In the community of piano teachers, one would be hard pressed to find two people who are more committed or passionate about nurturing young talented pianists than Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz.

Through their 60-year careers, these two men have become synonymous with the best our profession has to offer, and significantly, they have achieved this in large part by their endeavors in educating young people. Indeed, one could argue they have done more to foster the development of young pianists than anyone of their generation. Through the New York International Piano Competition they founded, which is part of the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, they are providing a unique opportunity for future artists to develop their craft in ways that are very different from the traditional piano competition.

Many readers will be familiar with Stecher and Horowitz as an internationally acclaimed piano duo who began performing in 1951. As one of the leading piano-duos of its time, Stecher and Horowitz performed for almost 50 years, delighting audiences worldwide with their innovative and imaginative programming. Some readers will be familiar with the Stecher and Horowitz Piano Library, a comprehensive teaching series published by G. Schirmer. Indeed, Stecher and Horowitz served as educational consultants for G. Schirmer for many years, producing numerous fine pedagogical volumes for pianists. Other readers will be familiar with Stecher and Horowitz through their “fourth career”-the New York International Piano Competition.

But how many of us know them as the committed and passionate educators that they are? In a recent phone conversation I had with Stecher and Horowitz, it became even clearer to me how decidedly passionate they are about the education and training of young people. Their name recognition and international reputations make them particularly qualified to be able to make a real difference in the profession. And given the success and rising stature of the New York International Piano Competition, it appears they are succeeding wonderfully in their fourth career.

To appreciate the depth of their commitment to education, one needs to go back to around 1960. At this time Stecher and Horowitz were heavily immersed in their performing careers, traveling worldwide and receiving international acclaim for their duo-piano concerts, as arrested by a Newsweek magazine feature article in 1960. While touring in Costa Rica, Stecher became ill, and they realized the necessity of establishing other professional activities in case they weren’t able to tour as a piano duo. Fortunately, that never happened, and the Stecher and Horowitz Duo continued performing throughout much of the world for almost five decades!

Turning to educational endeavors was the obvious choice, as both of them had already worked as music counselors at summer camps and particularly enjoyed their interactions with young musicians. Their performances across the United States allowed them to meet many local music teachers, and they became keenly aware of the necessity of improving music educational standards in this country. Consequently, a music school was immediately seen as the most viable way of effecting these changes. But where and how could they begin this endeavor?

In December 1959, a builder informed them of an old farmhouse in Cedarhurst, New York, that he was going to tear down to build two new homes. Stecher and Horowitz persuaded the builder to show them the property as they thought it might be a possible venue for housing the community music school of music they were eager to start. They were able to persuade the builder to sell them the property and succeeded in getting him to serve as general contractor for the necessary renovations to the building. (This gives us an idea of how persuasive these gentlemen can be, and, I believe, has played a significant role in their continued success and longevity in such a competitive field).

In January 1960, Stecher and Horowitz purchased the property for $10,500, completed renovations on the house by June of that year, and in September 1960, they opened the Stecher and Horowitz School of Music with 40 students. Three years later saw the first expansion of the school, and in September 1963, they began the academic year with 110 enrolled students. In 1975, the Stecher and Horowitz School of Music became a non-profit foundation and the name was permanently changed to the Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts. Before being closed in 1999 to make the transition to the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation in New York City, the school was to see two more expansions-in 1988 and again in 1993, having a faculty of 25-30 members, with more than 15,000 students attending the school during its 39 year history. That in itself is an amazing accomplishment.

When Stecher and Horowitz first opened their music school in 1960, there seemed to be a real hunger for these kinds of community schools. There were other such schools at the time, to be sure, but Stecher and Horowitz were especially interested in creating an environment that would enable students to develop a lifelong commitment to music. Doing this meant they had to find teachers who shared their commitment to education.

They found that hiring qualified and effective teachers was quite a difficult task, as most people at that time believed that if they had had piano lessons as a child, they were qualified to teach. Despite the many advances that piano pedagogy programs throughout the country have afforded our profession over the last 30 years, Stecher and Horowitz believe there continues to be those who think they’re qualified to teach piano simply because of their childhood lessons. Sadly, perhaps some things will never change.

