Performing Artist
"Stevens is a sensitive pianist who ekes out droplets of sparkling gems or volumes of rushing waves having a lyrical foundation and a complex consistency; he constructs vivid imagery by getting into the core of each piece and expounding intuitively with his reconstructions."
~ Cadence Jazz Magazine, September, 2005. By Frank Rubolino
Over the past three decades Michael Jefry Stevens been at the forefront of the international improvised music scene as well as the New York City jazz scene. He has over 75 recordings including solo and group projects and has performed around the globe as a solo pianist and with various ensembles. His following is especially active throughout Europe where he continues to tour on a regular basis.
He is artist-in-residence every year at the jazz workshop at Educacion Musicale in La Plata, Argentina and has been on the performing artist roster of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts since 1998. Stevens currently resides in Black Mountain, NC.
In 2009 Mr. Stevens was named a “Steinway” Performing Artist. For decades Steinway & Sons has cultivated special relationships with pianists from every genre. From classical pianists like Lang Lang, to jazz stars like Diana Krall, to pop icons like Billy Joel, to "immortals" like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Arthur Rubinstein — more than 1,600 artists make the Steinway their own. Michael Jefry Stevens is honored to be part of this prestigious group.