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" can refe ...

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). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classic ...

scene for nearly thirty years. Born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, he studied

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a ...

and composition at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seat ...

where, at the same time, he began playing the harpsichord and the lute. He left America after graduation to study the instrument in England and Holland and gave his debut concert in London's

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

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 Br ...

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'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 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 The 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. Althoug ...

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 ...

. 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) is a private art college in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1914. History Cornish College of the Arts was founded in 1914 as the Cornish School of Music, by Nellie Cornish (1876–1956), a teacher of ...

. He is artistic co-director (with Paul O'Dette) of the

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

. On February 8, 2015, Stephen was accompanied by his wife in Los Angeles as he won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for Best Opera Recording for: Charpentier: '' La descente d'Orphée aux enfers'' H 488 & ''La Couronne de fleurs'' H.486, Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors;

Aaron Sheehan Aaron Sheehan (born 1975) is an American vocal 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 Recording. Early ...

; 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 Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs 3 CDs CPO 2004 *

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas ...

, '' 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 may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...

,'' 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'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still u ...

, '' La Descente d'Orphée aux Enfers'' 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 Johann Sebastiani (30 September 1622 – 1683) was a German baroque composer. Sebastiani was born in Weimar. He became Kantor at Königsberg cathedral in 1661, and court ''Kapellmeister'' from 1663 to 1679. He died in Königsberg. His work ...

, ''Matthäus Passion,'' Boston Early music Festival Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs CD CPO 2007 * George Frideric Handel, '' Acis and Galatea,'' 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, ''

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 George Frideric Handel's first opera, composed when he was 19 years old. I ...

,'' 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 {{String-musician-stub