Born in Northampton in 1985, Steven’s early musicial experiences came while studying the bassoon and the piano and performing in numerous ensembles before taking an interest in composition. In 2003 Steven took up a place on the undergraduate course at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester, where he studied composition with David Horne, and briefly with Gary Carpenter, before graduating with first-class honours. During his time at the RNCM, his work was presented in workshops with James MacMillan, Alison Wells, the BBC Singers and the Danel Quartet; and also in masterclasses with Magnus Lindberg, Michael Finnissy, Poul Ruders, Philip Cashian, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Graham Fitkin, Paul Patterson and Brett Dean.
Recent projects include Dark Shiver for ensemble, written as part of the 2007 Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme under the guidance of Oliver Knussen, Colin Matthews and Magnus Lindberg; and Microscopic Negatives for string quartet which was selected by Kingston University for workshops with the Arditti Quartet and Brian Ferneyhough and followed by a public performance at LSO St. Luke’s.
In 2007 Steven was awarded a full scholarship to the Masters course at Royal College of Music in London, generously funded by The Leverhulme Musical Trust, where he is currently in his first year studying with Mark-Anthony Turnage and Jonathan Cole. He was also awarded the prestigious Vaughan Williams Scholarship and is supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.
As a conductor Steven is largely self-taught but has been much in demand since arriving at the RNCM and is conductor-in-residence with the Fortune Ensemble, a student group dedicated to performances of new music alongside more established twentieth century works. He also conducted in the RNCM’s annual International Chamber Music Festivals in 2005 and 2006, in addition to premiering a number of works by fellow composition students and working with the RNCM’s Junior Department.
For more information about Steven, including score and audio samples, please visit www.stevendaverson.com.
