“Stephenson is not just a remarkable virtuoso,” raves Gramophone, “but a poet, a dramatist and a master story-teller.” In addition to being the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, he was named a 2022 Gilmore Young Artist, a 2017 U. S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. Recent highlights of Stephenson’s burgeoning career include appearances with the Calgary Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, and the Fort Worth, Louisville, Lansing, and North Carolina Symphony Orchestras. He also appeared in the Grammy Salute to Classical Music concert at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium.

Program:

J. S. Bach (arr. Ferruccio Busoni), Chaconne
Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109
Isaac Albéniz, Iberia, Book 1
Igor Stravinsky, Petrushka