Teicher, Lou

▪ 2009

Louis Milton Teicher 

      American pianist

born Aug. 24, 1924, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

died Aug. 3, 2008, Highlands, N.C.

performed in the 1960s with pianist Arthur Ferrante, and the two (billed as Ferrante & Teicher) became a sensation with their florid renditions on twin pianos of the theme songs from such films as The Apartment, Exodus, West Side Story (“Tonight”), and Midnight Cowboy. Teicher and Ferrante both attended the Juilliard School of Music, New York City, and later joined its faculty. In 1947 they began a partnership, but their repertoire was limited to classical music and some experimental works until they moved with producer Don Costa from ABC Records to United Artists, which had interests in film. Costa offered them the score from the motion picture The Apartment, and the two became audience favourites with their lush touches at the keyboards. During their 50-year association, they toured widely and recorded dozens of singles and more than 150 albums; they sold more than 88 million records and were frequent guests on television shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, and Dick Clark.

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