To get an idea of their commitment to finding appropriately qualified teachers, Stecher and Horowitz interviewed 15-20 candidates for each piano teacher they hired. They frequently found the younger teachers/pianists ultimately made the best teachers, as these people were eager to learn the art of teaching, and, perhaps more importantly, were young enough to be able to adapt their approach to teaching and learn from the experience of Stecher and Horowitz.

By starting the music school they were not only training the young people, but also serving as a kind of pedagogy institute for the teachers who taught there and, in the process, helping to raise the standards of the independent music teacher. Stecher and Horowitz said another important reason for starting the school was to get teachers to join MTNA, attend workshops and conferences and, thereby, improve their credentials as teachers.

In 1960, perhaps the most widely used piano method was John Thompson’s, and while many fine pianists have undoubtedly received their early training through the John Thompson method, it is to the credit of Stecher and Horowitz that they realized the need for higher quality pedagogical resources. And of course, this is long before piano pedagogy programs were in existence. With the typical methods of the day offering little, if any, instruction in sight-reading, music theory and ear training, Stecher and Horowitz searched for better materials to educate the young people in their school. Finding precious few, they began to create their own resources, and this was part of the impetus for the numerous pedagogical materials in the Stecher and Horowitz Piano Library published by G. Schirmer.

In time, this led to the development of a comprehensive curriculum that encompassed six or seven years of piano study, complete with 60-70 repertoire pieces at each level from which the teacher could choose appropriate repertoire for their students. From the initial stages of the school, students had separate theory classes two times per month and were required to perform at three recitals each year, with all music being memorized. Additionally, Stecher and Horowitz conducted twice-yearly examinations in scales for all of the students, and those examinations were administered by Stecher and Horowitz themselves.

One may wonder how they found the time to be so intimately involved with the day-to-day operations of the school with such a busy touring schedule. Their management agency, Columbia Artists, was very cooperative in this regard, and touring was arranged around the demands of the school. This meant spending holidays on the road-Christmas and Easter breaks, for example-so they could limit the amount of time they were away from the school. When on the road performing, Stecher and Horowitz would often drive all night to get from one city to another for the next concert, with one sleeping and the other driving. Regardless of what was happening on the road, they called the school every evening at 6:00 P.M. to check in on the day’s events. Three times each year, Stecher and Horowitz arranged their touring schedule so that they could be present at the school for two weeks prior to student recitals in order to personally hear each and every student. Parents of the students enrolled in the school received written progress reports three times each year, keeping them appraised of their child’s development.

In the 1970s, students often had a commitment to music study that lasted many years, and Stecher and Horowitz said they regularly had students who attended their school for eight to 10 years, with many of them returning in the summers to take refresher courses. But by the late 1990s, as students became more involved with other activities, it became apparent that Stecher and Horowitz would need to move on to the next chapter to continue their commitment to educating young people.

They realized the next logical outgrowth of the school of the arts was to find a way to mentor young pianists and provide them with extra-musical skills that could greatly enhance their chances of succeeding in this business. We all know that developing a career as a classical pianist requires many things. While first-rate training is certainly a pre-requisite, that alone cannot even begin to ensure a successful performing career. For that, one needs much more than a good pedigree, as legions of would-be concert pianists can attest. To make it in this highly competitive world, one needs many things in addition to great training- performance opportunities in important venues, contacts with important people in the business and a certain amount of knowledge about how the business works are just a few things that come to mind. Music schools and conservatories have always done, and continue to do, a wonderful job providing the necessary musical and pianistic skills to young pianists. But I believe many of these same schools fall woefully short in providing their students with the business acumen necessary to succeed in this field.

Stecher and Horowitz embarked on what they refer to as their fourth career, and moved the foundation to New York City, establishing the New York International Piano Competition in 2002, open to pianists of all nationalities, ages 16-21. Stecher and Horowitz found the perfect vehicle to further their mission of educating young musicians, and it is through their flagship program-this unique biennial piano competition-that they have been able to continue their mentoring and development of outstanding young pianists from around the world.

