Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen P. Brown.
Hi Stephen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
“There’s more to music than music” is probably the most impacting mantra I’ve upheld throughout my life as a performer. I remember sitting with a group of peers in the basement student lounge of my central London college as we openly proclaimed to “never teach” music but to make our living performing. We all ended up teaching. But not long after that declaration, I began wondering, why would we say that? Was it just ego? Was it pride? Was it youthful ignorance? “Yes, and more,” appears to be the answer. Over time, it became more apparent that there is more to this thing called “music” than just the notes on the page or the lyrics in a song. Most of us know “music” as the language of emotions, but what does that truly mean? Such questions are the inspiration behind a little quest to see where my restless curiosity comes from. My parents encouraged me to try a multitude of activities in life, including building, electronics, magic & puppetry, steam locomotives, singing, photography, philatelics, computers (BBC Acorn, anyone?!), church, camping, and so on. I never quite understood why I couldn’t follow my older sister to all her activities, especially when she joined the Girl Scout Brownies, and that I was actually supposed to have my own interests. I didn’t know they existed. In order to see if music would be a possible passion, we attended a concert by the local community orchestra.
As a seven-year-old Brit of average height, I sat on the edge of my side balcony front-row seat with my chin on my hands leaning on the wall for the entire concert, and never said a word during or after the concert. It wasn’t until we were approaching our little village half an hour later that I eventually said anything at all. “Come on, Stephen, there must be something you liked!” I imagine my mom saying. She still proudly shares that my reply, as I moved to stand in the gap between my parents’ seats in the car, was “I want to do what that man in the front was doing,” as I waved my arms in the air.
Meaning, I wanted to conduct. After piano, clarinet, and percussion lessons and workshops in the UK and USA, my first public appearance as a conductor was at age 16. My first full symphony orchestra concert was at age 19, during which I unintentionally conducted Tchaikovsky’s entire fifth symphony from memory. Since then, my musical path has taken me to many parts of the world at the helm of many types of music ensembles (perhaps my favorite is musical theater. Or classical orchestras. With a choir. Maybe some concert bands. And definitely percussion ensembles.), and even my catalog of over 150 original compositions suggests I am a composer as well as a conductor. Nowadays, I inspire professional, amateur, and even beginner musicians and audiences to accomplish far more than they ever thought possible, mostly through live, in-person performances. Thanks to my parents exposing me to so much during my childhood, various levels of competence in multiple areas of life have resulted in people thinking I am a lawyer, CPA, pastor, writer, marketer, computer genius, and even an impresario. Perhaps I really have reached that stage of life deserving of the title “Maestro,” which actually translates to “teacher.” So much for our innocent desires formed during the bubble of college life!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If I was limited to identifying three of my biggest challenges as a leader in the creative industries, they would include confidence, ignorance, and alleged arrogance. I was 21 when I had my first experience on the podium in front of a world-renowned full-size symphony orchestra at the center of the modern classical music world, and it didn’t go so well. While my parents were encouraging, none of us really had any idea how the classical music establishment actually worked. We didn’t know that top-notch talent and skill were just the entry-level prerequisites. We didn’t have any mentors to help us say the right things, look the part, follow the right path, find the right people. What happened during that rehearsal was not only embarrassing, but it shook me to my core. Since then, it has been a struggle for me to avoid taking criticism personally. Even when I put on a brave face at the moment, it can take me days to question my preparation and scrutinize every gesture and word. Sometimes it seems necessary to convince me that I do know what I’m doing and that I do have the experience and know-how the performers I’m working with don’t. But those attempts often come across as narcissistic arrogance, and that rarely makes for a good working relationship!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What is it that I actually do, then? I help people accomplish a great deal more than they ever thought possible, usually as a conductor of orchestras, choirs, concert bands, and musical theater, as a coach helping musicians ignite their passion and unleash spectacular performances, and even as a composer of original music. As the General Director of the Dunedin Music Society, I’m also able to help people in our local communities organize and produce live in-person and online concerts.
How do you define success?
Of course, there are the obvious universal measures of success, such as meeting goals, hitting targets, and collecting feedback. In all honesty, the two things that give my life worth beyond my relationships with my wife and the people in my spiritual circles of influence are 1) counting the number of times I get goosebumps experiencing music or tearing up seeing others directly affected by live music, and 2) seeing someone actually learn or do something new or better than they were expecting. It’s a good day if I accomplish either. Most days are good days.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.StephenPBrown.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Conductor.StephenPBrown
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/stephenpbrown
Image Credits
Amber Nicole Lee Lafleur Audiences
