MALIBU, CA – October 14, 2024 – The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts is presenting the outstanding pianist Clayton Stephenson at Pepperdine University on Sunday, November 10 at 2 p.m. Stephenson will perform in Raitt Recital Hall as part of the University’s Recital Series in Malibu.

American pianist and Cliburn finalist Clayton Stephenson’s love for music is immediately apparent in his joyous charisma onstage, expressive power, and natural ease at the instrument. Hailed for “extraordinary narrative and poetic gifts” and interpretations that are “fresh, incisive, and characterfully alive” by Gramophone, he is committed to making an impact on the world through his music making. 

"We look forward to bringing Clayton Stephenson to Malibu this November,” says Rebecca Carson, Managing Director for the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts. “Our audiences tell us the Recital Series is the best place in Los Angeles to see and hear incredibly talented young classical musicians, including Cliburn finalists like Clayton. I know Clayton's joy and musicianship will charm our audiences, and that this will be a performance we talk about for years to come."

Stephenson’s repertoire includes “Sonata in E Major, K. 380” by Domenico Scarlatti, “Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109” by Ludwig van Beethoven, “Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1004” by Johann Sebastian Bach, “‘Summertime’ Variations” George Gershwin, “Gargoyles, op. 29” by Lowell Liebermann, and “Green Tea Farm” by Hiromi Uehara. Stephenson appears by arrangement with the Cliburn. 

Growing up in New York City, Stephenson started piano lessons at age 7 and was accepted into the Juilliard Outreach Music Advancement Program for underprivileged children the next year. At the age of 10, he advanced to Juilliard’s elite Pre-College program. He practiced on a synthesizer at home until he found an old upright piano on the street which would become his practice piano for the next six years until the Lang Lang Foundation donated a new piano to him when he was 17.  

Stephenson credits the generous support of community programs with providing him musical inspiration and resources along the way as he notes, “the 3rd Street Music School jump-started my music education; the Young People’s Choir taught me phrasing and voicing; the Juilliard Outreach Music Advancement Program introduced me to formal and rigorous piano training, which enabled me to get into Juilliard Pre-College; the Morningside Music Bridge validated my talent and elevated my self-confidence; the Boy’s Club of New York exposed me to jazz; and the Lang Lang Foundation brought me to stages worldwide and transformed me from a piano student to a young artist.” 

Recent and upcoming highlights of Clayton’s burgeoning career include appearances with the Calgary Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, and the Fort Worth, Louisville, Lansing and North Carolina Symphony Orchestras; as well as recitals at the Phillips Collection Concert Series in Washington, DC, Foundation Louis Vuitton Auditorium in Paris, Bad Kissinger Sommer Festival and BeethovenFest in Germany, Colour of Music Festival, Ravinia Festival and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. He has been featured on NPR, WUOL, and WQXR, and appeared in the “GRAMMY® Salute to Classical Music” Concert at Carnegie’s Stern Auditorium.

Stephenson now studies in the Harvard-NEC Dual Degree Program, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics at Harvard and a master’s degree in piano performance at the New England Conservatory under Wha Kyung Byun. In addition to being the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, Stephenson was a 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, a 2022 Gilmore Young Artist, 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. He also received  a jury discretionary award at the 2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival.

Tickets are available now and priced at $33 for the public. Price includes ticket fees. Discounted tickets are available for groups, Military, Wave Associates, and Pepperdine faculty, staff, students, and alumni. To purchase tickets, call the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts box office at (310) 506-4522 or visit the Clayton Stephenson event page.

The Recital Series

The Recital Series at Pepperdine University has delighted audiences with new and emerging classical musicians since 1993. With intimate Sunday afternoon performances in Raitt Recital Hall, the series is known nationally for the high quality of its performances, the stunning location, the beautiful and acoustically superior venues, and the engagement and loyalty of its audience. Many of the featured artists have gone on to significant critical and professional acclaim, including cellist Johannes Moser, pianist Haochen Zhang, soprano Jessica Rivera, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein. The Recital Series is made possible by the generous support of donors to the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts. For more information, visit arts.pepperdine.edu. 

About the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts

Delighting more than 50,000 patrons and participants annually with live performances, art exhibitions, and local outreach opportunities, the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts serves as a hub for the arts on Pepperdine University’s Malibu campus, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Three performance spaces, including the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 124-seat Raitt Recital Hall, and the “black box” Lindhurst Theatre, host hundreds of performances, rehearsals, and master classes throughout the year. The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, a dynamic, two-story exhibition space, showcases a revolving selection of modern and contemporary art with a focus on art made in California.

Event Details

WHAT: Clayton Stephenson, piano
WHEN: Sunday, November 10 at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Raitt Recital Hall, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA
TICKETS: (310) 506-4522 or Clayton Stephenson event page
PRICES: $33 for the public. Price includes ticket fees. Discounted tickets are available for groups, Military, Wave Associates, and Pepperdine faculty, staff, students, and alumni. 

Photos

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Media Contact 

Jessica Burdzinski
Marketing and Publicity Manager
jessica.burdzinski@pepperdine.edu
310.506.4055