Pianist Stephenson returns for GTMF recital – JH News&Guide

A 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition finalist, Stephenson finished his dual-degree in music and economics studies at Harvard and the New England Conservatory of Music, won the inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition in 2023, was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2024, was named the 2024-25 artist-in-residence of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and, this winter, was honored with the Sphinx Medal of Excellence.

“So many pleasant surprises,” the Brooklyn native said from Sicily, Italy, shortly before his recital debut there.

And he did all that while maintaining a busy performance schedule, with recent appearances with orchestras in Houston, North Carolina and Las Vegas; recitals in Europe, Canada and the U.S., including a Carnegie Hall date; and special engagements like for the 69th United National Day commemoration and, as a Sphinx laureate, for the Supreme Court Justices.On Tuesday, Stephenson returns to the Grand Teton Music Festival’s Walk Festival Hall to play works by Bach, Schubert, Stravinsky, Albéniz and Gershwin.

On Tuesday, Stephenson returns to the Grand Teton Music Festival’s Walk Festival Hall to play works by Bach, Schubert, Stravinsky, Albéniz and Gershwin.

“We’ve had so many incredible recitals,” GTMF Executive Director Emma Kail said of past seasons. “Clayton is really exceptional, connecting with a really broad audience with his repertoire choices and his performance style. We’re so excited to have him back.”

Stephenson said his program reflects things he has been working on as a pianist.

“I chose some to force me to mature,” he said, “to delve into works that have less technique and more focus on phrasing, more focus on colors and on the actual structure of the piece. That was my thought process behind the Schubert.”

Also on the program are “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” one of Stephenson’s favorite pieces by J.S. Bach, and the first of Isaac Albéniz’s four “Iberia” suites.

Stephenson performs at 7 p.m. Thursday at Walk Festival Hall. Visit GTMF.org for more.

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