Stephen Caldwell

b. 1980

Dr. Stephen Caldwell has received critical acclaim as a singer, conductor, and composer alike, and appears regularly in concert, recital, and stage performances throughout the country and abroad. He is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Arkansas where he oversees a thriving choral program of five ensembles and five graduate conductors. He conducts the nationally renowned Schola Cantorum and 70-voice Women's Chorus. Additionally, he teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in conducting and literature, and is the primary instructor and advisor for graduate students pursuing the MM in Choral Conducting. He often serves as a vocal and pedagogical consultant for choral programs at many public schools, and has adjudicated choral festivals and conducted honor choirs at all levels. He has prepared choirs for many leading conductors and ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Delaware Symphony. He has presented sessions at conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Collegiate Choral Organization and is an active member of both service communities.

His original, award-winning, and published compositions and arrangements have been performed throughout the world, by middle school, high school, university, community, and professional choral ensembles. Recent highlights include performances by the Taipei Male Choir, Taiwan Children's Chorus, choirs at Temple University, Florida State University, Lewis and Clark College, and the University of Arkansas. His music has been commissioned for performance in Alice Tully Hall (NYC), the Taiwanese National Concert Hall (Taipei) the National Gallery of Art (Washington DC), the Kennedy Library (Boston), and at many leading American universities and high schools. He was a winner of the 2009 Philadelphia Singing City Prize for Young Composers, received a 2011 commendation from PA-ACDA, and was named the 2011 Composer of the Year by the New Jersey Arts Collective.

He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado, two Master of Music Degrees in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from Temple University, a French Language Certification from the University of Paris – Sorbonne, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rutgers University.