Stephen Caracciolo

b. 1962

Stephen Caracciolo serves as Artistic Director for LancasterChorale, Central Ohio's premier professional chamber choir. He is recognized for his passionate artistry, creative teaching, and as a nationally known composer and arranger whose well-crafted choral works are regularly performed throughout the United States and Europe. Dr. Caracciolo has guest conducted in Piacenza (Italy), Washington National Cathedral (District of Columbia), the Cathedral of the Incarnation (Baltimore), Saint Joseph Cathedral (Columbus), and at the Capital University NOW Music Festival to name but a few. He has accepted commissions from numerous organizations, including Cantus, the Maryland State Boy Choir, LancasterChorale, the Columbus Chamber Singers, and was awarded the prestigious Individual Artist's Fellowship in Composition from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. His compositions appear on many professional, collegiate, church, and cathedral choir repertoire lists, and may be heard on nationally distributed recordings including those performed by Cantus, the international touring men's ensemble, and Cathedra, the resident professional chamber choir at Washington National Cathedral--Michael McCarthy conductor.

The listener hears in the music of Stephen Caracciolo not only a love for the lyrical beauty of the human voice but an ardent desire to serve the text in a manner that illumines the meaning of the words being set. With an approach to composition that varies from work to work depending on the nature of the poetry or the given parameters of a commission. Caracciolo's works consistently search for something beautiful, truthful, and enriching to the human mind and spirit. His output demonstrates a profound respect for the past--seamlessly assimilating and reinterpreting the music of previous generations while offering something of substance to the ongoing musical conversation. In all, a certain sacredness, mystery, or quiet prayer permeates Caracciolo's writing as it creates a satisfying musical bridge between the ancient and the modern.

He currently serves as an Associate Professor of Music at UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County) where he conducts Camerata, the select choral ensemble, and teaches voice and choral related courses. In addition, he has served as a clinician for the American Choral Director's Association and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and sings as a professional bass at Washington National Cathedral.