Remembering Richard Pace

Dear S’Cool Sounds Community,

We are heartbroken to share the news that our beloved Board President, Richard Pace, passed away last Wednesday, March 13th.

Richard was a tireless champion of S’Cool Sounds (SCS) and instrumental in the early development of the organization. Along with Board Treasurer, Peter Faber, Richard guided S’Cool Sounds’ growth from a music education program to a stand-alone non-profit, pursuing its vision of a world in which all people have access to the transformative experience of making music together.

In a personal reflection, SCS Founder and Artistic Director, Nina Stern, shared: “Richard was much more than a professional friend to me, he was and will remain someone who holds a very special place in my heart. Loving and generous, trusting and wise, exuberant and funny, he was my hero; he was our hero. Richard was a great lover of music and his relationship with music was multifaceted. I am honored to say he was my student and we shared many happy musical moments together. He was passionate about music, about sharing it with others, and the children of S’Cool Sounds will always benefit from that passion. He is an inspiration, is dearly loved, and will be deeply missed.”

Richard was a native New Yorker who credited his public school education for his life-long love of music. As he explained in a fundraising letter for S’Cool Sounds: “I, like so many baby boomers, started my musical education at PS 106 in the Bronx in the third grade. By fifth and sixth grades, I was part of the music classes who regularly played in band for school assemblies. I owe my musical literacy to the public education system, to which I am eternally grateful. Let us make sure that the current generation of students is given the same opportunity."

In addition to his role as SCS’s highly effective, jovial, and warm Board President, Richard also led the boards of Amherst Early Music and the Oratorio Society of New York. He was a longtime member of WNYC’s board. Richard was beloved in the early music community nation-wide, and the music community in New York City. He made a difference to so many people and touched many lives.

Richard and his wife, Lois Pace, have been incredible supporters of S’Cool Sounds through the years. We are proud to continue working towards our shared vision of musical opportunity for public school students across New York City and overseas.

Our hearts go out to Lois, to Alexis Pace and Szu Burgess, and to all his family, many friends, and many colleagues who are missing him dearly.