Stephen studied undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he was generously supported by Help Musicians UK, Denne Gilkes Memorial Fund and Guildhall Scholarship Award. During his time at the Guildhall School, Stephen studied clarinet with Joy Farrall, Andrew Marriner, Nicholas Carpenter and Andrew Webster, and composition with James Weeks and Paul Newland. He is currently a Fellow at the Guildhall School for 2015/16.

As an orchestral player, Stephen has played with a variety of ensembles including the Britten Sinfonia, City of London Chamber Orchestra, Haffner Wind Ensemble, and as the clarinet academy member for the 2015 Chipping Campden Festival Academy Orchestra. Stephen also played in the 2015 UK premiere of Šimon Voseček’s Biedermann and the Arsonist with Independent Opera at Sadler’s Wells in London. During his time at the Guildhall School and as a previous member of the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, Stephen played under conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, John Wilson, Michael Tilson Thomas and Gianandrea Noseda. As a concerto soloist he has performed music by Debussy, Mozart and Weber.

Stephen has always had a keen interest in contemporary music and his compositions have been performed by a variety of groups, most recently by professors at the Guildhall School, Guildhall’s Ubu Ensemble, The Hermes Experiment and also in a workshop performance by the acclaimed contemporary vocal ensemble EXAUDI.