In July, 2017, Stephanie Childress was the Artistic Director for the Young Virtuosi Summer Classical Music Festival held in the south of France.  This was the 10th consecutive year of the festival and Stephanie has played solo violin and ensemble performances in all previous festivals.  Her role as Artistic Director was to source the musicians and determine the repertoire. This year 9 musicians, including a Baritone and Mezzo-Soprano thrilled audiences in 7 different concert venues in Medieval churches in villages in and around the town of Limoux.  Each concert featured different pieces and ended around 11pm with standing ovations and calls for encores!

Stephanie Childress is interviewed in the first Cambridge University Varsity Magazine video about her roles as a violinist and conductor.

On the 26th, 27th and 28th of January, 2017, Stephanie Childress will be conducting the Benjamin Britten opera, The Rape of Lucretia at St. John’s College, Cambridge Univeristy with an all student orchestra and opera singers. She is both Musical Director and Conductor for this first ever St. John’s opera production.

To read a review of the St. John’s College Music Society production of The Rape of Lucretia, click here.

The happy, and exhausted cast at the end of their three day run:

NYMT – National Youth Music Theatre

In 2016 Stephanie was named as one of the Assistant Music Directors for the National Youth Music Theatre’s 2016 season. She has been heavily involved in coaching singers and ensembles in the 2016 production of Brass. Previously a musician in the company, she felt enormously honoured to have been asked onto the creative team. “Being apart of the creative process has been such an amazing experience. You really feel the work you put in is making a difference since with a new production, you essentially start from scratch. The actors have been so committed and focused, particularly during long vocal sessions which often last well into the night.”

For the past several years, Stephanie has played with her favourite accompanist, Kumi Matsuo. Kumi was born in Tokyo, Japan and is winner of the 5th Louisiana International Piano Competition in 2013.  She has also won Second Prize at the 75th Music Competition of Japan in 2006, Third Prize at the 22nd Ferrol International Piano Competition in 2008 and First Prize at the 6th Isidor Bajic International Piano Competition in 2012.

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Stephanie is passionate about sharing music with young people and often goes to schools to help educate and inspire the students about music.

Godstowe School, May 2016

Music Outreach in Southern France

Outreach in the South of France

Stephanie and cellist Jonathan Bloxham visited a primary school in the south of France to deliver a musical outreach program. The children learned about musical rhythm and the ranges of the various instruments. With just a short visit they sparked an entire group of children to better appreciate classical music. And many of them went home and said, “I want to play the violin!”

Godstowe School, England May 2016

Stephanie’s very first piano teacher, Amira Faoud, teaches music at Godstowe School in England and following the BBC String Finals invited Stephanie to give a recital.  The music hall was packed with excited young girls who had all watched the videos of the BBC String Final. Following a 45 minute recital and Q&A from the girls, they all crowded round for autographs. As one little girl said on her way out, “I want to play like Stephanie!”