Stephen Smith MA (Minn) MA (London) PgDip.
Stephen Smith has always been drawn to music. He studied classical piano from the age of six until he was twenty-four years old. Six of those years were under the direct tutelage of Kelly McSweeney Zuercher, the Principal Pianist of Colorado Springs Philharmonic (USA). Stephen also studied the trombone for seven years, and was the principal trombonist for the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony.
Exploring the diverse expressions of musical creativity around the world, Stephen studied for an MA in Ethnomusicology in the USA and an MA and PgDip in Enterprise and Management for Creative Arts at the University of the Arts London. He has experience with a wide swath of world music forms and instruments. By 1997 he was becoming intrigued with the music of the subcontinent and has spent the last fourteen years studying and gaining expertise on music from this region of the world.
Stephen has now become a recognised harmonium player (self-taught), performing regularly for Asian and Western audiences throughout the UK, Europe and beyond. He is the Music Manager at NJ Arts London, active in performing, arranging and recording music for artists affiliated with the arts centre. He is also the full-time music director for Saira Peter.