Thursday, October 1, 2026
Steve Tepper’s next philanthropic music show is coming back to Merrick.
Proceeds from the fundraising show will be donated to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The foundation was founded in honor of the sacrifice of FDNY firefighter Stephen Gerard Siller, who whose final run through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel became the inspiration for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, died Sept. 11, 2001, after rushing toward the World Trade Center to help save others.
Today, the foundation supports families of fallen first responders, military members and veterans.
“The Tunnel to Towers Foundation exists to honor the courage and sacrifice of America's military members, veterans, and first responders by providing meaningful support when it is needed most,” the foundation wrote in a statement provided to the Herald. “Whether through mortgage-free homes, smart homes for catastrophically injured heroes, scholarships for their children, or efforts to eradicate veteran homelessness, every initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring that those who protect our freedoms know they are never alone"
“I'm trying to promote jazz, and I'm trying to raise funds and bring people in, so it's a win-win situation,” he said. “They do great work, Tunnel to Towers. They help first responders. They help veterans. They provide housing, and they're doing a lot of new things now, taking the homeless veterans off the street. That's why I chose to support them.”
“I want to bring people in, so people who aren't big jazz fans will want to come to support the charity,” he continued. “What I found in my last jazz concert was that people were coming over to me saying, ‘boy, I didn't know I liked jazz.’”
Two bands will be performing on Aug 9 at 6:00 p.m., 2655 Clubhouse Road in Merrick. Tickets are $20 and are available for purchase at the door.
After the successes of past jazz concerts and cabarets, Tepper is in the preliminary stages of widening his community music plans. Future jazz concerts will benefit other charities.
“I'm trying to put together a jam session with musicians, and we want to do some talent shows for our children and get some students in when school comes back when we're done with the summer vacation,” he said.
Tepper and other local performers participate in the Jazz Lab NY program, a Queens-based music program founded and directed by Russ Nolan.
“Steve is one of my few students who's actually taken upon themselves to book his adult student band in other venues outside of the ones that I provide myself,” Nolan said. “Steve has gone above and beyond because of his connection with this, with his synagogue and the charities, to provide yet another place for his band to play, so I'm very proud of him for taking the initiative to bring jazz into the community there.”
Jazz Lab NY and Tepper’s independent program share a mission: share something important with your neighborhood.
“I know I'm having an impact sharing my love and music with other like-minded people I know I'm having an impact on,” Nolan said. “I'm just making my students' life just a little bit better by offering them this community to be a part of. So, it's been very rewarding to me to see people grow and enjoy their music, and that's all I can ask for.”
For more information about Jazz Lab NY, visit JazzLabNY.com. To donate to Tunnel to Towers, visit T2T.org.
