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B i o g r a p h y

Chilean-American violinist, Stephen Cepeda, is widely recognized as a dynamic figure in classical music today. Beginning his studies at the age of five with Daniel Reinker, Mr. Cepeda has studied with some of the nation’s finest violinists, including Stephanie Sant’ Ambriosio, Greg Mulligan, and Julius Schulman. Cepeda was selected to study with Andrzej Grabiec as a part of the Performance and Continuing Studies program at the Moores School of Music at University of Houston.
 

The 2012-2013 season marks Cepeda’s seventh year as concertmaster of the Helena Symphony. Cepeda has appeared as concertmaster for the Bozeman Symphony and Intermountain Opera Association productions.
 

His extensive concerto and solo recital tours have taken him

regularly around the globe. Cepeda is in demand as soloist, appearing with four different orchestras this season. He will perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D with the Lamont Symphony Orchestra in Denver, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, and plans to also perform the work in Chile. This will not be Cepeda’s international debut as Cepeda regularly plays with orchestras around the world. In the summer of 2009, he completed a tour throughout Southeast Asia performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor. There, he gave standing room only recitals, including a recital at the United States Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam.
 

Cepeda is a founding member of the award winning Meritage String Quartet. Cepeda and the Meritage Quartet were recently selected as one of two ensembles from throughout the nation invited to attend the Deer Valley Music Festival’s emerging quartets and composers program. During the Festival, the Meritage Quartet worked closely with the world-renowned Muir String Quartet and in- demand composer Joan Tower. The Meritage Quartet also gave the premiere performance of the piece Circles by Joan Pannetti, commissioned for the Emerson String Quartet. They have also worked closely with the Tokyo String Quartet. The Meritage Quartet was featured on Emmy award winning television series 11th and Grant on PBS. Their recent recording projects include the album “What Ships May Sail” with compositions by Montana composer Eric Funk. 
 

Another passion of Cepeda’s life is his involvement with young people through giving master classes and maintaining a private studio. While in Southeast Asia he gave master classes in Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam. Cepeda has been a guest professor of violin at Montana State University. He is regularly asked to adjudicate festivals and competitions. Cepeda’s instruction in his private studio prepares students for study at music conservatories. Cepeda’s instruction prepares students for admission to  the nation’s top music schools as he has students in major conservatories across the U.S.

STEPHEN

CEPEDA

 

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