Broadway Conductor to Receive 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award
Phi Theta Kappa alumnus Gerald Steichen, a conductor of the New York City
Opera, will be honored as the Society's 2004 Distinguished Alumnus during
the Opening Ceremonies of the 86th International
Convention.
Steichen, who is an associate conductor
of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, became a member of Xi Theta Chapter
of Phi Theta Kappa at Northern Oklahoma College in 1982. At the time he was
a business and pre-law major. Attending a community college, he says, is
the reason he became a professional musician.
"One of the joys
of having gone to a community college is the incredible variety that they
provide," Steichen said. "I was a business and pre-law major, but I had also
played the piano all my life. At Northern Oklahoma College I not only took
business classes, but I could take music, be in the show choir and the college
musicals. These experiences not only showed me how much I loved music, they
also gave me the motivation to think about a career in music.
"My
journey from Tonkawa, Oklahoma, to New York City and Broadway happened
because I went to a community college."
Jerry, as he is usually
known, studied music at Oklahoma City University and UCLA, then set out
for New York City. Fourteen years later, he is still there. Along the way
his musical focus changed from performing to conducting. He made his debut
as a conductor for the New York City Opera with Puccini's La bohème
in 1999.
He was conductor for national tours of The Secret
Garden and The Phantom of the Opera; and conducted the final
Broadway performance of Cats. Jerry has also appeared on Broadway,
portraying Manny the Accompanist in the Tony Award-winning Master
Class, with Dixie Carter in the role of Maria Callas.
He
has been a guest conductor at numerous symphonies and opera companies in
the United States and abroad, including the Tokyo (Japan) City Orchestra,
Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, New York, the Anchorage Opera, the
Hartford Symphony and the Wheeling Symphony. For five summers he has appeared
with the Utah Festival Opera Company in Logan. In addition he serves as the
New Haven Symphony Orchestra's Pops and Education conductor.
"I
have been very fortunate to work in a field I love, to be actually paid to do
something that brings me so much joy," he said. "All this, and getting to
live in New York, one of the most amazing cities in the world!"
In
his leisure moments, Jerry enjoys exploring New York's many restaurants
and theaters. He is a regular volunteer at a shelter/soup kitchen for victims
of HIV/AIDS. He also frequently returns to Oklahoma to visit family and
Northern Oklahoma College.
Jerry took a sabbatical leave from
his professional music career for the 1995-96 academic year to teach in
the Northern Oklahoma College Fine Arts Division and to serve as managing
director of the newly constructed Northern Performing Arts Center. He
organized and conducted the first Northern Oklahoma College Gala, a free
concert for the community, to celebrate the official opening of the NPAC,
and has coordinated and conducted annual Galas since then.
"I
was surprised and very honored to be chosen by Phi Theta Kappa for the Distinguished
Alumnus Award," Jerry said. "I'm also looking forward to seeing what Phi
Theta Kappa has become."
"When I was inducted, membership was
a very significant honor, but the Society did not have the programs and opportunities
that are so apparent today," he said.
Jerry was nominated for
the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Xi Theta Chapter. "Steichen, a 1982
graduate (summa cum laude) of Northern Oklahoma College, is ranked as one
of the top young conductors of today - Jerry is a busy professional who still
takes time to work for and honor our community college," said the nomination
letter, signed by Northern Oklahoma College President Dr. Joe Kinzer and
current chapter advisor Dr. Glenn Cope.
Dr. Kinzer, Dr. Cope
and Jerry's parents, Robert and Margaret Steichen, are heading Northern
Oklahoma College's delegation to Phi Theta Kappa's International Convention
in Minneapolis, where Jerry will accept his award. He will also entertain
at the Opening Ceremonies with a piano medley of Andrew Lloyd Webber show
tunes.
"I do have some advice for anyone who has what seems to
be an 'impossible dream,'" he said. "Everything is possible - just keep
working toward your goals."