In these times when piano competitions proliferate, it is important to understand the unique character of this piano competition. As the focus and mission of the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation is not merely to discover remarkable young pianistic talent but to mentor these young people, it was necessary for them to come up with a competition structure that would enable them to realize their vision. When the decision was made to close the Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts, the two men spent a full year and a half researching and evaluating every piano competition that they could find. They were interested in devising a structure that was not only different from every other piano competition, but one that could benefit young pianists in ways that other competitions failed.

Consequently, they came up with a structure in which 22 pianists are invited to New York, and once there, no one is eliminated. This is a unique concept and, I believe, the only piano competition that follows this format. Once a young pianist is invited to New York to participate in the competition, he or she will play in all four rounds of the competition, and therefore benefit from all that the competition environment has to offer, regardless of the final results. In this sense, each and every competitor goes home a winner, because each one has the opportunity to perform multiple times, network with other young pianists, exchange valuable information about the field and cultivate a support system that will carry them through their pre-professional years and beyond. One could argue that the competition feels more like a festival because each contestant participates in seminars and master classes with some of the world’s great pianists and pedagogues who serve as jurors for the competition. This is a further example of the commitment that Stecher and Horowitz have toward providing artistic development for these young pianists.

Selecting the 22 candidates for such an event is obviously an important responsibility, and each student DVD submitted is listened to in its entirety and evaluated by three screening jurors in addition to Stecher and Horowitz. Normally, Stecher and Horowitz have listened to the DVD three or four times before evaluating them with the screening jurors. Once selected, pianists are required to perform the repertoire that was submitted on the application with the DVD, and no repertoire changes are permitted.

One of the more visible programs of the Foundation is the Documentary series, consisting of three documentaries – Speaking With Music, Beyond the Practice Room and On a Personal Note – that have aired on PBS stations numerous times. Each of these documentaries tells a story about what it means to get to the competition and goes to the inner core of who the performer really is.

I have long felt that one of the greatest rewards of being a teacher is the opportunity the teacher has to make a difference in a student’s life. I’m sure each of us has at least one teacher in our past-music or otherwise- who seemed to take a special interest in us and really made a difference in our lives. Perhaps the commitment Stecher and Horowitz have to teaching and educating young musicians can be best summarized by two things they said in an interview for this article: 1) Even when they had more than 400 students at their school, each student, regardless of who their teacher was, was also a student of Stecher and Horowitz. Once the student came in the door, they believed it was their responsibility and obligation to nurture that student and to keep him interested in music. And 2) They never gave up on anyone. Sometimes a student who struggled in the first three or four years would suddenly blossom and excel in the fifth year. If only we all that kind of commitment to our students.

What an astounding gift that Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz have given to their many, many students throughout the last 50-plus years. That gift continues through their tireless devotion to mentoring and helping young pianists with the New York International Piano Competition. Bravo to Stecher and Horowitz!

AMT

The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation presents The Sixth New York International Piano Competition in New York City, a biennial event open to pianists of all nationalities. Twenty-two young pianists, ages 16-21, from around the world, will gather for a week-long event, June 17-22, 2012.

Each young artist will compete for cash prizes and concert appearances. There is no elimination of participants during the competition’s four rounds. Each contestant will be judged by a jury of the most distinguished members of the international music community. In addition to the prizes awarded to the winners, the Foundation presents a cash award to each of the remaining contestants.

Rather than the traditional competition model where the focus is on winning, The New York International Piano Competition provides an opportunity for contestants to perform, network, exchange information and cultivate a support system that will carry them through their pre-professional years.

The competition is dedicated to providing artistic development, educational enhancement, seminars, master classes and performance opportunities. The New York International Piano Competition will be held at The Manhattan School of Music, with opening ceremonies at Steinway Hall. Steinway is the official piano of The New York International Piano Competition.

IMPORTANT DATES
May 2, 2011: The 2012 application will be available
December 6, 2011: Application deadline
March 7, 2012: Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance to applicant
June 17, 2012: Introductory meeting and drawing of the order of performance
June 18, 2012: Competition begins
June 22, 2012: Awards ceremony

On a Personal Note is a poignant documentary about the New York Piano Competition, a five-day, no-elimination contest for 14-to-18-year-olds. The up-close filmmaking takes viewers inside a rarefied universe of aspiring classical performers and helps general audiences understand the mystery, the music, and the magic of serious piano performance. It is available on DVD but will also debut on New York’s WLIW Saturday, July 9.

