Clayton Stephenson

2022 Cliburn Finalist

2022 Cliburn Competition

United States 23 Years Old

About

American pianist Clayton Stephenson’s love for music is immediately apparent in his joyous charisma onstage, expressive power, and natural ease at the instrument. Hailed for “extraordinary narrative and poetic gifts” and interpretations that are “fresh, incisive and characterfully alive” (Gramophone), he is committed to making an impact on the world through his music-making.

Close up of Clayton Stephenson playing the piano with the orchestra behind him

Growing up in New York City, Clayton started piano lessons at age 7, and the next year was accepted into The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program—a full scholarship program for under-represented students—where he lingered to watch student recitals and fell in love with music. He advanced to Juilliard’s elite Pre-College at age 10—with the help of his teacher at the time, Beth Nam, who gave him countless extra lessons without charge—to study with Matti Raekallio, Hung-Kuang Chen, and Ernest Barretta. Clayton practiced on a synthesizer at home until he found an old upright piano on the street that an elementary school had thrown away; that would become his practice piano for the next six years, until the Lang Lang Foundation donated a new piano to him when he was 17.

He credits the generous support of community programs with providing him musical inspiration and resources along the way. As he describes it, the “Third Street Music School jump-started my music education; the Young People’s Choir taught me phrasing and voicing; Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program introduced me to formal and rigorous piano training, which enabled me to get into Juilliard Pre-College; the Morningside Music Bridge validated my talent and elevated my self-confidence; the Boy’s Club of New York exposed me to jazz; and the Lang Lang Foundation brought me to stages worldwide and transformed me from a piano student to a young artist.”

Clayton graduated from the Harvard-New England Conservatory (NEC) dual degree program in spring 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard and a master’s degree in piano performance from NEC under Wha Kyung Byun. And his accolades along the way have been bountiful: in addition to being the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, he was named 2022 Gilmore Young Artist; 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts; Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist; Gheens Young Artist; and Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.

Recent and upcoming highlights include concertos with the Houston and North Carolina Symphonies and Las Vegas Philharmonic; festival appearances at Grand Teton and Tippet Rise; recitals at venues including Fondation Louis Vuitton and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall; and collaborations with violinists Nikki and Timothy Chooi in Europe, Canada, and the United States. On the 69th United Nations Day, Clayton played with the International Youth Orchestra at the U.N. General Assembly Hall. He has been featured on NPR, WUOL, and WQXR, and appeared in the “GRAMMY® Salute to Classical Music” Concert at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium.

Meet Clayton

Thumbnail of video Meet Clayton Stephenson – 2022 Cliburn Competitor

Performance Videos

Preliminary Round

Thumbnail of video Clayton Stephenson –  Preliminary Round Recital – 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
HAYDN Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:37
HOUGH Fanfare Toccata
STRAVINSKY–AGOSTI Suite from The Firebird
STRAUSS–GODOWSKY Symphonic Metamorphosis on Die Fledermaus

Quarterfinal Round

Thumbnail of video Clayton Stephenson – Quarterfinal Round Recital 2022 Cliburn Competition
RAVEL “Prélude” from Le tombeau de Couperin
LISZT Ballade No. 2 in B Minor
PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83

Semifinal Round – Recital

Thumbnail of video Clayton Stephenson – Semifinal Round Recital 2022 Cliburn Competition
BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 21 in C Major, op. 53 (“Waldstein”)
LIEBERMANN Gargoyles, op. 29
BRAHMS Sonata No. 1 in C Major, op. 1

Semifinal Round – Mozart concerto

Thumbnail of video Clayton Stephenson – Semifinal Round Mozart Concerto – 2022 Cliburn Competition
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467

Final Round – Concerto I

Close up of Clayton Stephenson playing the piano with the orchestra behind him
GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F Major

Relive the 2022 Competition

Own the 30 live recordings of each competitor’s Preliminary Round performance of Sir Stephen Hough’s Fanfare Toccata.

Photos

Clayton Stephenson headshot

Portraits

Browse and download Clayton's portrait photos

Contact / Booking

General Management
The Cliburn Agency
Sandra Doan, [email protected]
817.738.6536

Tour Dates

Apr 12

Colorado Springs Philharmonic

Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Apr 18

The 92nd Street Y, New York

New York, NY, USA

May 12

Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Hartford, CT, USA

May 17

Oklahoma City Philharmonic

Oklahoma City, OK, USA

May 22

Hartford Symphony Gala

Hartford, CT, USA

Jun 06

Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Hartford, CT, USA