Leo Ornstein was one of the noted American pianists and composers in the beginning of the 20th Century. Born into a Jewish family in the Ukraine, Ornstein began his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1907, Ornstein immigrated to the United States. Leo studied at the New York's Institute of Musical Art. In a few years Ornstein became a house-hold name for his performances of Bartok, Debussy, Kodaly, Ravel, Schoenberg, Scriabin, Stravinsky and his own compositions. In 1930, Ornstein and his wife founded a very successful Ornstein School of Music in Philadelphia.