An artist with wide-ranging interests, Stephenson was a founding member of the award-winning jazz combo Cofield and he earned a place in the semi-finals of the 2009 Jacksonville Jazz Amateur Competition as a soloist. Having worked with saxophonist John Ricci, Stephenson has appeared in big band masterclasses with Wynton Marsalis and Marcus Roberts. 

 

Stephenson is also trained as a horn player, having studied with Aaron Brask of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He has earned several accolades as a soloist and has performed alongside notable ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra and the US Army Materiel Command Band. 

 

Since 2017, Stephenson has held a position at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music as an associate instructor in the secondary piano program. His passion for teaching extends to faculty positions at IU’s Young Pianists Academy and Aspen Music Festival and School’s PALS program, as well as an active membership in the Music Teachers National Association. Stephenson receives consistently high evaluations from students, who describe him as a “highly personable” teacher who articulates “great methods for technique, memorization, and musicality.”

 

Stephenson is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in piano at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, studying with renowned pianist and teacher Norman Krieger. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees under the tutelage of Dr. Read Gainsford at Florida State University. He has also worked with celebrated artists such as André Watts, Hyun-Kuan Chen, Paul Schenly, and Anton Nel. Stephenson has appeared in masterclasses with Jerome Lowenthal, Paul Lewis, Ian Hobson, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Logan Skelton, Alexander Korsantia, Arnaldo Cohen, Robert Blocker, Virginia Weckstrom, and Lisa Moore, with summers at Aspen Music Festival and School, Pianofest in the Hamptons, Chautauqua Institution, and Brevard Music Festival.