Renowned pianists Norman Horowitz and Melvin Stecher, who founded and directed the Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts, in Cedarhurst, for almost 40 years, have now created a YouTube channel showcasing some of their best work, including performances on Long Island.
The pair gained prominence as a classical piano duo in the 1950s, performing in Europe, Japan, South America and across the United States. In 1960 they founded their performing arts school in Cedarhurst, which welcomed some 15,000 students.
“The school was really the cultural hub of the Five Towns, and really all of Nassau County,” Stecher, who, like his partner, is now in his 90s, said. “We started the first year with 40 students, and when we closed, we had about 500 per week. We performed many concerts there — summer festivals, morning series — and the people and student body and board of directors all really showed a lot of support, and it was a great place to have a school.”
After the school closed in 1999, the pair established the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, which has funded numerous scholarships and contests, such as the New York International Piano Competition, that have helped launch the careers of many young pianists.
Horowitz said that the foundation’s mission is to preserve classical music, and he believes that YouTube is a great way to do so with young people. “In today’s society, everything is instant gratification, with things like YouTube and TikTok,” he said. “Someone really has to make an effort to keep classical and piano music alive, and that is a part of our mission.”
Calum Pasqua, a former student at the Stecher and Horowitz School who is now a music teacher in the Hewlett-Woodmere school district, said he uses the lessons he learned there in every class he teaches today.
“I take what they taught me with me every single day,” Pasqua said. “They would always make sure to be humanistic, because we were still kids, even if we took performing really seriously. They were able to express music to kids to understand it and understand the emotion behind it, and that is not an easy thing to do.”
Pasqua also talked about how important Stecher and Horowitz have been for classical music, saying that they were able to see the potential in every student, and help each one perform at a high level.
“They haven’t just kept it alive,” Pasqua said. “They have kept it alive, interesting, approachable, and kept it to a standard that I haven’t seen. They are top tier, not only as musicians, but in their ability to see how far a kid can go and help guide them to get there. I couldn’t do what they do.”
The YouTube channel will feature more than 30 videos of performances from Stecher and Horowitz tours as well as their students’ concerts, some of which were recorded on Long Island. The two musicians have continued to create initiatives aimed at preserving classical music, such as their new $25,000 Gateway Prize for advancement in the arts.
Horowitz said that classical music has been a calling for him. He and his good friend would continue to promote the genre and help younger generations of musicians for as long as they can.
“We just now instituted five new awards that are going to be nationwide for teachers and students,” Horowitz said, “and now our foundation has just created a $25,000 grant for a faculty member who is leading a conservatory or university and contributing to music.”
Visit Stecher and Horowitz’s YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/user/StecherandHorowitz.