites Out & About

(L-R) Erika Floreska, Executive Director of the Long Island Children's Museum & Usdan Alumni Parent with Usdan Development Coordinator Emily Gilligan at a professional development event in June. 

In Snapchat co-founder Evan Speigel's keynote address that officially announced Snapchat's new augmented reality (AR) glasses, Specs, he featured beloved Usdan Marketing & Communications Consultant & Snapchat Ambassador Lafiya Watson's AR work along with an interview with her (left & top right). Later that day, Lafiya and the rest of the Snapchat Spec Ambassador team (bottom right) met with Evan to give feedback on engaging with the developer community.  

Do you have any Usdan news we should know about? Write to us at media@usdan.org or tag us on Instagram @usdanarts, and we may feature it in our next newsletter or on our social channels!