American pianist 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” (Gramophone), he is committed to making an impact on the world through his music-making.

Growing up in New York City, Clayton started piano lessons at age 7 and was accepted into the Juilliard Outreach Music Advancement Program, advancing at the age of 10 to Juilliard’s elite Pre-College program.  Clayton 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.  

Clayton has recently been awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant. He won the Grand Prize at the Inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition in 2023 and has also garnered acclaim as the first Black finalist at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He was recognized as the 2022 Gilmore Young Artist, a 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.

Website: https://claytonstephenson.com/