It takes a lifetime of experience to feel secure when preparing an article, short story, or commentary on a particular subject that could be interpreted as controversial, or possibly vindictive. We feel, however, that these adjectives do not apply to our particular argument.

As pianists, educators, composers, directors of a highly successful school of the arts for 39 years, and now founding/directors of the New York International Piano Competition since 2002, we feel compelled to comment on the state of piano competitions accessible to participants worldwide.

Our basic premise is to offer young, aspiring pianists the opportunity of achieving their personal and professional goals through mentoring, career guidance, artistic development, and performance opportunities throughout the year. Individuality and excellence are mainstays of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation’s core objectives, focusing the young artists’ horizons toward the pursuit of a realistic and attainable career in music.

The New York International Piano Competition was created after studying and observing competitions worldwide. We were determined to offer serious piano students and young aspiring artists (ages 16-21) the opportunity to compete in an environment that was constructive, educational, musically sound, and ethically without equal. We studied the procedures and requirements of dozens of competitions, carefully observed the juries, made note of the prizes given; and, above all, analyzed the final performance opportunities and follow-through offered. These determinations were made either by reading the competition requirements in print or by speaking to contestants, jury members, teachers, and fellow directors.

We were determined to approach our concept of a unique piano competition, offering specific areas that were not part of any other known competition. Our most important innovation was to be the very first that included No Elimination at any time. Once an applicant was accepted to be a contestant, it was guaranteed and stated that the contestant would have the opportunity of performing in all rounds and be able to compete from the very first day through the end of the competition. We specifically limited the number of contestants to 22, affording each the opportunity of being heard throughout the entire week. This concept would be impossible if we were to accept 35-40 contestants. We feel it an injustice to accept applicants from all over world, only to send them home after being eliminated after the first or second round. Nothing could be more devastating to a young, ambitious potential. Our concept thrilled every applicant, and it took the fear and hesitancy out of applying. It was stated and again assured that in addition to the prizes awarded to the winners, a cash amount of $1,000 would be presented to each of the remaining contestants.

The application was posted on the website of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation as well as referred to in all publicity announcing the competition; publicity that was sent to every conservatory, music institution, well-known private teacher, and music studio. The response was overwhelming, and extremely gratifying.

There is no need to refer to the requirements printed within the application, but mention is made at this time that it requires a full understanding of repertoire embracing music from the baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary periods. In addition, another first is the inclusion of a round devoted to one-piano four hand repertoire, selected by the directors and sent to contestants accepted 10 weeks prior to the beginning of the competition. Teams are determined at the opening ceremonies by drawing, and within five days, the experience of playing with a partner is enhanced through coaching sessions with caring, enthusiastic and highly skilled musicians.

Another first has been the commissioning of a contemporary work, also sent out ten weeks before the competition commences. In 2006, the commissioned work was composed by Michael Torke, and in 2008, it was John Musto. For the just completed 2010 competition, it was the decision to utilize an existing exciting work and the composition selected was the second and demanding movement from the Sonata No. 2: II Agitato by the Israeli composer Avner Dorman. The intense excitement generated by both the contestants and the jury is hard to describe. It is interesting to note that in addition to the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Prizes awarded, there is a First Prize and a Second Prize for the One-Piano Four Hands Ensembles, and a separate prize for the Best Performance of the Required Contemporary Work.  Imagine all the opportunities every contestant is given by being able to compete all week long and in so many different musical categories.

As you can see, we are extremely proud of the opportunities we are affording these young, aspiring artists. Our hearts are with them every moment they are in New York City, and it is an enormous undertaking, awe-inspiring, exhilarating, and tremendously demanding.

Now, we come to the crux of the problem, and the subject that generated this article. We feel that a healthy competition that embraces honesty, integrity, fairness, sensitivity and ethics is a must for developing young artists. As a point of reference, the duo-pianists Stecher and Horowitz, toured the world for more than forty years when three thousand venues existed throughout every corner of the USA. Recitals were a way of life throughout all of America and Canada; made possible by Columbia Artists Management/Community Concerts, National Concert and Artists Corporation/Civic Music, and non-existing smaller regional managements. In today’s society, competitions offer a venue to be heard, to be discussed, to be observed, and to be a possible candidate for institutions of higher learning; even remotely an opportunity for consideration for possible management and representation. These are positive factors, open to all who have vision and experience. Competitions have replaced the small theaters, concert halls, high school auditoriums, and movie houses that once were homes for the aspiring artists.

