Everything Band: Episode 46 - Jim Stephenson

While at the Florida Music Educator's Conference in early January I had a chance to sit down with composer Jim Stephenson and talk about his career, his thoughts about composing, and winning the 2017 Revelli Prize. ​

​Topics:

• Jim’s background as a trumpet player with the Naples Philharmonic and the decision he and his wife made to quit playing professionally and take the leap to become a professional composer.
• The opportunity to write for both band and orchestra and the connections that have helped Jim find success in both communities.
• Commissioning a work from Jim and how the personality of the performer and the needs of ensemble influence the final result.
• Jim’s advice for young composers and the early success that went mostly unnoticed but had a profound influence on his career.
• The story of Symphony No. 2 “Voices” that was written for and premiered the United States Marine Band and which won the National Band Association’s 2017 William D. Revelli Award.

Links:

• Stephenson Music
• Naples Philharmonic
• 2017 William D. Revelli Composition Contest
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra Commission
• Stephenson: Symphony No. 2 “Voices”
• Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
• Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
  

Biography:
Leading American orchestras, instrumentalists and wind ensembles around the world have performed the music of Chicago-based composer James M. Stephenson, both to critical acclaim and the delight of audiences.. Stephenson came late to his full-time composing career, having performed 17 seasons as a trumpeter in the Naples Philharmonic in Florida. As such, the composer is largely self-taught, making his voice truly individual and his life’s work all the more remarkable. Recent and upcoming premieres include the St. Louis and Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and Cabrillo Festival, as well as the US “President’s Own” Marine Band. Over 150 orchestras and bands play his music annually.