Diverse Musicianship

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Conductor

Stephanie began conducting in 2012 and has since studied under Dr. André Thomas, Dr. Gregory Gentry, Dr. David Kates, and Dr. Hannah Wunsch-Ryan. Her ensembles have included the North Fork Community Choir, Florida State University Choral Union, Deer Lake United Methodist Traditional Worship Choir, Sacred Heart Catholic Christmas Choir, and Arts for All Children’s Summer Choir. She has also conducted several major works with orchestral ensembles, including Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’s Little Organ Mass, and Mozart’s “Piccolomini” Missa Brevis in C Major K. 258. Her approach focuses on building community and shared experience, using multiple learning paths to foster inclusivity.

Instructor

As a music educator, Stephanie emphasizes lifelong musicianship through strategies tailored to suit each individual’s goals, needs, and life situation. She has taught many classes in music, including 3rd and 4th grade strings at the North Fork School of Integrated Studies, adult voice workshops, and an active studio of over 20 individual students in violin, voice, and beginning piano. Her students range in age from 4 to 78 years old and in skill level from beginner to semi-professional.

Violinist

A classically trained violinist, Stephanie began her studies at the age of 5 under the cheerful tutelage of Lucia Vorys. She has since studied under several talented violinists, including Mrs. Debra TenNapel, Dr. Kenneth Todd, and Dr. Joel Schut, and has played in orchestras throughout Colorado. She currently plays as the assistant concertmaster for the Valley Symphony Orchestra and enjoys a healthy rotation of chamber music, fiddle music, and improvisational playing. Mendelssohn’s E minor Violin Concerto, Jay Ungar’s Ashokan Farewell, and Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony are among her favorite works to play. She performs on a Josef Klotz violin crafted in 1795.

Composer/Arranger

Stephanie began composing and arranging music out of necessity, providing custom voicings for specific ensembles under her direction. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she produced a number of works for chamber-sized treble vocal ensembles in an attempt to offset the perceived lack of choral music that is written, arranged, and performed entirely by women. She is currently composing a symphony inspired by her time in Sitka, AK and regularly arranges music for her students and ensembles.

Vocalist

Voice is Stephanie’s first and primary instrument. Her family has sung together since she was less than 2 years old, and they still enjoy nights of a cappella sightreading every time they get together. As a coloratura soprano, she has trained at the collegiate level under Dr. Marcy Stonikas and Dr. Lukas Graf. Her performances include recording credits with both the Florida State University Chamber Choir and the University of Colorado Boulder University Singers, festival performances with the Tallahassee Community Chorus, and solo performances with the Valley Symphony Orchestra and the North Fork Community Choir. Her range extends three octaves from a E3 to an E6.

Ethnomusicologist

Bridging the gap between her musical and anthropological interests, Stephanie has also conducted research in a variety of ethnomusicology topics. Her favorites include the storytelling and oral history qualities of yoiking, the somatic experience of choral singing as a means for initiating conversations across socio-cultural gaps, and the acoustical properties and sonic considerations of Anasazi kivas. Her thesis on the the latter can be found here.