We pride ourselves on never allowing any musician/judge to occupy a seat as a juror at our competitions if he or she has a student competing. We find it unconscionable that the juries in many competitions do not follow this rule. Fairness and integrity are non-existent and the best performer does not necessarily become a prize-winner.

For example, at The New York International Piano Competition, after each round the judges’ scores are collected and they can never be adjusted or altered at any future time. Each round is reviewed independently and the final score is never discussed nor is it open for any consideration following the tallying of numbers by an independent person who specializes in the development and implementation of the computerized system for adjudication of the contestants’ scores.

A perfect example of our point in question occurred in 2004. The late Constance Keene served as the Jury Chair during the 2002 NYIPC. Her co-jurors were all distinguished musicians, and they responded to our stringent rules and regulations with great professionalism and appreciation.  In 2004, Ms. Keene informed us that she had two students who were entering the competition. We were quite upset and somewhat ‘taken aback.’ How do we approach the formidable Constance Keene either to resign  from the jury or not allow her students to enter the competition? We flipped a coin, and the loser asked our attorney to accompany him to Ms. Keene’s apartment on the West Side of Manhattan, to discuss the matter. Upon entering, Ms. Keene asked, “Are you here to ask me to resign from the jury because of having a student as a possible candidate?” She was as sly as a fox and could almost always predict the subject before it was presented. She immediately said there was no problem resigning and would never stand in the way of a student. Long story short; her 14 year old student won First Prize, and has gone on to become a fine pianist/conductor.

This year, one of our pillar jurors called us to say she had taught ten lessons to a contestant accepted, and was asking our opinion as how to handle the matter. We immediately advised that she not serve this year, and so she obliged. The student in question won Second Prize; all was on the up-and-up, and we felt our integrity was still in place.

How do we impose our concepts upon our colleagues who do not necessarily agree with our beliefs? Are we to fight this battle alone, offering fairness, honesty and integrity as if we were on an isolated planet? If this short article does nothing but stir the pot a bit, it will not have gone in vain. Perhaps the conscience of those whose names go unmentioned will get this message if there is any possibility they are exposed to this discourse. For the sake of young emerging pianists, or anyone in the process of entering any competition, we urge them to be aware which contestants are selected, what the origin of their training is, and who is sitting on the jury.

Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz have been duo pianists since 1951. Stecher and Horowitz have presented concerts worldwide to critical acclaim. For thirty-nine years, they headed The Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts, and have served as educational consultants to G. Schirmer.

“I believe I learned more this week than I have this past year. It is unbelievable how hard these contestants practice. Their ideas about touch, tone, tempo, stage presence will stay with me forever. I am thankful for having been given such rigorous opportunities to practice and perform on stage. I wish I didn’t have to leave, but what can I do?”

“I’m extremely impressed by the concept of the competition allowing contestants to perform in all rounds. I must admit I’ve never seen nor would I ever see or participate in any other competition that would do away with elimination. For me a competition is one of the limited ways an aspiring musician can get exposure and an opportunity to show and share one’s opinion and uniqueness but very sadly, competitions to many others elsewhere means COMPETITION. I want to complement everyone that made this competition possible (The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation) and hope the foundation continues to carry on the tradition and be a major platform for generations of aspiring concert artists for years to come.”

“The New York International Piano Competition is a truly unique experience and I feel that I’ve actually done quite a bit in the past week. Everything feels very organized and I really enjoyed just being part of this event. The people I’ve met, organizers, accompanists, coaches, have been very warm and welcoming. The lectures were educational and interesting, the duets were fun and a great way to end the competition. Thank you for all the wonderful events and memories. It was a pleasure to attend this competition.”

