Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ceci had a most versatile and distinguished career. A child prodigy, he began his studies at Curtis Institute of Music on a full scholarship at the age of eight. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School of Music from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science, the Paris Conservatory, and L’Ecole Normale de Musique on a Fulbright Scholarship. He also received a Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music and won the prestigious George Wedge Prize at Juilliard and First Prize at the L’Ecole Normale de Musique Competition in Paris.