Stephen Stubbs (born 1951) is a

lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" commonly r ...

and music director and has been a leading figure in the American

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

scene for nearly thirty years. Born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, he studied

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

and composition at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

where, at the same time, he began playing the harpsichord and the lute. After graduation he moved to in England and Holland to study, and gave his debut concert in London's

Wigmore Hall The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good building acoustics, acoustics. It specialis ...

in 1976. From 1981 to 2013, Stubbs taught at the

University of the Arts Bremen The University of the Arts Bremen (German: Hochschule für Künste Bremen, HfK Bremen) is a public university in Bremen, Germany. It is one of the most successful arts institutions, and its origins date back to 1873. The University of the Arts B ...

in Germany. In 2013, he became an artist in residence at the University of Washington in Seattle. He has performed extensively with his ensembles Tragicomedia and Teatro Lirico, Kozinn, Allan (2000)
The Rare Crossover With Many Rewards
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', June 18, 2000, retrieved 2011-07-13 and conducted baroque operas worldwide. He has recorded numerous albums with other famous ensembles like the

Hilliard Ensemble Hilliard Ensemble was a British male vocal quartet originally devoted to the performance of early music. The group was named after the Elizabethan miniaturist painter Nicholas Hilliard. Founded in 1974, the group disbanded in 2014. Although ...

and with

Andrew Lawrence-King Andrew Lawrence-King (born 3 September 1959) is a harpist and conductor from Guernsey known for his work in early music. Career Lawrence-King received an organ scholarship to Selwyn College, Cambridge, following on his work as head chorister at t ...

. He moved back to Seattle in 2006. There he established the Seattle Academy of Baroque Opera, the Pacific MusicWorks early music performance series, and is an adjunct professor at

Cornish College of the Arts Cornish College of the Arts (CCA) was a Private college, private art school, art college in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1914 by music teacher Nellie Cornish. The college's main campus is in the Denny Triangle, Seattle, Denny Triangle ...

. He is artistic co-director (with

Paul O'Dette Paul Raymond O'Dette (born February 2, 1954) is an American lutenist, conductor, and musicologist specializing in early music. Biography O'Dette, who was born in Pittsburgh, began playing the electric guitar in a rock band in Columbus, Ohio, ...

) of the

Boston Early Music Festival The Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts, to promote historical music performance. It arranges an annual Boston and New York City concert series, produces opera recordings, and ...

. On February 8, 2015, Stubbs won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Opera Recording for:

Charpentier Charpentier () is the French language, French word for "carpenter", and it is also a French surname; a variant spelling is Carpentier. In English, the equivalent word and name is "Carpenter (surname), Carpenter"; in German, "Zimmermann (disambigua ...

: ''

La descente d'Orphée aux enfers ''La descente d'Orphée aux enfers'' H. Wiley Hitchcock, H.488 (English: ''The Descent of Orpheus to the Underworld'') is an incomplete chamber opera in two acts by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It was probably composed in early ...

'' H 488 & ''La Couronne de fleurs'' H.486, Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors;

Aaron Sheehan Aaron Sheehan (born 1975) is an American classical singer (tenor) and professor of music who has been described as one of "the leading Early Music singers in the world". He was one of the recipients of the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Opera Reco ...

; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble; Boston Early Music Festival Vocal Ensemble). Kozinn, Allan (2006)
Music: Classical recordings; Bringing Early Music Into the 19th Century
, ''

'', April 30, 2006, retrieved 2011-07-13 In 2013, he recorded : Charpentier’s ''Actéon'' H.481, ''La Pierre Philosophale'' H.501 and in 2019 Les Plaisirs de Versailles H.480, Les Arts Florissants H.487.

Selected Recordings

* Johann Georg Conradi, ''Ariadne,'' Boston Early music Festival Orchestra & Chorus, conducted by

& Stephen Stubbs 3 CDs CPO 2004 *

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...

, '' Thésée,'' Boston Early Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs 3 CDs CPO 2007 * Jean-Baptiste Lully, ''

Psyché Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" ( ψυχή). Psyche or La Psyché may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unc ...

,'' Boston Early Festival Orchestra & Chorus, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs 3 CDs CPO 2007 * Marc-Antoine Charpentier, '' Actéon'' H.481, ''La Pierre Philososphale'' H.501, Boston Early Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles, conducted by Paul O'Dette e& Stephen Stubbs CD CPO 2010 *

John Blow John Blow (baptised 23 February 1649 – 1 October 1708) was an English composer and organist of the Baroque period. Appointed organist of Westminster Abbey in late 1668,Vénus et Adonis,'' Boston Early Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs CD CPO 2011 *

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

, ''

La Descente d'Orphée aux Enfers ''La descente d'Orphée aux enfers'' H. Wiley Hitchcock, H.488 (English: ''The Descent of Orpheus to the Underworld'') is an incomplete chamber opera in two acts by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It was probably composed in early ...

'' H.488'', La Couronne de fleurs'' H.486'','' Boston Early Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles, conducted by Paul O'Dette et Stephen Stubbs CD CPO 2013 * Johann Sebastiani, ''Matthäus Passion,'' Boston Early music Festival Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs CD CPO 2007 * George Frideric Handel, ''

Acis and Galatea Acis and Galatea (, ) are characters from Greek mythology later associated together in Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''. The episode tells of the love between the mortal Acis and the Nereid (sea-nymph) Galatea; when the jealous Cyclops Polyphemus kil ...

,'' Boston Early Music Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs 2 CDs CPO 2013 * Agostino Stefanni, '' Niobe Regina di Tebe,'' Boston early Music Festival Orchestra, conducted by Paul O'Dette et Stephen Stubbs 3 CDs CPO 2015 * Agostino Stefanni, ''Duets of Love and Passion,'' Boston Early music Festival Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs CD CPO 2017 *

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

, ''

Almira ''Almira, Königin von Castilien'' ("Almira, Queen of Castile", HWV 1; full title: ''Der in Krohnen erlangte Glücks-Wechsel, oder: Almira, Königin von Castilien'') is Handel's first opera, composed when he was 19 years old. It was first perfo ...

,'' Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs 4 CDs CPO 2018 * Marc-Antoine Charpentier, '' Les Plaisirs de Versailles'' H.480'', Les Arts Florissants'' H.487'','' Boston Early Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs CD CPO 2019 * Michel-Richard de Lalande, ''Les Fontaines de Versailles, Le Concert d'Esculape,'' Boston Early Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs CD CPO 2020

References

American performers of early music American lutenists Living people 1951 births Cornish College of the Arts faculty Academic staff of the University of the Arts Bremen Grammy Award winners Mattheson scholars {{String-musician-stub