 “Seeing all of the events that were planned for this competition, I was curious to see how they would be organized. I feel that everything ran very smoothly and was explained clearly. Compared to other competitions, this created a non-stressful environment. The opportunity for every competitor to play in every round was wonderful because it gave us a chance to try many pieces in a good setting. This helped me to see what I personally need to work on in the future. I am very grateful that I was able to participate in such a well-organized competition.”

http://www.nyconcertreview.com/blog/?page_id=748

June 28, 2010, New York City—16-year old pianist Kate Liu was awarded First Prize at the Fifth New York International Piano Competition, which was held at The Manhattan School of Music, June 21-25, 2010. Ms. Liu, born in Singapore and a resident of Winnetka, Illinois, received 6,000 for her accomplishment. In addition to winning First Prize, she was also singled out for her “Best Performance” of a required contemporary work, which this year was Avner Dorman’s Sonata No. 2: Il Agitato. Mr. Dorman, a noted Israeli composer, was on hand to present this award to Ms. Liu at the final awards ceremony.

Kate Liu began playing the piano at the age of four. She now resides in Winnetka, IL and studies with Dr. Alan Chow of the Music Institute of Chicago. Ms. Liu has also studied with Meng-Chieh Liu, Emilio del Rosario and Micah Yui. Ms. Liu has been a prize-winner at several competitions including the Society of American Musicians Competition, Louisiana International Piano Competition, and the junior division of the Chicago Steinway Competition, among others.

The Second Prize was awarded to Taipei-born Yen-Yu Chen, age 16, a student at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia; the Third Prize went to Jung Eun Kim, age16, from Seoul, South Korea; the winners of the First Prize in One Piano Four Hands category were Jung Eun Kim and Anna Dmytrenko, 17, from Newark, Delaware; the Second-Prize winners in the One Piano Four Hands category were Chelsea Wang, age 16, from Des Moines, Iowa, and Fan-Ya Lin, age 20, from Ogden, Utah.

Twenty-two pianists, ages 16-21, gathered from across the globe for this week-long event. The level of competition has been uniformly high over the event’s 10 year history; former winners have gone on to win the YCA first prize and become NFAA Presidential Scholars. Held every two years, the New York International Piano Competition is dedicated to providing artistic development, educational enhancement, seminars, master classes and performance opportunities. This year’s jurors included Ian Hobson, Tong-Il Han, André-Michel Schub, Alan Walker, Jane Coop, and Erik Tawaststjerna.

The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, a non-profit organization, is an outgrowth of the renowned Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts which was founded in 1960 in Cedarhurst, New York. Until 1999 the school was Nassau County’s leading conservatory of music, attended by some 15,000 students during its thirty-nine year history. The Foundation is now dedicated to an expanded concept that seeks to inspire and support outstanding young musicians nationwide.

Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz, Executive Directors of the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, have devoted a lifetime to the musical education of young people. Internationally recognized as one of the most distinguished duo-piano teams of their generation, Stecher and Horowitz are equally renowned for their multi-faceted activities as performers, teachers, composers and educational consultants – activities that have earned them a unique position in the world of music. Having been co-directors of the Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts for 39 years, (1960-1999) it was apparent to both principals that the most important and formative years for developing interested young musicians were the pre-teen years and into the early twenties, a good decade of concentrated and formative development. The New York International Piano Competition was originally founded on this premise. For further information about the Fifth New York Piano Competition please visit www.stecherandhorowitz.org.

For more information, please contact Hemsing Associates at (212) 772-1132 or visit www.hemsingpr.com ###

Roger Evans Online /Music, Humane Letter and Media

Rogerevansonline.com

June 7, 2009

As noted here before (and by Anne Midgette elsewhere), the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Competition has taken a fresh approach to its presentation of contemporary works. In the event, many of the competitors have told interviewers that they chose a work from the four possibilities based on what they thought they could learn in time. And who can blame them? John Musto’s difficult “Improvisation and Fugue” thus was played by only one of the semi-finalists, Nobuyuki Tsujii. But that twenty-year-old not only took a gold medal but won the large cash award for the best performance of a contemporary piece for his crystalline interpretation of the Musto work. That he learned it in a short time and played it with confidence is a great tribute to him, and his winning shows the good judgment of the jury. He had been a clear audience favorite throughout.

The young Japanese pianist did not choose the Musto as his only challenging work by any means. He played hours of major works (including, among many other things, the Hammerklavier Sonata, a Schumann quintet, and concertos by Chopin and Rachmaninoff). He has been blind from birth.

