Clayton Stephenson most recently appeared with the Symphony in September of 2025, performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in Chapel Hill.
Hailed for “extraordinary narrative and poetic gifts” and interpretations that are “fresh, incisive and characterfully alive” (Gramophone), American pianist Clayton Stephenson is committed to making an impact on the world through his music-making. Upcoming orchestra engagements include the Oakland Symphony, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Growing up in New York City, Stephenson started piano lessons at age seven, and the next year was accepted into The Julliard School’s Music Advancement Program—a full scholarship program for disadvantaged students—where he lingered to watch student recitals and fell in love with music. Stephenson practiced on a synthesizer at home until he found an old upright piano on the street. For the next six years that would be his practice piano, until, at the age of 17, he received a new piano from the Lang Lang Foundation.
Stephenson credits the generous support of community programs with providing him musical inspiration and resources along the way. As he describes it, the “Third Street Music School jump-started my music education; the Young People’s Choir taught me phrasing and voicing; Juilliard’s 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.”
Highlights of his 2025/26 season included a performance of the Brahms Concerto No. 2 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and performances of Gershwin’s Concerto in F with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Saratoga Arts festival, Palermo Classica international festival (Italy), Boston Pops, and Sarasota Orchestra. He performed the Ravel Concerto in G with the Nashville Symphony and Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra as well as the Stuttgart Philharmonic (Germany), and finished his season on tour with the Stuttgart Philharmonic in Italy.
Recent seasons have included concerto performances with the Houston Symphony and the Virginia and Cincinnati symphony orchestras; festival appearances at Grand Teton, Grant Park, and Tippet Rise; recitals at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the 92nd Street Y in New York City; and gala performances with the New York and Las Vegas Philharmonics. He also served as the 2024/25 Artist-in-Residence at the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
Stephenson graduated from the Harvard-New England Conservatory (NEC) dual degree program in spring 2023 with a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard and a master's degree in piano performance from NEC under Wha Kyung Byun. In addition to being the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, he has been a recipient of a 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, won the inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition in 2024, and received a Sphinx Medal of Excellence in 2025.
