Stephen Barr is a composer and conductor working in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. His music has been performed by the Florida Orchestra (Tampa, FL), American Academy of Conducting Orchestra and Aspen Contemporary Ensemble (Aspen Music Festival, CO), the West Virginia University choral and instrumental ensembles (Morgantown, WV), the Three Rivers Choral Society (Pittsburgh, PA), and the Westminster College Wind Symphony (New Wilmington, PA). He has also arranged and orchestrated works for the Imperial Symphony Orchestra (Lakeland, FL) and the Sarasota Ballet and Florida West Coast Symphony (Sarasota, FL).
Stephen has been a resident at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, working with composer Robert Ashley, and most recently attended the Susan and Ford Schumann Film Scoring Program at the Aspen Music School and Festival in Aspen, CO, where he studied film scoring with Thomas Haines, John Corigliano, Jack Smalley, and Jeff Rona.
Stephen composes contemporary film and game music in orchestral and electronic styles, as well as modern art music for choirs, bands, orchestras, and chamber groups. In all of his work, Stephen seeks to strike a balance between artistry and accessibility - writing music that is challenging and intriguing for performers, but enjoyable and understandable to the audience.
Stephen, along with fellow composers R.J. Nestor and Aubrey Young, are the founding members of Terza Prattica, a new movement in concert music that seeks to reconcile the gap between composers and audiences that has developed over the last century. To hear music from the other members of Terza Prattica, follow the links below to their websites:
Currently, Stephen teaches music theory and directs the choral program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, PA.
CONTACT INFO:
Stephen Barr
Director of Choirs and Instructor of Music Theory
Swope Music Building 134
Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
Or, send an email to sbarr_music@earthlink.net.
PREVIOUS POSITIONS:
University of South Florida, Tampa FL - Adjunct Instructor of Music Theory
University of Tampa, Tampa FL - Adjunct Instructor of Music Theory
Sickles High School, Tampa FL - Choral Director