Stephen Cabell, Composer
Composition Program Coordinator
Stephen Cabell is a composer and educator based in Los Angeles. His compositions span various genres, including orchestral, wind ensemble, chamber, vocal, electroacoustic/electronic, and film music. Stephen, originally from Owensboro in western Kentucky, has called a number of regions across the country home, including the Midwest, East Coast, and now West Coast. Drawing inspiration from nature, social causes, and other art forms, and with roots in both classical and popular genres, he has created a powerful and distinctive voice all his own.
Stephen’s music is characterized by organic pacing, unexpected combinations, impactful moments, and a focused, economical approach to musical material. It encompasses a diverse range of moods from stark to sensual, satirical, and sublime, providing listeners with a unique experience. Stephen is a firm believer in the validity of individual interpretation but is happy to share the motivations behind his expression.
His works have been recognized with the Marylyn K. Glick Young Composer Award from the Indianapolis Symphony, two Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, the Joseph H. Bearns Prize in Music from Columbia University, and the Prix Nadia Boulanger from Les Écoles d'Art Américaines de Fontainebleau to name a few. Recent distinctions include the Peter David Faith Endowed Memorial Award in Composition and the Hans J. Salter Endowed Music Award, both from the University of Southern California. His residencies and fellowships include Yaddo, American Conservatory of Fontainebleau, Lewes Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, Mostly Modern Festival, and Atlantic Music Festival.
Stephen’s orchestral works have been performed by the Indianapolis Symphony, Owensboro Symphony, Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra, USC Thornton Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, and Curtis Symphony, among others. He has worked with many conductors, including Mario Venzago, H. Robert Reynolds, Benjamin Schwartz, and Nicholas Palmer. Despite his love of the orchestra, chamber works are at the core of his catalog and have been performed by the American Modern Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Iktus Percussion, Queens New Music Festival, Lisa Moore at Kettle Corn New Music, Sean Kennard, Futaba Niekawa, and Alicia Choi.
He studied composition with Sean Friar and Andrew Norman at the USC Thornton School of Music (D.M.A), with Christopher Rouse at Juilliard (M.M.), and with Richard Danielpour, Jennifer Higdon, and David Ludwig at the Curtis Institute of Music (B.M.). Stephen is also a proud graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, where he studied French horn, piano, and composition.
As a dedicated educator, Stephen has had the opportunity to interact with students and audiences in a variety of settings. He has served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory at Occidental College, a Lecturer of Aural Skills at Chapman University, and a composition faculty member at the Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY, among others. For nearly ten years, Stephen was a member of the composition faculty at the Atlantic Music Festival at Colby College in Waterville, ME, and taught theory and ear training at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege and the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. In addition to his work as a composer and educator, Stephen is committed to supporting the careers of other composers and artists as an arts administrator with the Mostly Modern Festival.
When not immersed in composing or teaching and learning, Stephen can often be found in the kitchen, experimenting with new dishes and drinks and reveling in the power of food to bring people together. He also enjoys getting his hands dirty in his makeshift instrument-building studio, where he creates all sorts of musical contraptions. Including, most recently, a set of microtonally-tuned pipes. Rather than fly, Stephen relishes cross-country road trips accompanied by his trusty feline companion, Toney. Stephen's passion for music, food, and education is evident in all aspects of his life, and his warm, infectious personality shines through in all that he does.