Josephine Stephenson (born 1990) is a French-British composer, arranger, singer and instrumentalist who works across a variety of musical genres.

Early life and education

Stephenson learned

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

as a child, and as a teenager attended the

Maîtrise de Radio France Maîtrise de Radio France (known as Maîtrise de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française prior to 1975) is the choir school of Radio France. The school and its choir were founded in 1946 by the composer Henry Barraud and the pedagogue Maurice D ...

(the choir school of Radio France). After briefly studying

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

at the

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, she moved to the UK where she attended

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

as a

choral scholar A choral scholar is a student either at a university or private school who receives a scholarship in exchange for singing in the school or university's choir. This is a common practice in the UK at schools attached to cathedrals where the choir is ...

and received a Bachelor’s degree in Music. She later obtained a Master’s degree in Composition from the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

, having studied under

Kenneth Hesketh Kenneth Hesketh (born 20 July 1968) is a British composer of contemporary classical music in numerous genres including dance, orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo. He has also composed music for wind and brass bands as well as seasonal music for ...

. In 2017-2019 she was a 'Writing The Future' composer with the

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert in 1968—givi ...

Career

During her Masters studies, Stephenson's orchestration was likened to

Claude Vivier Claude Vivier ( ; baptised as Claude Roger; 14 April 19487 March 1983) was a Canadian contemporary composer, pianist, poet and ethnomusicologist of Québécois origin. After studying with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Cologne, Vivier became an i ...

, and her first short opera ''On False Perspective'' was staged in the Britten Theatre, co-produced by Tête à Tête and the Royal College of Music. In 2015 she collaborated with FellSwoop Theatre on a devised piece of musical theatre, ''Ghost Opera'', first performed at the

Aix-en-Provence Festival The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumenta ...

and developed with

The Lowry The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex ope ...

. In the same year she won ‘Best Composer’ at Underwire Film Festival for her work on the short film ''Emma, Change The Locks''. In 2016 Stephenson was commissioned by

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety of ...

to write a piece for the Maîtrise, ''Ce n'était pas nous'', premiered at the

Maison de la Radio Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, nicknamed “maison ronde” (“the round house”) is the headquarters of Radio France. It is located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris near the Eiffel Tower. Built in the shape of huge ring 500 meters in c ...

. She contributed to the world’s first concerto for drum machine and orchestra in 2018, in a night curated by

Nonclassical Nonclassical is a British independent record label and night club founded in 2004 by Gabriel Prokofiev, grandson of Sergei Prokofiev. History Nonclassical has released fourteen albums, each following a concept of recording new contemporary cl ...

Village Underground A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

. The same year, after working with the band

Daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...

, Stephenson joined singer Elena Tonra's solo project, '' Ex:Re'', playing cello, providing backing vocals, and arranging songs. In February 2021, an arrangement by Stephenson of Tonra's album with the 12 Ensemble string orchestra, was released. Stephenson's song cycle ''Une Saison en Enfer'', on text by

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he starte ...

, was written for and premiered by

Allan Clayton Allan James Clayton (1981) is a British tenor singer. Clayton was a chorister at Worcester Cathedral and a choral scholar in the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge. He was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2007-09 and winner of the Royal Ph ...

Aurora Orchestra Aurora Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra , co-founded in 2004 by conductors Nicholas Collon and Robin Ticciati. The orchestra is based in London, where it is Resident Orchestra at Southbank Centre and Resident Ensemble at Kings Place. The ...

, and conductor

Brett Dean Brett Dean (born 23 October 1961) is an Australian composer, violist and conductor. Biography Brett Dean was born, raised and educated in Brisbane. He started learning violin at the age of eight, and later studied viola with Elizabeth Morgan a ...

at the

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 leadin ...

in London, December 2019. It was nominated for the

Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

in 2020. A singer and multi-instrumentalist, she has appeared on albums by the

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, back ...

and

Jon Hopkins Jonathan Julian Hopkins (born 15 August 1979) is an English musician and producer who writes and performs electronic music. He began his career playing keyboards for Imogen Heap, and has produced but also contributed to albums by Brian Eno, Co ...

, among others. She is one of the three artistic directors of the London-based concert series and record label Listenpony, alongside

Freya Waley-Cohen Freya Waley-Cohen (born 20 February 1989) is a British-American composer based in London. Biography Waley-Cohen grew up in an arts-oriented family. Her mother is the American sculptor Josie Spencer and her father is English theatre manager and pr ...

and William Marsey.

Notable works

Vocal

*''Une saison en enfer'' (2019) for tenor and string orchestra (

commission) *''Between the war and you'' (2017) for soprano, clarinet, harp and double bass (

Spitalfields Music Spitalfields Music (previously known as Spitalfields Festival, officially registered as Spitalfields Festival Ltd) is a music charity based in the Bethnal Green area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Through musical events, the charity hop ...

commission)

Choral

*''Into the Wreck'' (2021) for mixed chorus and narrator *''Now that heaven and earth and the wind are silent'' (2017) for SATB choir (

commission) *''Ce n'était pas nous'' (2016) for children's voices (

commission) *''if only'' (2015) for 40 voices (

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

commission)

Ensemble

*''Shuffle'' (2019) for nine instruments (

commission)

Chamber

*''Lignéchos'' (2017) for violin, clarinet and piano (Miroirs Étendus commission) *''All casual bits and scraps, assembled'' (2015) for percussion quartet

Solo

*''Cut Hold'' (2018) for solo cello (

commission) *''Enero'' (2018) for solo guitar *''Sestina'' (2015) for solo piano *''Anamnesis'' (2013) for solo cello

Orchestra

*''Writhen'' (2019), for chamber orchestra (

Britten Sinfonia Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in the ...

commission) *Concerto for Drum Machine & Orchestra:V (2018) (

commission) *''Abend'' (2013), for small orchestra

Opera

*''NARCISSE'' (2019) (ARCAL Lyrique commission) *''Les Constellations - Une Théorie'' (2016) (Miroirs Étendus commission,

Opéra de Lille The Opéra de Lille is a neo-classical opera house, built from 1907 to 1913 and officially inaugurated in 1923. Closed for renovation in 1998 it reopened in 2003 for Lille 2004. The Opéra de Lille is a member of the European Network for Opera, M ...

co-production) *''Ghost Opera'' (2015) *''On False Perspective'' (2014)

Album contributions

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Josephine 1990 births Living people British women classical composers People from Les Lilas 21st-century classical composers 21st-century French composers 21st-century classical musicians 21st-century British composers 21st-century English women musicians 21st-century French women musicians French women classical composers Alumni of the Royal College of Music Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge French emigrants to the United Kingdom