The new work, which was commissioned by the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation for their own Fourth New York International Piano Competition held last summer, where it enjoyed some brilliant performances, can be heard in Nobuyuki Tsujii’s prize-winning version on Cliburn TV (at Semifinal Archive for May 31), and played by the winner of the Stecher and Horowitz competition, Allen Yueh, here. You will want to compare the two quite distinct interpretations.

The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation announces two major changes in its biennial New York Piano Competition (NYPC). For the first time the Competition will accept contestant applications from outside the United States effective January 15, 2009 for the summer of 2010, a change in the procedures of accepting applications only from students (American or foreign) who were pursuing studies in the United States. With this development the 2010 Competition will be known as the New York International Piano Competition. In addition, it will expand its age category upwards from 14-18 years to 16-21 years — this affords contestants in the late teens the opportunity to interact musically with promising young adults, serving as a challenging incentive toward greater achievement. The original concept of allowing all contestants to complete their participation without elimination will remain the same, fostering the fullest musical interaction between contestants throughout the entire span of the competition. The New York International Piano Competition remains true to its predecessor’s philosophy that the primary goal of a musical competition is to further the musical development of its contestants.

The New York International Piano Competition will bring students together for a week-long event which will include three competition rounds and a series of masterclasses, as well as an ensemble round in which contestants are paired up for one-piano, four hand repertoire. The New York International Piano Competition’s philosophy of no elimination is unique; each contestant will perform in all of the rounds and be judged by some of the most distinguished members of the music community. Each contestant will return home a winner, either as a prize or finalist award recipient. Based on long professional experience, The New York International Piano Competition believes that, although winning is always exciting, it is more important to provide a climate for learning and sharing that makes every contestant a winner.

The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, a non-profit organization, is an outgrowth of the renowned Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts which was founded in 1960 in Cedarhurst, New York. Until 1999 the school was Nassau County­s leading conservatory of music, attended by some 15,000 students during its thirty­nine year history. The Foundation is now dedicated to an expanded concept that seeks to inspire and support outstanding young musicians worldwide.

Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz, Executive Directors of the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, have devoted a lifetime to the musical education of young people. Internationally recognized as one of the most distinguished duo­piano teams of their generation, Stecher and Horowitz are equally renowned for their multi­faceted activities as performers, teachers, composers and educational consultants – activities that have earned them a unique position in the world of music.

Having been co-directors of a school for the performing arts for 39 years, (1960­1999) it was apparent to both principals that the most important and formative years for developing interested young musicians were the pre­teen years and into the early twenties, a good decade of concentrated and formative development. The New York Piano Competition was originally founded on this premise.

Published in the Press Release section of www.musicalamerica.com*
By Hemsing Associates
Public Relations for the Arts

*All material found in the Press Releases section is provided by parties entirely independent of Musical America and Commonwealth Business Media, Inc. and are not responsible for content.

What is/was your profession?
Concert pianist, educator, director of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, a non­profit organization. The flagship program is the New York International Piano Competition.

What are your greatest passions?
Assisting America’s outstanding young concert pianists; creating new opportunities for America’s youth thought The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation. I am one of the Directors of The Lotos Club.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done?
Toured the world for more then 40 years as a partner of the Duo­Piano Team of Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz.

What personal achievement are you most proud of?
Becoming on of America’s pre­eminent Duo­Pianists (together with Melvin Stecher) and directing Long Island’s most successful school for the Performing Arts. Creating a Piano Library for young pianists that is used by thousands of student coast to coast.

What has been your most fulfilling experience?
Commissioning a concerto for two pianos and orchestra, composed by Walter Piston, one of the world’s greatest composers. Working simultaneously in four areas of music and still extremely active.

What has been your biggest adventure?
Starting on a career at age 20 — driving a truck carrying two Steinway concert pianos from 1955­1960, and then continuing on the concert stage until 1997.

What’s your favorite daily ritual?
Rising early — being productive and attempting to accomplish as much as possible daily.

What’s something that most people wouldn’t guess about your life?
My age, my philanthropy, my interests, my concern for others.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?
The discipline required to remain as healthy as possible without becoming a fanatic.