We are saddened to share the news that Richard Pace, a tireless supporter of early music and music education in New York City, passed away on Wednesday, March 13th.

Richard was a loyal and generous contributors to GEMS, and enthusiastic supporter of many of the organizations we serve. He was the Board President of the education organization S’Cool Sounds (SCS), which was a project of GEMS before becoming an independent non-profit of its own.

Richard was a native New Yorker who credited his public school education for his life-long love of music. As he explained to 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 at S'Cool Sounds, he 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.

We, like many others in the classical music community, will miss him dearly. Our condolences go out to his wife Lois and the entire Pace family.