Since summer 2010 Stephen has been a student at the Perlman Music Program, headed by Itzhak Perlman, attending the summer program in Shelter Island, NY and the winter residency in Sarasota FL. In addition, during the last two years he has been attending the intensive violin program headed by Aaron Rosand at Summit Music Festival, NY. Previously he has attended for 4 years the Music at Menlo chamber music summer program headed by David Finckel (Emerson Quartet) and Wu Han.
Stephen has won many prestigious national and international prizes and awards. In September 2011 he won 3rd Prize in the Pablo Sarasate International Violin Competition in Pamplona, Spain, ages 15-27. In November 2010 he won 1st Prize in the junior division and also a special award for best interpretation of a romantic concerto in all divisions, in the International Louis Spohr Competition for Young Violinists in Weimar, Germany. In August 2010, he won 1st Prize in the international Summit Music Festival’s Concerto competition, junior division, in NY, USA. In April 2010, he won 2nd Prize and the Ole Bull Prize in the junior division in the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, Oslo. His performances have received rave reviews in numerous publications including the Strad and the UK Telegraph. In December 2009, he performed at the US national radio show “From the Top” with pianist Christopher O'Riley. In June 2009 he was selected to represent the US in Maestro Spivakov’s festival “Moscow Meets Friends” in Moscow soloing with orchestra in the Grand Closing concert. In May 2009 he won 1st Prize at the 2009 KDFC’s Classical Star Search Competition. In November 2008 he performed at the American Fine Arts Festival’s Gala Concert at Carnegie Hall (NYC), after winning first place in their international competition. He also won Grand prize in the 2008 Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition, as well as numerous other first places mentioned below.
Between April 2008 – September 2011, Stephen performed fourteen complete concertos and three show pieces with twenty orchestras, often multiple times. These included Beethoven Concerto, Brahms Concerto, Elgar Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky Concerto, Wieniawski Concerto No. 1, Paganini Concertos No. 1 and No. 2, Castelnuovo-Tedesco ‘the Prophets’ Violin Concerto, Mozart Concertos No. 4 and No. 5, Bach Concerto No. 2 in E major, Saint-Saens Violin Concerto, Mendelssohn Concertos in E minor and in D minor, Chausson Poeme, Waxman Carmen Fantasie and Sarasate Carmen Fantasy. In Weimar, Germany, he performed with the professional Staatskapelle Weimar Orchestra conducted by Martin Hoff in the Weimar Hall, and with the Chamber Orchestra of The Liszt School of Music Weimar conducted by Prof. Nicolás Pasquet. In Pamplona, Spain, he performed with the professional Navarra Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Csaba. In Oslo Conservatory of Music he performed with an orchestra of players from the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Barratt Due Music Institute conducted by Per Kristian Skalstad. In Moscow State University he performed with the professional Kostroma Symphony Orchestra conducted by Conductor Pavel Gershtein. In New York he performed with Summit Music Festival Orchestra conducted by Yoram Youngerman. In California he performed with the professional San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, and Fremont Symphony, and with Symphony Parnassus, Redwood Symphony, Silicon Valley Symphony, Saratoga Symphony, Prometheus Symphony Orchestra, Solano Community Symphony, Winchester Orchestra, Diablo Symphony Orchestra, Palo Alto Philharmonic, YOSAC (Youth Orchestras of Southern Alameda County) and San Jose Youth Symphony, conducted respectively by their Music Directors Benjamin Simon, Dr. Noreen Green, David Sloss, Stephen Paulson, Dr. Eric Kujawsky, Michael Paul Gibson, Dr. Jason Klein, Eric Hansen, Semyon Lohss, Henry Mollicone, Joyce Johnson Hamilton, Lee Actor (Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor), Dr. Jason Klein and Yair Samet. In addition in California he also performed accompanied by an Octet of San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, without conductor.
He played in a great number of master classes and private lessons of celebrated artists including Bruce Adolphe, Emanuel Borok, Efrem Briskin, Eugene Drucker, Jorja Fleezanis, Midori, Itzhak Perlman, Aaron Rosand, Philip Setzer, Axel Strauss and Ian Swensen.
Stephen won many other competitions in California. In January 2010 he won 1st Prize in the Felix Khuner Young Artist Concerto Competition, ages 18 and under, of Prometheus Symphony Orchestra, playing Mozart Concerto No. 4, and 1st Prize in the Young Artist Competition, ages under 23, of the professional Fremont Symphony Orchestra, playing Brahms Concerto, and also an invitation to perform in the 2010 Junior Bach Festival, playing Bach Sonata No. 1 for solo violin. He also won the 2009 Concerto Movement Competition of Palo Alto Philharmonic, 1st Prize of the 2008 Young Artist Competition of Diablo Symphony Orchestra, winner of Margaret Brady Study Grant in the 2008 Stewart Brady Competition, 1st Prize in the 2007 MTAC VOCE California State Competition, 1st Prize in the 2007 Menuhin-Dowling Young Musicians String Competition, 1st Prize in the CMTANC Youth Music Competition, Taghioff Prize (1st Prize) of 2007 Fremont Symphony Young Artist Competition, and performing in the 2007 Junior Bach Festival.
He has also performed and was interviewed in Capital Public Radio "Insight" in March 2008, and has had TV solo appearances on Peninsula Television in 2006, 2007 and 2008, in segments that were aired numerous times.
Stephen has performed regularly in recitals in retirement communities, hospitals, schools and fundraising events. Stephen has won awards for his piano playing and won many national awards in math competitions. In his free time he likes math, reading, drawing, table tennis, card games, and playing with his friends, including younger sister and twin brother. Find more about Stephen, and hear and view many of his performances, at www.stephenwaarts.com and the EMCY website.
