Saxophone
Stephen is a versatile London-based saxophonist splitting his time between solo, chamber, and ensemble performance.
He is currently Principal Saxophonist with the Band of the Welsh Guards, where he frequently appears as a soloist.
He recently collaborated with composer Gareth Trott on his Concerto for Baritone Saxophone and Wind Band, premiered at Regent Hall, London, and Dora Stoutzker Hall, Cardiff. Other notable performances include the UK premiere of Satoshi Yagisawa’s Baritone Saxophone Concerto Vongole at Cadogan Hall, Hillary Tann’s In the First, Spinning Place, Pedro Iturralde’s Pequeña Czarda, and Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Two Memorials at the Purcell Room as part of the Southbank Centre’s The Rest is Noise festival. In 2021 he recorded Eric Coates Saxo-Rhapsody for the Band of the Welsh Guards CD Majesty.
A dedicated chamber musician, Stephen plays baritone saxophone with the acclaimed Laefer Quartet, recognised as one of the UK’s leading saxophone quartets. The quartet has received numerous awards, including Park Lane Group Artists, Making Music Selected Artists, and the Elias Fawcett Award for Outstanding Ensemble in the Royal Over-Seas League Competition. They have performed at Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room, St John’s Smith Square, and the Three Palaces Festival (Malta). Their debut album, Strata, was released in 2024. Celebrating the quartet’s long history of collaboration, the album is organised around a movement up through physical strata, from under the ground to the heavens above, and consists of all 21st century works including 7 commissions.
Stephen was also tenor saxophonist in the Household Division Saxophone Quartet whose performing highlights included the world premiere of Adam Gorb's Let Them Play at the World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb in 2018, and Thierry Escaich’s Tango Virtuoso at Cadogan Hall.
His orchestral experience includes performances with the Academy of St Mary-le-Bow, Shadwell Opera, the Facade Ensemble, Riot Ensemble, and the London Military Band.
He has been recognised with several accolades, including the Household Division's Musician of the Year award in 2017 and first prize in the CAMUS 25 Soloist Competition in 2019, competing against soloists from across the British Army.
Stephen is an active educator, having delivered masterclasses and workshops at leading institutions including the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and the University of Southampton.
He holds a Master of Music (MMus) in Performance from the Royal College of Music, where he studied with Kyle Horch, following undergraduate studies with Dr. Angela Space at the University of Southampton, earning a BA (Hons) in Music.