Dual-Citizenship Links American Musical Maestro to Luxembourg Legacy

Luxembourg’s growing community of dual citizens in the United States continues to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries, with many embracing their heritage and expressing it through language, tradition and entrepreneurship.

This article is eighth in our series on Luxembourg Americans who have gone through the process of reclamation of Luxembourg nationality to become Luxembourg citizens. These dual citizens, who were assisted in their citizenship journey by Luxembourg Legacy, reflect the passion that new Luxembourgers in America have for all things Luxembourg. This month, we are featuring Gerald “Jerry” Steichen, an American conductor, pianist and actor, of Tonkawa, Oklahoma, with roots in Koerich, Luxembourg - a small-town boy who made it big! 

One of America’s most versatile conductors, Maestro Jerry Steichen’s career has ranged from symphonic programs to operatic performances, Broadway shows to chamber music recitals and a biography peppered with prestigious symphonies, elite opera companies and mega-musicals. But when he talks about his life, Steichen’s focus is on family.

“We have always been a very close family, which is such a blessing,” said Steichen, the fifth of Robert and Margaret (Beadle) Steichen’s six children. “I moved to New York City when I was 25, which is what I always wanted to do for my music career but I flew home five or six times a year because I did not want to miss important family events like holidays and birthdays.”

Born in the small town of Tonkawa in north central Oklahoma, Steichen was raised in a very musical, community-engaged, Catholic and weekend-farming household. His father was a high school band director, who played trombone, so all the Steichen children played piano, sang in choir and played instruments. His parents were also skilful dancers, so dancing was part of their upbringing, too. 

“My parents were always very supportive of all six of us and came to every show I ever did and events my siblings took part in. They were amazing people and remarkable parents,” Steichen said.

His parents loved to travel and they shared that love with their children. After all the kids left home, the family took big trips together with spouses and children in tow. 

“Every two years, we would plan an adventure - an Alaskan cruise or a beach house in Pensacola, Florida, and later a 17th century farmhouse in Chianti and stunning houses overlooking the Pacific in Costa Rica,” Steichen said. “Those trips were really special - creating all those memories with Mom and Dad and the entire family.”

Steichen’s mother, who is predominantly of Luxembourgish heritage, passed away in 2018. Before his father, who is 100% Luxembourgish, passed away, the family made a trip to Luxembourg. Inspired by their cousins, the Steichens visited the Grand Duchy in 2019 to apply for Luxembourg citizenship. 

“Several of our cousins had gone two years before and gotten their dual citizenship, and we all thought that was pretty cool. So, we kind of followed their steps tracing our heritage. The Luxembourg passport allows me to work in the EU and, not to get too political, it gives us multiple options for places to live in the world,” Steichen said.

In a serendipitous twist of fate, Steichen became close friends with Joanna Steichen, renowned photographer Edward Steichen’s third wife. 

“Joanne lived in New York City, and we became great friends before she died. She was a huge opera fan,” Steichen said.

A musical journey through life

When Steichen was about seven years old, he sat under the podium colouring as his father conducted the band at Northern Oklahoma College. When his father stopped to give somebody a correction, Steichen piped up and announced that the third trumpet player was flat. And he was right.

“I just got blessed with really good ears,” Steichen said.

Along with piano and organ and singing, Steichen played the clarinet. When he was a sophomore, his high school band director handed him a bassoon before Christmas break and told him to “figure it out.”

“I fell in love with the bassoon. It just made sense to me and I have always thought instruments choose people; not the other way around.”

Due to their father’s position as a teacher and guidance counsellor at Northern Oklahoma College (NOC), all the Steichen children attended college there. 

“We called ourselves ‘faculty brats’ because we basically grew up on campus and we lovingly nicknamed NOC ‘No Other Choice.’ NOC was great not only because it had rigorous academics, but it also had a very active music and theatre program. The show choir went to Russia and Romania for three weeks the year I was a student there,” Steichen said.

Steichen’s musical talent earned him a full scholarship to Oklahoma City University.

“I got a full bassoon scholarship not because I played so well, but because I doubled on baritone sax and the tuba player never show up for pep band at the basketball games,” Steichen said with a laugh.

While pursuing his master’s degree in accompanying at the University of Southern California (USC), Steichen’s opera conductor and advisor encouraged him to audition for the Merola Opera Program, the renowned summer training initiative affiliated with the San Francisco Opera. Only 20 to 23 singers and four to five pianists from around the world are selected for the prestigious program. Steichen auditioned and was accepted.

Following his Merola experience, Steichen was asked to join the Western Opera Theatre company, the touring arm of the San Francisco Opera, as assistant conductor and pianist for a national tour of Madame Butterfly. Then, USC called and encouraged him to complete his master’s degree, which he was able to do by attending the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. In the evening after classes, he drove to Los Angeles to play rehearsals for the Los Angeles Music Center Opera productions of Tosca with Plácido Domingo conducting and Kurt Weill’s singspiel Mahagonny. 

It was at this time that Steichen, the only one of his musically inclined family to consider a career in music, began to have doubts about his life’s direction.

“I knew I loved making music more than anything, but I thought, ‘How do you make a living doing this and still love it?’ So, I stopped playing for a year and moved to Miami to learn about the business of making music.”

Steichen worked as artistic administrator of the Greater Miami Opera, learning the nuts and bolts of the music industry. He quickly realised that, though important, being an administrator was not his calling, so he moved to New York City with only a suitcase of belongings and $200. He had made numerous connections with agents and singers, so he called them inquiring about auditions and positions.

“The thing about being from a small town is that no one tells you cannot do something. No one says, ‘You cannot move to New York City and make a living as a musician.’ So, I got to New York with what turned out to be the right combination of skills and knowing or meeting the right people and being really lucky. I always tell people the secret of my career was to say yes to every job offer, and then figure it out as you go along,” Steichen said. “And I also played really well,” he added.

Throughout his illustrious career, Steichen served as music director of the Ridgefield Symphony (Connecticut) and was principal pops conductor of the Utah Symphony for twelve seasons and for fifteen seasons with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. He worked with the New York City Opera for ten seasons, leading performances including La bohéme, L’elisir d’amore, Dead Man Walking, The Little Prince, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance and Cinderella. He played piano on stage for the New York City Opera’s acclaimed productions of Porgy and Bess and Carmina Burana and conducted opera companies across the country. 

A frequent guest conductor for the Boston Pops and the New Jersey Symphony, Steichen has appeared with symphonies throughout the United States and internationally and toured nationally as the conductor of the Lincoln Center production of The King & I, associate conductor of The Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden and Peter Pan and conducted the original production Cats in New York for its final two years. Jerry also appeared on Broadway portraying Manny, the Accompanist in the Tony Award-winning Master Class starring Dixie Carter, and he performs instrumental and vocal chamber music recitals internationally. 

“My whole life I have been a very, lucky, blessed man. I came from a little town of 3,000 people in the middle of nowhere, moved to New York City and made a life in music and theatre. I get to work with incredibly talented, wonderful colleagues. I still cannot walk down the street without running into someone I know or have worked with. And that is pretty remarkable, isn't it?” 

And still, with all the professional achievements and international fame, Steichen remains anchored by his small-town roots. 

“I get to go home to Tonkawa, where there are few sirens, two streetlights, and the pace is a bit less frantic. You can see the stars and hear the grass grow. It’s peaceful and that’s pretty wonderful,” Steichen said.

SM